I awoke later that morning with a killer headache; a hangover is worse then what they describe it. I spent the entire morning lying in bed waiting for my dad to leave the house; he worked Sundays so he should have already gone. When I heard his car start, then the sound of the engine fading into the distance, I knew it was my cue to get up. I pulled on a pair of skimpy boxers and a big T-shirt on over my underwear and walked down stairs to the kitchen. My mum was sitting on the same stool that beat her only weeks before, drinking coffee. I put the kettle on to make tea and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled. "Darling" she muttered, then took yet another sip of coffee.

I didn't bother with breakfast; I couldn't stand being in a room with either of my parents just yet. I went upstairs and checked my phone. I had four missed calls and a new text that read:
babe hru? We shuld ctch up soon Z x.
wat u doin 2dai? I replied. Zed was fast with the fingers, he sent back almost instantly with:
Nothin babe u free? I smiled to myself. Damn straight I was free.
Ye wer can u meet me? I started getting dressed and my phone buzzed again.
Union Sq. I sent back yet another text saying that was good and threw my skinny leg jeans on and a tight singlet top that came down a bit at the front showing off my cleavage and making my tan look flawless. I went downstairs but no one was around so I left a note.
Mum, gone to a friend's. See you later. Love Georgie xxx

I was nearly there when my phone beeped.
"Where are you babe?" The now familiar sound of Zed's voice.
"I'm here, platform 2, come get me" we hung up and I stood waiting. Flinders Street station is the kind of place you don't want to be at when you're alone. The people there looked more suspicious then anyone I'd ever seen, up until that point anyway. Druggies, I thought to myself as a mother with small eyes, wrinkly skin and four kids under five trailing behind her walked past. Zed came up from behind grabbing me by the waist. It scared me at first and I jumped but when realising who it was turned and kissed him.
"Hey" I mumbled into his chest as he took me in for a hug.
"Babe" he replied. Being referred to as babe became one of my favourite things in the world. We linked hands and walked out and into the city. The day went by, hug after hug, kiss after kiss, soon enough I decided I should go home. Turned out we lived in the same area so we caught the train together. As we neared our station Zed told me how glad he was we met. How amazing I was and that he liked me from the second he laid eyes on me. I was ecstatic. We went out a few more times before Zed asked if I'd go out with him officially. Of course I said yes.

The first time I skipped class I felt nauseated, so the feeling of getting away with it was the most fulfilled I'd ever felt. Until then, anyway. Skipping a class soon became skipping a day, a day progressed to a week, two weeks. It wouldn't be long before my appearances to class became almost unheard of. My teachers were puzzled as to why the girl with the motivated outlook on day one had slipped to such low standard. My parents were distracted with Billy and Jett so my behaviour went un-noticed. Billy got arrested three times the month I began going 'bad'. By the middle of my first year in middle school Tegan had been knocked off her perch, Billy had been arrested, again. My school finally worked up the balls to expel me. I was relieved.

We arrived home from the expulsion meeting at my school. My mum went upstairs to cry in her room. I knew I'd let her down. I didn't care. My dad turned to me as I shut the front door. He stared at me for what seemed like hours. I stared back: he wasn't going to win. He took one big stride over to where I was standing and looked down at me.
"You don't intimidate me, you bastard" I stated it flatly; screaming would have made me sound cowardly.
"I DON'T INTIMIDATE YOU, DO I?" he bellowed into my face.
"No, you don't, you're not as tough as you think you..." I stopped talking as his fist came flying into the right side of my jaw. I screamed obscenities at him, at the world, at everything. I kicked him where I knew he'd feel it. He doubled over.

We were as stubborn as each other. Neither of us cried. Neither of us gave up. He punched me again, in the stomach. I lost the ability to breathe. His leg came closer. I bit through his jeans into his thigh. He kicked me in the shin and pushed me to the ground. Mum came racing down the stairs screaming.
"YOU" she shrieked at him. "NOT MY DAUGHTER, NOT MY GEORGI". She picked me up off the ground; I saw my blood pour onto the tiles. Billy and Jet walked through the front door. My entire world felt as though it was coming to an end. They stood dead in their tracks. Billy picked me up and I started screaming again. Jet led mum out the front door and mum slammed it right in dad's face. But we all knew we'd be back. Jet placed mum in the passenger seat of her Mercedes and jumped into the driver's side. Billy put me into the back seat and sat in the middle. He held me tight as Jet drove.