Chapter 3

Even though being alone is great at keeping people who will eventually hurt you away, it is the loneliest existence one could possibly have. Even if someone had a friend that wasn't nice, cared, or even respected them, it is better than not having any at all.

///Maybe I should pretend to be asleep whenever someone walks in today. I don't want to hear what my "parents" have to say. My step- father will probably attack me once he walks into the room and still sees me breathing. As much as he hates spending money on anything other than food, clothes, bills, and of course booze, he would loathe me even more for getting hurt and wasting money on me to get better.///

I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling for what seems like years before someone walked into the room. Once I heard the door open I closed my eyes as quickly as I could.

"What's wrong Cloud? Not gonna say hello to your older brother?" he asked in a sarcastic, annoyed voice. Once I heard his voice me whole body tensed and I felt like I couldn't breathe. ///No! Why did he have to come? He hates me! If he could've he would have killed me a long time ago; so why the hell is he visiting me in the hospital?!/// I opened my eyes and looked over to the doorway where he was standing, and with a look of horror pasted on my face I breathed, "Sephiroth…"

"Hello Cloud. What's wrong? You look a little pale," he said in a sinister voice, "you know, our "parents" are furious with you? You, being the weakling that you are, can't even defend yourself against three boys younger than you. Pitiful. I never thought that you could disgust me even more than you already do, but you proved me wrong, now didn't you?"

"Why the hell are you here?!" I asked surprised.

"Our "parents" couldn't come and get you out today so they sent me with the paperwork to drop it off and to take your sorry-ass home," he replied.

"We both know you didn't intend on letting me get into your car. So I suggest I'm walking home," I said.

"True, you aren't getting into my car. Mom told me not to let you walk home, so I called Angeal and he sent Zack to pick you up. I'm not even going home tonight anyway."

"Why?" I asked confused.

"Cause I don't want to listen to your screams of pain from what you're getting tonight. "He" Already started drinking right when he woke up, so you know it's gonna be bad. Why the hell are youin so much need for attention, Cloud? You're so selfish, and you mess up too much. How the hell did you wind up being my brother? You aren't even worth my breath. Rot in hell," he said coldly."

"And you're too much of a sadistic bastard to be mine! So how about we both curse the gods of family organization?! I'm not selfish either! If anyone in this stupid dysfunctional family is selfish it's our drunken step-father! He doesn't spend a dime on anyone unless they have booze in the other hand!" I yelled. Right after the last word came out of my mouth Sephiroth punched me right in the face and grabbed me by the throat, forcing me to shut up long enough to listen to what he had to say next.

"Now you listen to me," he said hatefully as I gasped for air, "just shut you fucking mouth and don't complain about the drunken bastard or life is going to be a lot harder for you." He kept talking but the lights were swimming before my eyes and everything was becoming blurry, and sometime in between when he first grabbed my neck to now I stopped breathing. All of a sudden he released his death-grip on my neck as someone walked into the open doorway and started yelling at him to get off of me. "He's my brother! I can do whatever the fuck I want to him! You have no right to interfere into our family affairs! Just because you are my best friend's brother doesn't mean I won't kick your ass. Watch your back Zack Fair!" he yelled as he walked out of the room.

As the lights started coming back to my eyes I saw the worry on Zack's face. By the look on his face I could tell he knew that I'm not the only one who's fucked up in my family. "Are you okay?" he asked softly as he looked sadly at me. I thought for a moment why the hell he would care, but I couldn't bring myself to ask him. Instead of asking I just said yes and closed my eyes for a moment. While I had my eyes closed, I could feel Zack's eyes on me. I sigh, frustrated because I have no clue what my crush heard or if he heard anything at all. I open my eyes and look over at him and find that he is still staring at me. "I'm ready to go now," I said, "did Sephiroth turn in the release papers yet?"

"I have no idea. The only time I saw him was when he was in here with a death-grip on your throat," he said quietly, almost as if someone might hear him in the next room, "I'll go ask and then we'll leave." "Okay," I replied.

After he left, I tried to think of how bad it was going to be when I got home. ///What the hell am I going to do? I can't go home, "he" might wind up killing me this time./// I sigh and hold my head with my good arm, my right arm, and wonder why this kind of thing always happens to me. ///Did I do something horrible to deserve this? This whole life is shit and needs to end. I am so fucking tired of being treated like some fucking plague and nuisance. Parents are supposed to waste time, love , and money on their children. So what, am I not good enough of a child for them? I made good grades to try and make them happy, but I gave up when they seemed not to notice and care. I tried extra-curricular activities, but they told me to stop wasting their money for fun. I tried making friends, but with Sephiroth being my brother and my parents, being the way they are, scared them all off whenever I was asked to do anything. After seven years of living in Gongaga, still nothing has changed. I'm so stupid, I should have never agreed to let my mom marry that asshole of a step-father. He met my mom, married her, became a drunk, wasted all of our money, made us move from Nibelheim to this stupid place so Mom could get a better job, and now we can't get rid of him. Maybe I should run away tonight, I mean I've been planning it for months now. If they find me though will they send me back? The only full-proof plan I have, that is sure to work, because no one will save me is… Suicide… It has got to work, I have nothing motivating enough to live for anyway. I have a knife in my drawer at home and I could easily lock myself in my room after my beating, and no one would know what I had done until morning at least, but I will have bled out by then. Perfect./// I smiled happily to myself as I formulated my plan in my head when Zack walked in saw the unusual smile on my face and asked happily, " Why so happy?"

"Because I'm finally gonna be free," I said with a disguised hint for my later plans.

"Okay? Well, Sephiroth did give the papers to them so we can leave whenever you're ready," he replied confused.

"I'm just going to put my clothes on real quick and then I'll be ready."

"Okay. Do you want me to leave and close the door?" he asked.

"Nah. You can just close the door," I replied.

After I slid on my skinny jeans I took off the hospital robe, and turned around so Zack wouldn't see the horrible scars on my back from my step-father's beatings. I then grabbed my T-shirt and put it on and threw the robe on the bed where I was just laying. I turn around and look at Zack for a few seconds and then sat down and slipped on my shoes. After getting my shoes on I stood up, grabbed my jacket, and headed toward the door.

"Alright, I am all ready to go," I say as I smile, "let's go."