A/N: This chapter is longer because you guys requested it, I would have posted sooner but I had to put two chapters together to make this one...I will explain some of the stuff in later chapters theres not much about William in this one...okay I'll shut up now please go ahead and read!!!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Josephine!
An ear piercing screech filled the class room; alerting me of the fact that the class had finally ended. I slipped my hardly touched books into my backpack. Standing up on slightly wobbly legs.
My knees nearly gave way, it frustrated me how weak I was. But as I swayed to one side someone grabbed my arm and gently straightened me I glanced over my shoulder to see it was Pogue, I forced out a small smile of thanks.
Unalarmed that he touched my arm.
"Did you tell them?" I whispered. I watched as a beautiful mocha colored girl approached us.
"No" Pogue answered stiffly, I looked over my shoulder to see him watching the girl approach us.
"Thanks" I turned and walked out of the classroom and towards the double doors that led to the withering lawn, where a few students sat or walked around aimlessly.
I walked towards a bench and sat down curling into a tight ball "Mind if I sit down?" my head jerked up to see an extremely gentle looking elderly man, he looked happy in his ragged clothes.
"Sure" I answered moving over a little, for some reason I was glad to have company at that second.
"What's your name?" he asked, looking me over with his watery blue eyes. I felt like I could get lost in those wise eyes.
"Josephine" I answered uncurling slowly.
"That's a beautiful name" he said crocking his head slightly "Mines Eric"
My face broke into a smile "That's a nice name to"
He smiled a very thankful smile "do you like it here?" he asked.
"Yes" I answered truthfully, I'd tried to jump off a bridge last night but in the process I found Pogue...and he saved my life, I didn't care if his heart belonged to someone else, a part of me would always love him for the simple fact that he had been there.
"There is a lot you can find in this town...good and bad, even if it is bad the people here can always raise your spirits" he gave me another smile before standing up and walking away, I followed him with my eyes completely silent.
"Josephine!" my dad yelled at me, I nearly crumbled to the ground when he grabbed my arm in a steel grip "I thought I told you to wash the damn sink"
I stared at him helplessly "I-I did" I said trying to pull away from him.
"Liar!" my dad exploded smacking my face harshly, I tasted blood.
"But I-" my dad threw me to the ground harshly kicking my knee.
"SHUT UP BITCH!" he bellowed at me.
My lip trembled slightly.
"Leave her alone!" I recognized the voice to belong to Reid.
"Listen pretty boy you stay out of this!" my dad yelled at him.
"I'll call the cops if you touch her again" Pogue stepped to Reid's side.
"Oh you will, will ya!" my dad laughed cruelly "and what makes you think she'll even say something?" he had scorn in his voice.
He put his boot against my bruised shoulder pressing down; I let out a whimper struggling on the grass. My eyes filled with tears.
I watched in a halve daze as Pogue tackled my dad pinning him the ground and knocking him out in one hit.
He then stepped away from my dad; he bent down and basically scooped me off the ground.
I looked around at the staring students, some where gesturing towards us with cell-phones against there ear, probably telling them everything go jump off a bridge I thought then instantly regretted it as the image of me plummeting off the edge came and haunted me.
I stared at the ground with an extremely black look on my face as Pogue set me down and looked me over, his eyes lingered on my cheek which was bright red "Sorry" he mumbled before turning and glaring at my limp dad "so he's the one?"
Numbly I nodded.
Reid stared at me as I walked past him "I'll get some...um...ice" Reid said turning on his heels and walking back to the school.
"Get out of here" Pogue said gently pushing me towards Reid; I nodded my head quickening my pace to keep up with the blonde.
Reid glanced at me "why don't you stand up to him?" Reid questioned.
Tears brimmed "Would you?" I asked, Reid seemed at a lose "if I stand up..." I shook my head "my dad would call William and he would take his side and the police would just think that I was some teen mad at her dad"
Reid said nothing to that, we where walking down the hallway, actually he was walking I was limping "was he always like that?"
I let out a stressed breath "mostly...he's worse when he's drinking"
"We'll take care of you" he said reassuringly, I could only force out a smile.
"Thanks" I mumbled.
Reid turned down a hallway with me following and stopped outside a door with the word nurse across it, I froze staring at it."Stay here" he ordered me pushing the door open and disappearing inside.
Before the door closed I heard "Hello Reid what are you doing here?" the voice was sweet and high.
I collapsed against the wall leaning my head against my arms which where folded across my knees that were against my chest. The next thing I knew someone was pulling my shirt over then shoving something very cold against my shoulder.
I let out a small moan before opening my eyes to see Reid looking down at me with a slightly worried expression on his face "Common" He said offering me his hand. I took it letting him pull me to my feet.
I leaned against him he put his arm around my shoulder helping me not limp in such an obvious way.
We went straight for the cafeteria with hardly anybody stopping and gapping at us.
My knee let out a wave of pain as we entered the cafeteria, I flinched visibly, Reid urged me into a seat looking around the table, I didn't even bother.
"Hey I was sitting there" Tyler complained.
I could still taste blood in my mouth.
"Leave her alone" the table fell into silence. I looked up at Reid my eyes probably had my thankfulness in them.
He rolled his eyes and walked towards a line of kids waiting for the turn to order.
"What'd you do to him?" I glared across the table at a smart looking blonde "I've never seen Reid stand up for anybody but himself"
"I didn't do anything" I mumbled, I reached up and pressed the icepack on my shoulder a little more, a wave of pain greeted me but it was soon numbed.
I barely noticed Pogue slip into a chair across from mine, his eyes flew around the table; he didn't seem to know what to say. He opened his mouth several times but then snapped his jaw shut every time.
Pogue studied me, probably looking for the emotion's I was hiding, I managed to notice the fact that the black girl was there again, I really didn't care who she was at that moment I just wanted to be alone.
But both are heads snapped around when Reid dropped a tray in front of a seat which he slipped into.
"Hungry?" he asked me.
"No" I answered I barely looking at the tray before feeling like I was about to vomit.
"You should eat" Pogue whispered to me, he eyed my skinny frame but didn't say anything else.
"I'm not hungry" I snapped, I pushed my chair back and walked out of the cafeteria.
After I left the cafeteria my thoughts were in a jumble. Somehow in yesterdays chaos I'd found...someone.
I silently walked down the hallway, I new that the school day hadn't ended, but I didn't care.
I walked right out of Spencer, I didn't know where I was going but I continued to walk until Spencer was out of view.
Memory's kept jumping up at me. But the one that just wouldn't go away...one of the ones I always wanted to delete from my mind...
I had been alone with W or William when he decided to show me exactly what he was like...he was like a younger version of my dad, what he did added so much to my pain.
Gen on the other had simply fed the fire. She'd laughed, actually laughed when I tried to tell her what William did.
Both still acted like my friends...but neither was. What my dad and my 'friend's' did caused me to retreat into myself...the only safe place now was my crushed spirit.
A couple of tears dripped down my cheek as I recalled my mother's funeral. Everyone was dressed in the traditional black and white. But no one knew that it was my dad that killed her...or drove her to taking her own life.
He was just as bad to her as me.
But at least my mom had tried to protect me, but when she died I was left completely alone.
I didn't cry at her funeral, I didn't know what to think...
I finally looked around myself.
There where tree's lining the road I was walking on. But besides an occasional breeze stirring the branches everything was silent, and eerily still.
A breeze whipped threw the trees, the cold air bit at my cheeks, my clothes where not equipped to protect me from this weather but I managed to ignore the cold and continued to walk.
"You look cold" my head whipped around, my eyes searching for the person who had spoken.
When I located him he had a small smile on his face.
"I'm not" I answered quietly.
"Want company?" he asked with a charming smile.
"No" I walked past him and continued to walk until I couldn't help but look over my shoulder. The guy wasn't there anymore.
My eyebrows went down in confusion, when I turned back around the guy was standing directly in front of me.
I was too surprised to do much of anything but stare at him blankly "Sorry" he said in a truthful voice.
"You probably don't know how beautiful you are" he said looking straight into my eyes.
"Thanks" I said smiling slightly.
"I'm serious" he jumped in "When you smile its like you glow" he reached out and brushed some hair out of my eyes.
My mind was screaming but I felt like I was floating.
Wind tousled his hair but I didn't feel anything "Here take this" he shrugged out of his jean jacket and handed it to me. I opened my mouth to protest but a car caught my attention.
When I looked over my shoulder the guy was gone, I halve expected to see him standing in front of me when I turned back around but he wasn't, it was almost like he had never been there.
And I would have made myself believe that he hadn't been there if I wasn't holding his jacket.
I shook my head, it was just too weird.
I looked over my shoulder again just to make sure that he really was gone.
A horn honked so close to me that I jumped flipping back around again to see a black hummer.
The window rolled down to reveal a grinning Tyler.
"Need a ride?" he asked his smiling widening by the second.
"No" I said slipping the jacket on. I continued walking on the shoulder of the road.
The hummer slowly followed "you sure?" I looked over to see Reid leaning over Tyler, a questioning but almost undetectably playful look on his face.
My head dropped slightly and I consented walking up to the hummer, I opened the back door giving the woods one last look before climbing in.
"So where were you going?" Tyler questioned, I shrugged buckling in "You don't talk much do you?"
"No" I mumbled.
"Why?" Tyler persisted; I shrugged gazing out the window.
After minutes of silence I asked "where are we going?"
"Back to Spence" Tyler looked at me threw the review mirror.
His words didn't even seem to register for me...I simply nodded and continued staring out the window.
My eyes closed drowsily doesn't it seem so welcoming? My eyes flew open as I looked around the car, I'd heard someone but yet no one had spoken.
Slowly I let my guard down and started slipping into oblivion.
But once again I heard a voice. But even that couldn't wake me up. I was to far gone.
Hmm...what's up with the creepy guy that keeps disappearing? I don't know...and the voice??? that would be very creepy...this chapter was difficult for me because originally I was going to have Kate dump Pogue but then I decided that I'd be better if she didn't dump Pogue. So Kate and Sarah will be brought in more in the next chapter. I've still not decided if I want this to be a Reid romance of maybe a Tyler romance since it cant be a Pogue romance with Kate still there...okay thank you for reading!!! R&R please.
