Daddy's Orders

by NeverUpdates97

Shaylee Jane Napier's life is chaotic. A teenage daddy's girl, she has a mind a little crazier than the average girl in Gotham. The monstrous persona inside her father is slowly creeping out, to influence her own. But in reality, he is just Jack Napier, a man who adores his daughter. Now, he's a psychopathic clown, thanks to the cruel world around them both. {Contains dark themes!}

10. Let Loose

NOTE: Twisted fluff coming up! Also contains strong language, mental distress, violence and threat. Because you know, that's how Shaylee rolls.

---

Chapter 9 - Let Loose

Kayley remained gasping in my clutch as I continued to grin at her. Tears were beginning to roll down her face.

You love fire, Shaylee.

For once, the voices actually spoke the truth.

The anger was still boiling inside of me, higher than it ever had been in my life. My brain was banging and I could feel tears coming out from my own eyes. My tears were different to Kayley's. Mine were actually filled with emotion and pain, hers were nothing but fakery, which just made my skin crawl even more.

It began to take control of me. It was turning me into a monster.

I suddenly grabbed Kayley by her long, blonde hair, forcefully turning her around and I violently slammed her head on the desk with an almighty thump. Kayley screamed in my grasp, but I was soon about to overpower her.

"Tell me what he's saying!" I screamed. "Tell me!"

"Let go of me!" she whimpered like a damsel.

"No!"

I scrunched my eyes closed and carefully tried to listen to what my voices were yelling at me.

You can take her on. You can start a fire, Shaylee. Don't let her get away with it.

"Let me go, Shaylee, please!" Kayley cried.

Surprisingly, I did so, throwing her to the ground where she fell on her front. She whimpered into the floor, her golden curls covering her face. She gently pushed it back over her ear, sniffling and wiping her tears, trembling. Whilst she was laying helpless on the floor, I put my hands on my head and tried to take deep breaths. Nothing worked because dad wasn't there to calm me, and he was the only person who could. Not even Chase could control my anger.

That voice lingered in my head.

Fire.

I patted my jean pocket, keeping my other hand clutching my head. I dug into it, and twiddled with dad's lighter with my fingers. Gripping it tight, I closed my watery eyes, as tears raced down my cheeks. Kayley had managed to get herself off the floor, and I darted around to find her heading for the door.

My mind racked until I could barely remember where I was.

"Don't fucking walk out!" I shrieked as I stormed over and threw her down onto the floor again.

"Just leave me alone, Shaylee!" she yelled, as she looked up at me, her makeup smudging horrifically on her face.

"Leave you alone?" I said, calmly. The monster made me burst into callous laughter. "Leave you alone?! Ha! Wonder who's the victim now, eh, Lyons?"

I was still grabbing onto the lighter in my pocket. With my head still guiding me, I glanced around to room to see any punishments for the deceitful liar. My head was telling me to show her who was in control.

I was going to show her alright.

Taking a deep breath, I sauntered over to the worktable, where all the stuff for experiments are kept. The table had recently been refurbished, made from the finest wood. I stood by it, stroking it, admiringly. Next to the table were a couple of large, black bin bags, filled with old bits of newspaper that had carelessly been left there after an experiment we did the day before.

I pulled out the lighter from my pocket, curiously glancing at the things in front of me. I'd managed to keep Kayley under control, as she did not move from the floor, obediently staying in her place. I occasionally glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one came in the room, especially a teacher, but I'd probably just smack them anyway.

Kayley was panting hard, making me chuckle under my breath.

"Calm down now…" I whispered to my head, gritting my teeth. "Come on, shut up."

I heard Kayley slowly rising to her feet, making me dart my head towards her. When she saw my angry expression, she flinched her hands up in the air, gesturing me to calm myself. Like she could achieve that.

"Please, Shaylee, calm down," she said, her voice shaking. "I'm really sorry…"

"So you're admitting it?" I snapped.

"No, I mean…"

I started flicking the lighter, displaying the beautiful flame in my hand.

"You're saying it for attention, aren't you?" I hissed.

"Of course I'm not!" she cried.

"Liar," I said, hoarsely. The anger then started rising again. "Liar, liar, liar….liar!"

"Are you mad?!" Kayley shouted backing, away.

I glared at her, giving her the look of death. Still gripping my lighter, I walked over to her, before being right in her terrified face. I grabbed her shirt and pulled her closer to me.

Dad was starting to come through in me again.

"Look at me," I commanded, even though she was. "Am I mad?" I chuckled. "Do I look mad to you?" She remained silent. I then began to walk back to where I'd come from again, dragging her with me by her shirt as she struggled in my grip. "I'll prove to you I'm not mad. I'm not mad."

I lifted up my lighter to her face, flicking the light and keeping it lit in front of both our faces.

Think of the beautiful fires you love, Shaylee.

I smirked at her, before finally letting her go and pushing her away, but this time she didn't fall.

That's when it happened. I let my mind take control. I drew my lighter closer to the plastic bags with the newspapers piled inside. The flame met the paper, and they immediately burst gorgeously into flames, burying the fires inside of them.

Kayley screamed, to which I responded by laughing and chucking her on the floor. I turned back and saw the flames grow larger, until the bag itself was covered in dancing fire.

I don't know what came over me, but I started laughing. I wasn't chuckling quietly, I was laughing hysterically, kicking the bag over until the burning papers were covering the floor.

My laughter was almost turning insane. I was turning into dad. Even though I was cackling, I wasn't sure if I was enjoying myself or not. Some parts of me felt terrified, even more so than Kayley, who was crying and shrieking, struggling on the floor.

I saw her run for the door, and I dashed after her.

"Where you going?" I asked, casually.

"Where am I going?!" she cried. "You just fucking set a class on fire! On purpose! You think I'm gonna…"

She screamed again, backing up on the door as the fire grew larger. I found it fascinating how this started from my little cigarette lighter. I couldn't help but grin widely, my brain still making shrill noises, making it almost impossible to hear Kayley.

"You're right," I laughed. "We better go before we're caught…." I nodded sarcastically.

"We get caught?!"

"Oh shut up." I glanced over to the desks and I gasped. "Oh shit, my bag!"

I ran over and quickly grabbed my bag, as Kayley ran out the door. I rose slowly to face the door's entrance into the corridor, with the fire still glowing wonderfully behind me. There were already kids crowded round Kayley, as she whimpered onto them.

I stormed out too, slamming the door behind me.

"What's happened?!" one boy asked, his tone dripping with worry.

"Oh my god, is that class on fire?" one older girl exclaimed.

"Yes! Shaylee Napier did it!" Kayley cried hysterically, pointing at me.

Everyone in the corridor stared at me. I couldn't take it. I turned away and placed my head on the wall, clutching onto it, scrunching my eyes and panting hard.

It didn't help that all the kids started stampeding around me, their shouting overlapping one another until it sounded thunderous. I even gripped my fading black dyed hair, trying to take breaths.

"Someone tell Mrs. Quaid!" someone yelled.

"I'll get Mr. Martin!" another said.

Then people were trying to talk to me, firing questions and insults at me. One boy in my grade started shouting in my face but I didn't want to look at him.

"What the fuck are you doing, you crazy bitch?!" he shouted, spit firing from his mouth. "Why did you do that?"

"Please," I retorted, trying to keep the anger locked inside. "Please, just stay away from me. Leave me alone, just please….Stay away."

"Why should I when you just set a fucking class on fire?! Did you want to keep Kayley in there?! She could have fucking died!"

"Don't be so stupid," I answered back, gripping my head tighter.

"Oh yeah, you're big enough to burn down a class room but not big enough to face people!"

"Just leave me alone…."

"No, fuck off!"

"Shut up."

"Think you're so big and badass when you're actually pathetic!"

"Shut…up!"

He then grabbed my shoulders, making me explode. The voices roared. The surge of anger made me punch him hard in the face. He collapsed onto the floor, grabbing everyone's attention, but that couldn't stop me. I groaned loudly as I kicked him in the stomach as he gasped for air on the floor.

I suddenly felt being grabbed by the arms and being held backwards. I screamed as I struggled to break free, tears streaming down my cheeks. It turned out to be Chelsea who was holding me back.

"Get off me!" I roared.

"Shaylee! Shaylee, calm down babe! Come on," Chelsea said, sharply.

"No!"

I burst into tears as I suddenly became weak. Chelsea came in front of me, rubbing my arms as I stood there, panting hard.

"Shaylee, calm yourself," she said, soothingly.

"How can I when that little shit thinks he can just speak to me like that!" I screamed, trying to storm past Chelsea again, but she held me firmly back. "Don't anybody give me a chance to calm the fuck down?!"

"I am right now!" Chelsea said.

I inhaled heavily. I glanced back over at the door to the science lab, peering through the tiny window. I didn't notice much flames or smoke from inside.

Mrs. Quaid, the principal, all of sudden came rushing through everyone like a patrolling officer, followed by a group of kids who had informed her what had happened. Obviously my fire wasn't big enough yet as it hadn't set off the smoke alarms. Her face was red and she looked alarmed when she saw the boy I'd just attacked still lying on the floor. She, along with some kids, helped him struggle to his feet. Chelsea tried to keep me calm, and the voices did fade a little, but the commotion around me carried it on.

The chaotic atmosphere seemed almost like one of dad's situations. Oh how I wished I had a gun with me at that moment so I could shoot Kayley's attention seeking ass.

"Take him to my office," Mrs. Quaid told two boys, who nodded and carried the limping boy away down the corridor. I clung onto Chelsea as I knew what was about to happen. "Everyone, outside right now!" the principal instructed, and everyone immediately started filing out. I thought I could join them and get away with it, but no one can fool Mrs. Quaid's annoyingly watchful eye. "Shaylee Napier!" she yelled.

I stopped in my tracks and rolled my eyes at Chelsea, who managed to give me a sympathetic look.

I turned around to find her storming towards me. I folded my arms and gave the impression I couldn't care less, raising my eyebrows at her. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but it soon failed.

"You, young lady…" she began.

"To your office?" I interrupted. "Oh sure I'll go to your office. Nothing new, is it?"

"Don't you dare get cheeky with me, Miss Napier!" she barked. "To my office now, there you can explain yourself."

"Okay. Sure," I answered, sinisterly.

"And you, outside, Miss Archer," Mrs. Quaid said to Chelsea.

"I'm just going, I was trying to calm her down," Chelsea explained.

I managed to form a small smile at her. "Thanks, honey," I said.

"Miss Napier…"

"I'm going!" I yelled. "God's sake!"

I barged past her and started marching down the corridor, picking up my bag as I left, followed closely by Mrs. Quaid. The bell rang as soon as we arrived at the reception desk, where the boy I'd beaten up was sitting there, pathetically. I scowled at him as we walked past and through the door behind the reception desk to enter Mrs. Quaid's office.

She slammed the door behind her and sat at her desk. I just stood there with my arms folded, allowing the anger and voiced to slowly leave my mind. They were still swirling and overlapping each other, but they were fading away into the distance. I felt more relaxed now, like I was back in my tedious school environment, and not like I was in a scene of monstrosity.

"Sit down," Mrs. Quaid commanded.

I did so with a huge sigh, crossing my legs so they matched my arms. I gave her that uncomfortable stare, but just before she could interrogate me, the phone on her desk started ringing. She picked it up with an annoyed sigh.

"Mrs. Quaid speaking," she said into the phone. "Hello, Mr. Martin. Yes. Yes…it's completely clear? Oh thank goodness. Yes, I have her here now. Yes. Sorry? Yes, yes, I sent all the students outside. Oh that's good. That's a relief to hear. Okay, yes. I shall meet you then, yes. Okay. Okay, thank you. Bye, now. Bye."

She slammed the phone down as I stared at her curiously.

"What did he want?" I asked.

"That's none of your concern, Shaylee."

"Well, it is. If he was talking about the science lab…"

"They have managed to put the fire out." I just simply nodded. "Speaking of which, how dare you…how dare you do that in my school! That is absolutely disrespecting your school environment!"

"Well, to be honest, Mrs. Quaid…"

"Do not interrupt me!"

"Well, aren't I allowed to say what I think?"

"Once I inform you the seriousness of what you have done in my school!"

"How'd you even know it was me?"

"Because I was informed by two students from your grade, Miss Napier, that you had done this, and with Kayley Lyons with you in the classroom as you did it…"

"But…"

"Quiet! What have you done?! You have set one of my classes on fire and attacked two fellow students with no reason!" I burst into laughter. "Don't you dare laugh! What is so funny, exactly?!"

"I attacked them for no reason?" I laughed. "That's a load of crap, Mrs. Quaid! Why would I just do it for no reason?!"

"Then what is your reason, then, Shaylee?"

I was prepared to answer back, but I found myself being lost for words for a few moments. I could only think of one answer: "Because…they made me mad."

"How?"

"They…well…I hit that kid because he was yelling in my face and was talking to me like a piece of shit…."

"Mind your language."

"Sorry." I sighed impatiently. "As I was saying…yeah, he shouted in my face while I was trying to calm down and he wasn't exactly helping…and Kayley…wait, how do you even know I..." I quoted with my fingers, "…'attacked' her?"

"The two girls who informed me of what happened said they had been told by Miss Lyons that you threatened her before you set the classroom on fire! We also have evidence on the security cameras!"

"Actually, Mrs. Quaid…"

"Be quiet. I don't want to hear any excuses! Do you realise, Shaylee, that this could put the school in serious trouble? But you have also disobeyed the rules by attacking other students when you know full well that is not tolerated! Never in all my years at this school have I witness such disgusting behaviour!"

"You didn't witness it, actually."

She shook her head at me. "You have a serious attitude problem, young lady…"

"You know I have a disorder, Mrs. Quaid! You got told by my Elementary School about my ADHD, it's something that can't be helped! You do realise I don't want to lash out at other kids but when I get angry, I…" My voice cracked. "I…I can't control myself. Plus, if they didn't push me to be angry then it would never have happened! Maybe you should talk to Kayley as well because she was the cause of what I did."

"Shaylee, you must know what you did is highly dangerous and intolerable."

"Well…yeah…maybe so, but…Kayley made me mad…"

"Shaylee…"

My voice started to go all wobbly. "Please just listen to me!"

She paused. I looked at her with pleading eyes as she sighed and shuffled in her chair.

"Okay, if you must," she finally said.

I took a deep breath. "I have this disorder…not ADHD, something else…" Mrs. Quaid's eyes widened. "She was going on about how she could hear her grandfather's voice inside her head because he's just passed away, right? It all looked fake to me. I got angry because, well…some people suffer from hearing voices and suffer badly…I know…I just got mad because she was lying about it when it's something you shouldn't make up just to make everyone feel all sorry for you. She was saying it for a reaction, I could tell by the way she was acting. Don't think I'm lying, Miss, because I know…"

"I understand completely why you got angry and I shall have a word with Kayley about this as I totally understand where you're coming from…"

"Thank you!" I looked down into my lap to hide my tears.

"But you must realise what you have done is a serious matter, something that will make me and the rest of the staff question your right to stay in this school."

I shot my head up at her. "What?"

"Miss Napier, I have never seen such shocking behaviour from a student before, especially of a 13-year-old. I have no choice whether to question your right in this school based on the seriousness of what you have done today. I know previously you have had fights with other students but nothing like what you have done this afternoon…"

"You can't suspend me for doing something I couldn't help!"

"You can't blame everything on your disorders, Shaylee…"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You just don't understand! There's more going on my head than you think!"

"In that case, I think you must seek help for this…"

"You can't make me get help for anything!"

"Shaylee…"

"Do you know what's going on in my head or in my life? No, you don't."

"Listen to me." I folded my arms in frustration. "I shall be writing to your parents about the incident and I shall have a meeting with the other members of staff and possibly the school governors to decide upon the matter."

"This is ridiculous."

"You shall receive detention tonight."

"You know what? Fuck that. I don't really care if you suspend me for a week or not, I want to get away from this shit hole. No one ever even tries to understand, you all just judge me and try to keep me under control when it's clear…and I'm admitting this…that it's impossible to control my anger. No one in this place has bothered to help me. Let's face it. So, you know what? I don't care."

I stood up and grabbed my bag, beginning to storm towards the door. Mrs. Quaid dominantly stood in her chair.

"You sit back down, young lady!" she shouted.

I looked back at her in disgust. "Why do I need to? You've made it very clear what you're going to do. You're gonna write a letter to my…" I paused as a thought suddenly crossed my mind. "…to my dad…saying what's gonna happen. You're gonna talk to Kayley, I have detention and all that. That's it, right? The class is cleared now, there's no fire, so I'm gonna go."

She didn't manage to get another word in as I quickly made my escape, bursting through her office door, out into reception and through the main entrance. As soon as I was outside, I immediately lit myself a cigarette. I was lucky Mrs. Quaid didn't even confiscate it, I was even surprised it had managed to stay in pocket after all that havoc. I lit it up and put the box in my jacket pocket. The cigarette was trembling in my hand, but the inhales and exhales soon calmed my frustration.

I knew fully well I wasn't allowed to smoke at the front of the school and I was right now supposed to be in class, but right there and then I felt the most important thing was to calm myself down, I didn't care about the security cameras.

I dashed behind the wall so no teachers could spot me, and when I finished I buried it right into the grass, covering it in mud. I flipped out my hand mirror from my bag and gasped in horror when I saw the horrific state I was in. My eyeliner was stained on my cheeks from where I'd been crying, smudging my blusher and foundation. The black lipstick was barely noticeable now, so I quickly redid it. There was no use for that after I just wiped my whole face clean with a tissue, but that just made it worse.

I leaned down and sat against the wall, taking a few moments to compose myself. I couldn't believe what had just occurred. All the noises, the voices, the anger, the violence. I had taken all of it in now. The screaming monster inside of me was now beginning to get inside my soul. It felt very peculiar, feeling dominant but, I sort of liked it. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help it.

I decided I'd had enough of school for one day, and to wipe all my makeup off successfully I would need the mirror at home.

Plus, I just wanted to see dad. I needed my father.

Chase and I had discovered the year before this secret way to escape from the school, going all the way around the back and through a narrow space in the gate, which led to a pathway that eventually brought you back into the streets of Gotham City. I sneaked my way to the space, ducking under windows like a detective searching for clues, always cautiously walking and checking to see if I wasn't spotted.

Taking another smoke as I walked down the secret pathway and out into the streets made me feel completely calmer, plus taking in all the commotion in the City made me feel so much better. I had a free mind now. I walked all the way to the bus station, the one further away from the school, so I wouldn't be spotted. The journey home would be no problem, as I always made sure I took spare money with me to school, in case of emergencies. As I was strolling to the station, I took pleasure in watching the busyness and the pushing and shoving. Dad told me to always look out for interesting things happening in the City, as it could be entertaining to watch the people of Gotham get into a fight or trying to take on the police, or even just witnessing two people having a conversation about the fuss in Gotham.

On my journey home, I stared out of the window, thinking about everything. I tried not to think about Kayley and our little disagreement, but more about what Mrs. Quaid had said. I definitely knew they were going to suspend me for a long time, but I didn't care. In fact that's what I wanted, time away so I could carry on with my art projects in peace. I even thought about the possibility I would get expelled. Maybe I would, but then what would I do? Move to Little Hill Middle School in the town? I don't think so. They couldn't do that, could they? Expel a girl with a behavioural disorder because she went a bit mad at two kids? Plus, expel her in final year before she moved onto higher education in Gotham High the next year? Just no, they couldn't. Yeah, I set a class on fire, but, I didn't want to. It just sort of happened. I know it sounds ridiculous but that's the truth.

I arrived back in the town and ran almost all the way back to out flat, which was only five or so minutes away. I had a beam on my face the whole way there, just with the thought of seeing dad when I got home. I stopped in my tracks when I came onto my shabby, grey street of flats. I was home early, so dad may not be home yet. In fact, I knew he wouldn't be home. He came home rather late now, even later than he did when I was younger.

I had a stroke of luck that day.

The door was unlocked, and I came in, slowly. As I shut the door behind me, I could hear water battering in the bathroom and dad humming, loudly.

"Dad?" I called, putting my bag to the side. I carefully walked over to the bathroom door. "Dad?" I called, louder.

"Shaylee?" he answered.

"Dad are you…are you in the shower?!" I asked, shocked.

Dad always took a bath, he barely touched the shower that I mainly used.

"Yeah," he said. "What are you doing home so early, Shay? What's happened?"

I gulped. "Uhh…it's a long story. What are you doing in there?"

"Trying to get this damn dye out of my hair."

I giggled. "Dad, just washing the hair normally won't get it out, you know. You have to do it certain way."

"I know that, and I've tried it. I'm rinsing it off, but I don't think I've done it right. Nothing's coming out. I'll be out in a minute, honey…"

"Okay!"

"…to hear this 'long story'."

I made my way into the sitting room where mom's old dressing table was waiting. I used a ton of baby wipes to try and get rid of my smudging makeup, which took so long that during the process, dad already come out of the bathroom and strolled in wearing his dressing down. His green hair with his natural brown growing at the roots was soaking, dripping in front of his face. I'd managed to sort myself out by the time he'd sat on the sofa, holding a mug of coffee in his hand. I took out my ponytail and let my black hair hang loose, as I rubbed my naked face to feel the coolness of not wearing makeup.

I flung onto the sofa with dad, who looked at me, questionably.

"What?" I asked.

Dad could instantly read my mind. "What's happened, Shaylee?" he questioned. I sighed, staring ahead at the blank wall. "Hey, look at me," Dad ordered, which I responded to, nervously. "Come on. I know something's up."

"I had to get out of there, dad."

"Why?"

I sighed. "I had a…I had…something happened."

"Oh God, what? Have you been fighting again?"

"Well…not exactly. More like I kicked their asses but they didn't respond."

Dad laughed, putting his mug down by his feet. "What did they do this time, sweetie?"

"This guy was yelling in my face while I was trying to calm myself down. The idiot couldn't work it out that I was trying to calm myself so I punched him right in the face and kicked him on the floor. His nose was bleeding."

"Oooh…"

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"Why were you trying to calm down, Shaylee? Get angry with another teacher, hmm?"

"No, dad, this…this was lunchtime."

"Ahh, so you did get into a fight?"

"It was Kayley."

Dad sighed. "Not her again. I thought she doesn't bother you anymore."

"She doesn't. I bother her mostly now."

I told dad everything that happened, going into all the gory details. I tried to tell him like he tells his stories, making gestures and using my face. I explained how the voices were telling me to do it, it didn't feel like I was doing it. It got to point where I was explaining in so much detail, that I felt my voice trembling. Dad immediately put his arm around me and lifted my chin up.

"Shhh-hh-hh-hh….come on now," he said, softly. "Calm down."

"But dad," I whimpered. "They just don't understand, they don't know…it's so unfair…"

"I know, I know…" Dad whispered. "Don't get yourself all worried. You had every reason to get mad at the bitch. Who the hell does she think she is?"

"But dad…I didn't mean to…you know…"

"Shaylee, I know that, but…" He paused, looking upwards slightly before turning back to me. "How did you feel when it did happened? You know, when the fire was lit beautifully and it was starting to burn down the class?"

I sniffled and went into deep thought. I looked up at no one in particular, trying to get myself back into the moment of when it did happen.

"It felt…it felt kinda neat…in a way…" I said.

"A sense of accomplishment?" Dad asked, a smile now beginning to form.

"Sort of…yeah. I don't know. I shouldn't have felt, you know…good about it."

"You were showing her what can happen if she makes you angry. Showing her what happens when you go mad. Shh. Listen to me. Something similar happened when I was in school, y'know. One day, some kid makes me mad because he was making fun of the fact I had a crush on Harleen. I was around fifteen at the time. He was in my face, and tells me…that I'm a fool, that I'm a fucking freak. Of course at the time I was just…becoming a little bit of an unpredictable schizoid, so…I lashed out at him, beating him on the ground, a bit like you did, and Larry came to my aid. The kid fought back, but he couldn't take me and Larry on…the little idiot was nothing more than a coward. How many bullies do you know turn out be geniuses? None. They all turn out to be the most pathetic people around. I'd stolen my father's knife at the time…because I wanted to defend myself…and I put it up to him, while he was against the wall, saying…'If you ever come near me again then I'll slice you up and carve you a new one.' And you know…he never bothered me again after that. If he tried to…Larry would beat the silly dunce. Still, it wasn't enough to impress Harleen, though now I think she'd drool over the whole thing. Luckily, no one ever found out because Larry threatened to beat the shit out of that guy after school if he told anyone. Do you understand the point of this, sweetheart?"

"Uhh…" I stuttered.

"I mean…it was the first time, I felt a sense of achievement in school by doing something…"

"Dangerous?" I said.

"Precisely."

"I thought you'd be mad at me for setting a class on fire, dad."

Dad chuckled. "Could I ever hold a grudge with you, Shay? You can't help it. I told you, if you ever hear voices and it makes you do something crazy, tell me. And you have. That's all that bothers me, is that you tell me. I can't do anything to help your unfortunate problems, can I? No one can. But I'd rather you tell me about it. So don't you worry, baby. The teachers at that school are useless. You're right, they don't understand. They don't even try to."

"I don't care if they suspend me. I want to be away from there."

"Tell you what then. Give tomorrow a miss, and then next week don't go in at all. You can spend time with me if you want."

I smiled gratefully at him. "Really?"

"Shaylee, I know you. You don't want to go back and people be constantly talking about it for another week, do you? Give them a week to get over it."

I squeezed him tightly, and he hugged me back.

"They'll suspend me, anyway, dad," I said, still nuzzling against him. "It'll be a miracle if they let me off. They said they'll send a letter to you saying what's going to happen to me."

"Oh like I'll pay attention to that."

We shared a laugh as I stayed laying on my father for a while. He looked down at me, giving me a sympathetic smile and affectionate rub on my arm.

"So what have you been doing today, dad?" I asked, after a while.

"Ahh, just the usual. Went and got some money." He winked at me, making me giggle. "Paid a visit to the little clothes shop down the road, too. Got some new ties, other ones are getting a bit old now."

"Did you take my cards with you?" I asked, beaming.

"Oh yes, I never leave without 'em. They're very important."

"Why dad? What do you use them for, anyway?"

"All in good time."

"Please tell me…"

"No, no, Shay, you have to be me to understand. If I tell you, I, uh…you wouldn't believe me."

"Why…"

"Ah, ah, ah…it's something…" He sighed before closing his eyes and grinning widely. "It's something that only I can understand. Like I've told you before, there's something changing, darlin', and it's…it's strange, but…I'm not crazy."

"I know you're not. And if you go mad, you can't help it, it's the…"

"Yes, yes, alright, don't talk about it." There was a few moments of awkward silence, but I remained nestled of to his side and luckily he didn't get angry. He kept his arm around my shoulders. Then he suddenly spoke up. "Right," he said to me. "You hungry, Shay? I presume you haven't ate because of that little incident that was kind of a distraction."

"No, I haven't."

Dad stood up, clicking his neck and stretching. "Well, then, best get you something."

"Aw, yes please, that's be amazing."

"I'll get something while you be a good girl and go and calm down in your room."

I stood up, laughing. "Dad, I'm calm now, you know. Still feel a little funny though."

"Aww," Dad said. "Not feeling too well?"

"I'm fine, just a bit…strange."

"I wonder why." He winked at me, as we both giggled. "Go on then, sweetheart, I'll call ya. Then I'll go out for a bit, got a date at the bank."

"Okay," I chuckled.

I slowly gave him a hug, but he complied and even gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"Don't worry about it, honey, okay?" he said. "Just forget about it. Nothing's damaged badly in the classroom, is it? It's not like the whole school went up in flames."

"Kinda wish it did though."

Dad spluttered into laughter. "Oh, Shaylee, you are funny, aren't ya? Go on, ya cheeky monkey."

The night continued just as dad had said. We had lunch, dad making me a sandwich and some salad, and immediately went out, but locking me in. I did my usual art work while he was out, but using the sitting room in front of the television while I had the room to myself. I drew bats and skull patterns all over two blank sheets of paper and writing my name in fancy writing. I'd been learning how to draw anagrams in school, and because techniques in art lessons were the only things I took on board, I decided to practice.

Nothing interesting came on the television. I prayed that nothing about me nearly burning down a classroom came up on the news, but, thankfully, it didn't. I knew that surely it would appear at some point, though, but I didn't really care. People could think everything they wanted about me. I knew the truth. Dad knew the truth. No one could understand what's it was like to be thirteen years old and having schizophrenia that seemed to be worsening. I hated it so much. I still despise it with a passion, but unfortunately, something like that can never be cured.

Dad returned home at around 9:30pm, and I had gotten myself ready for bed by then. I was in the kitchen, tidying up when he came in.

"I'm back, my love," he called as he walked into his bedroom.

"Hi, dad," I greeted, cheerfully. "Is everything okay?"

I heard his draw slam followed by cluttering. "Yeah." Dad cleared his throat. "Got work done, got some, ah…money for us to spend on food this week, Shay, from the bank. Got help from my friend Rob, he was let out of prison last week, little shit didn't learn his lesson, did he, baby?!" We both laughed. Dad then came in, looking exhausted and his eyes appearing to be bloodshot. "What you been up to, Shay?"

"Just been drawing, watching TV," I replied. "Been tidying the kitchen."

"Stayed away from lighters, hmm?" Dad chuckled.

"Obviously not, I went for a smoke before."

I'd finally let dad know I'd started smoking. I'd told him about a month before then. Well, I didn't tell him, he caught me one day having one in the garden, when I thought he'd gone in the bath. I was so relieved when he didn't seem to care that much. I thought he'd be a little concerned about it, but he didn't seem to mind at all. He forbid me from smoking in the house, though.

"But that's it, right?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, I promise."

"Ahh, you are a good girl."

Dad slumped down on the chair, his hair flopping in front of his face as he stared down at his lap.

"You okay, dad? You tired?" I asked, closing the cutlery draw.

"Yeah…yeah…I'll…I'll go bed in a minute."

"I'm going to go too, I'm exhausted."

"You're exhausted? You weren't just running around like a madman escaping from a bank with a pile of money, were ya?"

"I suppose not," I laughed.

I went to walk out the door to my bedroom, but dad stopped me with a cough.

"Shaylee," he said. I turned around and smiled at him. "You still up for us going out?"

"Tomorrow?"

"What about this weekend? I'll give you a lazy day tomorrow, you need one after all that's happened today. Ah, Saturday we'll go for a little trip into town, huh? How's that sound?"

"Yeah, yeah okay, I'm up for it."

"Okay then, pumpkin. You off to bed?" I nodded my head, rubbing my eyes. "Come 'ere then." Dad outstretched his arms, I walked tiredly into a hug and he held me close. "Ahh, been a bit of a shitty day for ya, huh?"

"It's been horrible," I whispered, sadly.

"That's why I'm not letting you go back tomorrow. You don't wanna face those idiots again, do ya? Especially that Kayley, who I will happily track down for you."

"No!" I cried, coming out of the hug.

"Shaylee, I'm joking, relax," Dad laughed. "I'm always joking around, aren't I?"

"Yeah," I giggled.

"Alright, goodnight, beautiful," Dad said, nudging my cheek before standing up.

"Night, dad."

Dad kept his promise and left me be the next day. I woke up late in the morning and I knew dad had already left the house because I didn't hear a sound when I awoke. I didn't budge from my bed for ages, I stirred a little but I just stared at the ceiling. The memories from the day before came rampaging back into my head. This time, I didn't start crying. I didn't feel any sort of emotion at all. I just thought about it. I don't know what details I recalled, but I just kept replaying the scene in my mind. Even though I'd felt like I could almost kill someone that day before, weirdly, I didn't feel that way when I remembered it.

I did eventually shift myself out of bed and headed into the bathroom for a shower. As I locked the door behind me and started to get undressed, I noticed that dad had carelessly left the flannel dripping wet on the floor, making it slippery. I carefully picked it up, rinsed it and put it into the sink before cautiously stepping into the shower, but before I could do anything more, I noticed that there was thick white paint smeared onto my palms. I was startled by it, quickly darting my head back towards the flannel I'd put in the sink. I reached over and held it loosely in my fingers, and that's when I realised it was covered in white face paint. I curiously looked around me, until I noticed an open pot of it had been left out in the shower next to me. I exchanged looks between them. Although I was highly curious, I decided to leave it, placing the flannel at the side.

I enjoyed my shower as many thoughts spun around in my head about what I'd just found. I knew dad had used them, mostly likely that morning. I couldn't work it out. I couldn't make any connections. It was all very odd.

Even though I loved my dad more than anything, I felt a little frightened inside. The fact he was coming home later, that there were knives just laying around in the flat everywhere, and that all of these mysterious things were appearing.

Once I'd finished and went through the ordinary process of getting changed, blow-drying my hair and putting on some light makeup, I sat and watched one of dad's action movies for the early afternoon. It was nice to have a bit of time to myself for a change and not going through the process of going to school that Friday.

Both GMS and Gotham High finished at 3:30 so I decided at around 4 o'clock I'd go round to Chase's house, just for a little catch up, as I hadn't seen him in a while. I left at 4 o'clock, leaving a note for dad on the kitchen table in case he came back. I preened myself up to visit Chase, adding more makeup and wearing a black denim skirt with my purple bat t-shirt and of course not forgetting my favourite purple jacket. I straightened my hair in the mirror before leaving and locking the flat. I managed to walk there in ten minutes flat, making myself look decent before knocking on the door.

Chase lived in a far grander place than I did. He lived in a three-bedroom house with a huge kitchen and his own den area as well as his bedroom, which was covered from top to bottom with posters of rock bands and other stuff that boys were into. It was probably one of the nicest houses you could get in Gotham Town. I lived on the crummy side, in the streets lined with cramped flats where the unemployed lived.

Mrs. Delancey, now known to me as just simply Julia, answered the door and smiled at me, pleasantly. I put my hair behind my hair and smiled back. She was very beautiful, a perfectly-built woman with black hair and green eyes just like Chase. Chase looked a lot like her, and she was so cheerful and friendly. You would never have guessed in your life she'd had a rough time going through a traumatic marriage to Chase's father. I so wished she was my mother.

"Hiya, Shaylee," she greeted.

"Hi, Julia," I said.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine, uh…is Chase home?"

"Oh, sweetie, I'm afraid not. He's gone round to Alex's house in the City with the boys. Didn't he tell you?"

"No."

"Oh…oh I'm sorry, Shaylee."

"No, no, it's okay. I'll just see him again soon I guess."

"I can't believe he didn't invite you."

"When did they plan this, do you know?"

"He only told me when he got in about half an hour ago. He just told me he was going out. Can't stop young boys hanging out these days, can you? You can still come in if you want to, Shaylee."

"No, no…it's okay. I don't want to disturb you or anything."

"Oh you're not, it's just me here. Really, it's okay."

"No, Julia, really, I…I better get back for when my dad comes home, I don't want him to worry, you know."

"Okay then, Shaylee."

"Thank you anyway, Julia."

"No problem, honey, see you soon."

"See you soon. Bye."

She waved before she closed the door behind her. I walked away, feeling so disappointed. My heart did feel heavy, but I didn't blame Chase for wanting to hang out with the boys instead of being stuck at home with his mom. He was doing it a lot, going out drinking with them all the time. When we all hung around together (mostly on weekends), we met up in the City and hung around the stores, and most of them drunk alcohol even then. I spent more time with Chase more than any of the others, and I knew some of them were pissed off about it, particularly Alex, because he considered himself to be Chase's best friend, even though he knew full well I was Chase's best friend. If I had a phone, I would have rang Chase right then to ask if I could join them, but dad still wouldn't let me have one, he said I'd have to wait until my next birthday, which was only a month away at the time.

I returned to an empty flat and decided to once again start drawing. I soon got bored with it, though, as I couldn't think of anything new. I lay in bed until I eventually fell asleep. I awoke later and dad still wasn't home, the time was 6:35pm. I ordered myself a pizza as I was too lazy to make myself some dinner. I had my pyjamas on by seven.

While I munched on my pepperoni pizza in front of the television, I heard a clatter come through the letterbox. With an annoyed sigh, I went to the door to see what could possibly have arrived in the flat, as we hardly ever got mail. A letter in a brown envelope was lying on the floor, staring up at me like it was important. Wiping my greasy hands on my jeans, I picked it up and looked at it curiously. I glanced at the corner where the Gotham Middle School logo was printed. Even though no one was around, I looked around the room, thinking about what I should do. It was addressed to dad and not me, but I was so eager to read it. I knew it would be my suspension letter. I decided in the end to leave it in the kitchen for dad to read later. I felt so stupid for not having the courage to open it, but I thought I'd show I didn't care more by not finding out my fate.

I was in bed designing another Joker card when dad finally came home about an hour and a half later. He slammed the door behind him and I heard him grumbling as he marched into his room. I heard him banging his wardrobe doors and loud clattering. I knew he was in a rotten mood, so I dashed into his room, panicking.

"Dad?!" I called, as I ran into his room. I froze when I found him getting changed into his pyjamas. "Oh…damn it. Sorry." I went to walk out again.

"No, no, Shaylee…it's alright, come in." Dad sounded very calm considering he'd just been parading around the house.

I anxiously walked in, shutting the door and leaning on it. He put on his night clothes and flopped onto his bed, grabbing his hands underneath the pillow and staring up at the ceiling. He was taking deep breaths. I glanced over at his side desk to notice two knives were lying there, one of them clean and shiny, the other one was covered in crimson stains. I started to feel my heart beating fast.

"Dad?" I said, quietly.

"What?"

"Is everything okay?" Dad didn't answer, he continued to stare wide-eyed at the ceiling. I went and carefully sat on the end of the bed, crossing my legs and tugging on his pyjama bottoms. "Daddy, please answer me."

"I'm fine."

"No. No you're not."

"How would you know?"

"You don't seem to be in a good mood."

Dad sighed heavily, and finally sat up, crossed-legged, facing me. He looked me right in the eyes, as did I.

"I…I'm okay, Shaylee, I swear."

"What's with the…" I pointed towards the knives on the desk. "What's with those?"

"I always carry those round, you should know that."

"Isn't…isn't one of those covered in…blood?"

Dad raised his eyebrows at me. "So you did notice, huh?"

"Of course I did, it's hardly unnoticeable."

"Alright, alright…I got into a fight."

I gasped in horror, leaning in closer to him.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" I cried.

"I'm fine. I completely uninjured, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"One of the guys didn't wanna listen to me tonight, so I…"

"Dad, you didn't…"

"What?"

"You didn't kill him, did you?"

"Oh no, no, no, no…never killed him. I just…"

"What?!"

"I just…I just gave him a piece of my mind with the knife, baby." A creepy smirk formed on his lips.

"What do you mean, did you…?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you...uh..."

"Just say it. I know what you want to say."

I lowered my voice for no particular reason. "Did you…did you stab him?"

"There we go. Got there, eventually, didn't we?"

"Dad, why would you stab your friend?"

Dad chuckled. "Shaylee, darling, come 'ere." I sat closer to him and he took both of my hands, still grinning. He said every word crisp and clear, not taking his eyes away from my worried facial expression. I didn't dare look away from him. "You know we both get angry because of the…you know…they make us do things. You and I both know it's getting worse, right? I'm a 36-year-old man and it's still getting worse for me. I just went crazy. I don't know what came over me, I couldn't...control myself. I didn't kill him…he's alright, but he may not live to see tomorrow. I don't care. He disobeyed me. Oh, he'll regret that now. You can't rely on anyone these days, can you? You've seen me angry, haven't you, Shay? What you've seen of me was nothing compared to what happened just now. I'm so glad you didn't see it. My head…my head is…"

All of a sudden he sighed and leaned his head against mine, looking almost weak and helpless. It was almost like he collapsed onto me. I put my arms around his neck and held him like a small child.

"Dad, calm down…it's okay…" I whispered.

"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay…" he mumbled. "It's just my head, my stupid fucking head."

"It's not real, dad."

"I know, I know…"

"Come on, you're okay. It's all over now. You can get through this."

He lifted his head up and managed to smile at me.

"I'm sorry you've had to see me like this, baby."

"Don't be silly, you've had to see me like this so many times."

"But you're a young girl…I'm a grown man. That's different, you need all the comfort. I shouldn't be breaking down like this, especially in front of you, but…"

"They made you angry. They should know better."

"Too right, too right."

"You didn't get seen stabbing him, right?"

"No. It was in his house. The only person who saw was my other friend, Ken, but he sure as hell won't tell anyone, because I threatened to kill him if he did." Dad suddenly smirked at me. "I laughed while I did it, too. His face was just so priceless."

I was there for five minutes, calming him by doing all the things he did to me when I had just had a little breakdown. He said he had to go out for a cigarette to calm down, and so I joined him in the garden for one.

"Feel better now, dad?" I asked him, as I watched him exhale the smoke.

"Yeah, yeah, much better now," he replied. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine."

"What you been up to?"

"Drawing, watching TV, I ordered a pizza for dinner."

"Ahh, good girl."

"Went round to see if I could see Chase before, but he wasn't in. Gonna try and catch up with him and the guys next weekend."

"Oh, that's good. So nice you have those guys you can talk to."

"Yeah." I exhaled another lot of smoke. "They're probably going to drink, though, but I won't touch the stuff. Not after what happened to mom."

"You're a smart girl, honey."

"Thanks, daddy. Oh by the way, there's a letter for you in the kitchen, if you didn't notice."

"A letter? For me?" Dad flicked his cigarette away.

"Yeah, really. It's from the school."

"Oh, fucking hell."

"Dad, I want you to read it."

"Ah, alright. I'll have a look while you finish, then."

Dad stepped on his cigarette and went back into the flat while I finished my cigarette. Once I'd finished, I went back in to find dad sitting down, reading the letter very carefully. He didn't look at me, he was taking his time with it. He finally put it down on the table and started shaking his head.

"Dad, what is it? What does it say?" I asked.

"I think you should look for yourself," Dad answered, giving me the letter.

I took it nervously and started reading it. It was all going fine until I read the following:

The School Governors and I have come to the overall conclusion that your daughter, Shaylee, no longer has a right to continue her education Gotham Middle School based on the serious damage she has caused to school property and her unacceptable behaviour towards other students. This decision has been made final and she will no longer be permitted back into Gotham Middle School. If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to call the number below and I shall be expecting Shaylee and yourself to attend the above meeting regarding her future plans. Yours sincerely, Mrs. H. Quaid (Principal).

I looked at dad with pure disbelief, open-mouthed at what I had just read. He was shaking his head in disgust. I felt the anger starting to rage inside of him, as he instantly stood up, knocking over his chair and taking the letter off me. I stood back.

"For starters, Shaylee, they've sent this a bit late, haven't they?" he said, hoarsely. "This...this is a load of shit. I know it's hard not to get angry at about it, but…fucking hell…are they expelling you?"

"Yes…yes they are."

"That is the most ridiculous…" Dad let out a yell, making me jump. "It wasn't you fault! They haven't taken into account your disorders at all! Okay, they may not know about the schizophrenia, but, still, they haven't even noticed you clearly have some of the symptoms?! What a load of bullshit! They don't bother to help! Ahhh, it's like dealing with your mother all over again!"

"Dad, don't say that!"

"You know what? I'm ringing 'em! I'm not having this!"

I saw him starting to rip up the paper in his hands into shreds, making me snatch it off him.

"No!" I yelled.

"What?"

"I mean…don't rip it up."

"Shaylee, I'm going slightly crazy here!"

"I know, but…don't…look, dad, don't bother ringing them up…it won't even be open…"

"Shaylee, you don't deserve this! Not at all!"

"I know I don't but they're not worth it!" Dad sighed as he leaned his head against the wall, trying to calm himself down. I desperately tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, dad?"

"What?"

"Instead of ripping it, why don't we just burn it? Apparently I'm good at that sort of thing!"

Dad wheeled around and smirked at me, slowly. He then took the letter off me and began to start sniggering.

"You know…you're right. Tomorrow, we'll put it on the campfire. Do you fancy that, my darling?"

"Yeah!"

"Then we can just get rid of this crap!"

"You know what, dad?"

"What?"

"I don't really give a fuck if they've expelled me or not. I hate it with a passion and I hate all of the kids apart from a few. I don't even want to go to school anymore!"

"I don't blame you."

"I could be doing better things in the big City than wasting my time with that! I could be providing for us two instead of you just doing it all the time! Showing that City that it's got nothing but a shitty police system and inhabitants that are a load of judgemental, selfish, cowardly idiots!"

Dad raised his eyebrows at me, looking quite bewildered. He slowly put the letter down and then walked up to me until I was looking right up at him. I didn't know what to expect, but I certainly didn't think he'd lift me off my feet, laughing loudly and spin me around in the air. That's exactly what he did. I started laughing and screaming with him, kicking my legs around in the air. He put me down with a load groan.

"God, you're getting heavy," he laughed.

"Dad!" I punched him on his arm.

"Well, you are growing up. You are fourteen next month, aren't you? And you know what I've noticed? You're growing up too quickly, and that is not a bad thing, honey. You're a thirteen year old girl, yet you have the mind of middle-aged male criminal." He smirked at me as he kneeled down. "You've been expelled, shows you don't care about education because you want to move on from that already. You're right, they're not worth it. Let's not bother with that anymore."

"Dad, starting from tomorrow, I can live a free life. I know that sounds silly and over-the-top, but…"

"Oh but it's not." He chuckled. "Tomorrow, we'll go on a little adventure, okay?"

"Totally. I want to help you."

"Oh no, no, no…you're not going to help me."

"What? Dad, why not?"

"I'm not stupid, you know, Shaylee. I don't want anyone catching you stealing stuff and I don't want you taken away. The second you're taken away from me, all hell will be let loose, and I mean that. That'll fuck with my head more than anything."

"Are you paranoid constantly that's what going to happen?"

"Every day, Shaylee. Every day I think you're going to be taken away since that night your mom died. That's why I have to be more sneaky and careful now. That's why I'm wearing all these crazy clothes, so the police don't recognise me."

"You're so smart, daddy."

"Why thank you, my darling. Now. It's late. I'm sorry about what I've been like tonight…"

"Don't be sorry!"

"But I am. Anyway, let's forget about everything that's happened these past few days. Let's start over. Starting from tomorrow, okay? You best get to bed because I don't start my work late. I get up extra early."

"Okay."

Dad sighed as he stroked my cheek. "Are you scared?"

"About what?"

"About tomorrow."

"Of course I'm not. I'm so excited."

"Good girl!"

I laughed as dad suddenly lifted me up and flung me over his shoulder, holding my legs as I punched his back, squealing.

"Dad put me down!"

Dad carried me into my bedroom and dropped me onto my bed, where I was doubling up with laughter, making dad do just the same. He tickled my belly like I was a little kid again, until eventually stopping and pulling me into a hug.

"Calm yourself, sweetie," Dad said as he hugged me. I took a deep breath as I got myself into bed. Dad pulled the covers over me and kneeled down next to the bed. "Get some sleep," he said. "You're gonna need it."

"So are you gonna like…train me tomorrow?" I asked.

"Kinda," Dad replied. "Although I'm guessing I won't need to teach you much. I know how tough you are anyway. You're just like me."

"I'm so glad I am and I'm not feeble like mom was."

"Hey, when I first met her, she wasn't, you know."

"Really?"

"Nah, she was really tough, she took no shit from anyone, including me. You're kinda like both of us."

"More like you, though."

Dad giggled. "Yeah, yeah. Okay, night, night."

"Goodnight, daddy."

"Hope you don't have nightmares!"

"Hope you have hundreds!"

Dad switched off my light and shut my door, quietly, laughing to himself. I nestled down into bed feeling so relaxed.

I felt free, like I had no responsibilities anymore. I knew dad would totally forget about school from now on, and he most definitely wouldn't phone them or go to that meeting Mrs. Quaid talked about in the letter.

It crossed my mind how I'd stay in contact with my friends. I'd managed to so far, but when I had a phone it'd be so much easier. Then I could talk to Chase whenever I wanted.

I was startled when dad woke me up at 8:30am.

"Shaylee!" he called, knocking loudly on my bedroom door. "Come on, baby! Get up!"

"Aw, dad, really?" I replied, my voice cracking.

"Yeah, come on! I told you, we have to get up early if we want to get some work done!"

I arose from my bed and it took my ten minutes to try eventually get myself out of bed. I walked into the kitchen to grab some cereal, but I was shocked to find dad already up and dressed, munching on an apple. He was wearing his pocket-infested purple coat again, with a green shirt. Despite the fact he'd bought new ties the day before, he wasn't wearing one.

He turned around and started laughing at me.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"Why you still in your pyjamas? Come on, we need to get going, baby! I'm all ready to go!"

"No one can get ready that quickly. Besides, you haven't packed all your weaponry and stuff."

"I was just getting to that, you cheeky monkey! And it takes women longer to get ready in the morning than men, everyone knows that, especially if you're a young girl."

"Hey!"

"Get ready before I go without ya!"

We both laughed as I dashed to my room and quickly got myself changed. I wore something comfortable with my purple jacket (which still unbelievably fit me because puberty hadn't hit me hard enough and I was still about the same size as a ten-year-old, although I was a little taller and I've obviously grown myself a pair of breasts which I tended to find so irritating, especially when Alex talked about them all the time to the other guys). I put on some quick makeup and dad joined me in the sitting room, just as I was about to tie my hair. He was carefully putting a gun in his jean pocket that was easily covered by his coat.

"How you doing your hair, honey?" he asked, walking up next to me.

"I'm doing a ponytail, like I always do," I answered.

"No, no, no…let's do something different today, Shaylee."

"What? Why?"

"You don't want people to take one look at you and think you're just normal, do you? You want people to think, 'oh, just look how sweet and innocent she is.' It's something Harleen did all the time. She put her hair in pigtails."

"Pigtails?"

"Yes. Can you do that, Shay?"

"Well, yeah, but they don't suit me."

"Don't be silly, you look like a cutie whatever your hair's like. Trust me on this one, okay?"

"Okay then."

I didn't want to argue with him so I did exactly as he said and put my hair into pigtails. Chelsea had taught me how to do it, as when we first started middle school she used to wear her hair like that, but I never touched it. It made me look so silly. But I guess if dad can dye his hair green (which was now fading slightly) and wear huge purple coats, then I could war pigtails and look like a slutty school girl.

Once we'd all finished, dad turned all the lights off and closed every door. Before we left, he pulled me to one side inn the hallway.

"Now, I want you take something," he said, grinning.

"What, dad?"

He pulled out a handgun from his side pocket and I stared at him, my eyes gleaming with worry.

"Hey, hey, hey…don't look so worried. You don't have to use it, but…just take it. If you wanna defend yourself, you might as well go all out, but…like I've said before, only use when necessary, and by that I mean…firing it. You can use it to back people off by all means, but don't fire it unless you really need to. You understand, sweetheart?"

"Of course," I said, taking the gun and placing it inside my own.

"Wonderful," Dad grinned. "Make sure no one can see that. You'll have to wear another jacket so it covers it. One that's longer…"

"Aw, man…"

"Come on now, honey, do as I say."

"Okay," I sighed. I went into my room and swapped my purple jacket with my grey coat, which was long enough to cover the gun, sticking out of my pocket. I came back to dad, closing my door behind me, my pigtails swinging crazily as I walked. "Is that better?" I asked.

"Much better. Now let's go."

We headed out the door, which dad locked behind him and placed his key safely inside his coat. He took my hand and walked me steadily down the street, observing the street around, glancing around like prey searching out for its killer.

"Where we gonna go, dad?" I asked.

"We'll go the bank first. I'll go in and get some money…well, steal some money, and you stay outside, on your toes searching for trouble. When I meet you, we get away with the money before I'm caught. Then we'll go shopping, because you girls like that, right? We'll go to the little clothes store next to the grocers. You can get something while I, uh, talk to the store owner."

"Sounds awesome."

"Oh and baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Seems like you forgot your money." He tutted, sarcastically. "Might just have to take it without paying instead. Besides, you need new comfy clothes as you won't need to look smart for school anymore, will you?" I giggled as dad continued to guide me down the street. We eventually headed into an alleyway, where a random car was carelessly parked, even though it said 'No Parking.' "Ahh, how convenient," Dad said, pointing at the car as we approached it. "That fool who left that there's gonna regret it now, huh?"

Dad revealed that golden key he'd had three years ago when we escaped on summer vacation and magically unlocked the car with one sharp turn.

"Dad, where did you get that key from?" I asked, as he swung open the door. "A key that just opens any car in the world?"

"For me to know and you be fascinated with, honey," Dad chuckled. "Go on, get in the other side. We got a bank to visit." I did as I was told and strapped myself in. Dad revved up the car and speedily reversed, making me squeal. He laughed as he turned the car around and soon we were on the roads of Gotham Town, heading into the front of the town centre, where the bank was in the middle of nowhere. Bit of a foolish place to have bank. He parked outside and when the car stopped, I started to get out, but dad stopped me by waggling his finger at me. "Ah-da-da-da, wait a second, not so fast, Shaylee," Dad said.

"What's wrong?"

"Shush, shush…you always have to look before you make the next move, Shay, that's very important."

"Oh right."

"Do you see any funny business out your window? Like any cops or somebody important like that?"

I quickly look out of my window, examining closely. The street was almost empty apart from a few people standing around.

"Nope. I don't see anything like that," I said.

"Marvellous. Now we can go." We both headed out the car and dad locked it behind him. I ran over to him and he gestured me to follow him. We walked up to the bank's entrance, where he stopped me in my tracks and turned to face me. I looked up at him, beaming, knowing there was going to be action ahead. Dad lowered his voice and talked in an almost excited tone. "Now, Shaylee, you stay here for me. I'll just go in, get us some uh, dinner money." I snickered and put my hand over my mouth to stop the giggles and dad couldn't help chuckling with me. "Oh and uh…you might want to stay on your toes because ya never know who's gonna come round the corner."

"Yes, dad."

"There's a good girl. Now behave yourself." Dad stood up and popped his collar like he was about to do business. "Well, behave for the most part."

"I will. You sure you'll be okay, dad? I don't want…"

"Honey, I've done this so many times. The fools in there are so old they don't ever suspect a thing. See ya in a minute and be ready for when I come out because we'll need to make a run for it."

With that, dad made his way in, taking his time with step he took. I leaned against the wall next to the door and kept an eye for trouble. I fought hard not to have a cigarette at that moment, but I couldn't let anything distract me. The bank was well away from the other stores down the street, so I didn't have to look at many people.

That was, until a group of three older guys came strolling down the street, chatting amongst themselves. One of them, who had a red cap on, was smoking a line of marijuana which made my stomach turn. The other two were right behind him, almost like he was a leader. I stared at them as they 'swaggered' down the street, until one of the boys took a glance at me as they were quite close to me. I didn't recognise him at all, but he seemed to instantly know who I was, as his mouth opened until they were the same size of his eyes. I saw him grin and then tap on the guy with cap's shoulder, who darted around. I heard them whispering amongst themselves in a huddle. They thought they were keeping their voices down, but little did they know I could hear every word.

"Oh my god, pal, look, it's her, the little psycho chick from Gotham Middle School."

"Is that her?" the guy with the cap said.

"Yeah, dude, it's her," he whispered back. "That's Shaylee Napier, that's the crazy bitch who burnt down a class and then attacked a kid."

"No way!" the other guy exclaimed.

"The one that bullies my sister?"

My eyes widened as I looked at him in horror. I don't bully anyone.

"Yeah, that's her, I know it's her, she hangs around with my little brother. She was on the news yesterday, too."

The guy with the cap, who I now recognised as Kayley Lyons's older brother, Darren, then glared at me, before turning back to his friends. The guy who had recognised me looked an awful lot like Jason, so he was obviously Jason's older brother, someone who I was aware of. Jason told me they don't get on, but I knew Kayley was close with her brother. I didn't let that put me off though. I continued to observe them gossiping about me, folding my arms as they did so.

"Is that definitely her?" Darren asked.

"Yeah, I know it's her," Jason's brother said. "I've seen her before."

Darren suddenly stormed over to me, until he was high above me, followed closely by his two friends. I stared up at him, still folding my arms. His attempt to be intimidating was pathetic, he didn't scare me at all. I was used to people being in my face anyway. This was all very coincidental that I happened to be facing Kayley's brother right there at that moment. What was he even doing up and about that early in the morning anyway?

"You that Shaylee Napier?" he asked, sharply, flicking his wed away to one side.

"Yeah," I said, like it was obvious.

"So you're that one who threatened my sister, are ya?"

"I never threatened her, pal, get your facts right."

"Ooh-hoo-hoo…someone thinks they're big, don't they?"

"Yeah, you."

"You think you're so tough, little girl, huh?" Darren said, getting even closer to my face.

That was all it took to set me off. The anger came so quickly that it almost felt natural.

"Get out of my face, dickhead!" I yelled at him.

"What you gonna do, you little bitch?"

I pushed him hard, making him lurch backwards but he didn't fall. His two friends started laughing, just infuriating me even more.

"Fuck off!" I shouted.

"You think I'm gonna just do one after you threatened my sister, you silly cow!"

"Sill cow, am I?" I taunted, pushing him again. That startled him.

"Hey, don't push him, you little bitch!" Jason's brother said, yanking me by my coat sleeve.

I sharply pulled away from him, to only be thrown down on the floor by the other guy. I quickly stood up again, ready to hit him in his hideous face, but Darren was soon in my face again, making we walk backwards into the wall.

"You gonna hit a girl, are you?" I scolded at him.

"No, of course I'm not, I'm not that low, unlike you."

"Unlike me?!" I laughed mockingly. "You don't even know me!"

"I know what you did to my sister! She told me! She said you pushed her and grabbed her by the hair and was screaming in her face!"

"Maybe I did, but, she pushed me to do it!"

Darren then suddenly grabbed me by the collar, but I soon struggled out of his grasp and pushed him again.

"She pushed you do it?! What a load of bullshit!"

"It's not bullshit! Maybe you, big man, should tell your sister not to lie about something like hearing voices when some people actually can! Someone like me for example!"

"Don't give me that shit, little girl!"

"Little girl? Who'd you think you're talking to?!"

"Shut up!"

"No, fuck off! No, I won't shut up. You can't tell me to, you don't know me! You don't know what's going on in my head, in my life, do you?!"

"Yeah, you really are fucked up in the head, aren't you?"

I paused, glaring at him. I started to see red.

"What did you say?" I snapped.

"I said you're fucked up in the head. Burning down a classroom…"

I screamed deafeningly and punched Darren in the face, making him fall backwards, where one of his friends caught him. The guy who wasn't Jason's brother went to his aid, while Jason's brother got into my face, about to say something. There was no way he was going to get a word in edgeways.

"Get away from me!" I snarled. He backed away as I continued to scowl at him. Darren managed to get to his feet and I folded my arms and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Just hit her, Darren!" the other guy said.

"Yeah, come on, asshole!" I shouted.

Darren stormed over where I punched him again and then kicked him hard until he was on the floor again. Jason's brother pinned me up against the wall, but he was stronger than Darren, and I struggled to escape this time.

"Are you actually crazy?" he sneered.

"No!" I roared.

"You need serious help."

"Get the fuck off me!"

"Don't know why my brother hangs around with a dirty little shit like you."

"A what?! Fuck you, you don't know me! At least your brother isn't a dick like you!"

Right at that moment, I heard a gun load. The boy holding me against the wall looked alarmed and instantly let me go as he backed away. The three boys looked startled as they looked in the same direction. I turned to see dad standing outside the bank entrance, pointing a gun at the three boys. I was so relieved he'd arrived just in time, looking highly frightening. His face was one of utter disgust, as he slowly sauntered over, still clutching the gun in his hand.

"Oh, hi, daddy," I beamed, as he walked over.

"Oh, shit," Darren said under his breath.

"Oh shit, indeed, young man," Dad said, raucously.

He came over to me, but he didn't comfort me. I knew this was a test of my strength. I looked around to make sure no one would spot us, but conveniently no one came around.

I was shaking my head at dad. "Unbelievable, daddy. Think it's okay to hurt me."

Dad addressed the group of boys. "So, you little boys think it's acceptable to attack my daughter, do you?"

"Actually, pal, she attacked us first," Darren mumbled.

"Oh be quiet," Dad snapped. I smirked as I saw dad approach them like a demonic figure. "Look at me, the three of you. Look at me! What do you think you're doing, huh?!"

"We…"

"Ah-da-da-da, shush." By now dad was up in their faces, and they weren't looking so tough anymore. Dad suddenly grabbed Darren by the collar, as the other two backed away, nervously. I couldn't help but giggle under my breath. "So what exactly did she do that was so unbelievable, huh?" Dad dug the gun into Darren's head. He then addressed me, as he turned around, dragging Darren with him. "What did they do, baby girl, hmm?"

"They tried to threaten me, dad," I replied, sweetly. "They had me pinned up against the wall. I fought them back but they carried on."

"Oh, well…we can't have that now, can we?"

He shot his head back at Darren.

"Let me go, you freak!" he cried.

"Freak?" Dad burst into laughter. "I'm a freak for defending my daughter now, am I?"

"She's just the same as you! No wonder she's…"

"And I wouldn't want her any other way. Now listen pal." His voice suddenly turned cold and malicious. He was glaring at Darren, not taking his eyes off of his. He was giving him a masterclass in how to be really intimidating. But dad was more than that. He was truly terrifying, even scaring me a little, but I couldn't help but smile as he defended me. "If I catch you…or if she tells me you come anywhere near her again…then I won't just keep this loaded. It will fire. You understand me?" Darren didn't answer. "I said do you understand me?!" Dad shouted.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Darren cried, pathetically.

"Good." Dad let him go but kicked him to the ground and spat on him before he pointed his gun at the other two. "Now run away, little boys, before I deck ya brains out!"

They didn't have to be told twice. Like the little boys they truly were, they scampered off down the street until they reached the end, away from the town centre. Dad then randomly let off a gun shot, making me jump a mile. He then turned to me, who was rubbing my neck as the guy had pinned my hard by my collar.

"Are you okay, princess?" he asked, rubbing my arm.

"Yes, dad, I'm fine," I answered, putting my hands to my head. "God, they annoyed the crap out of me though."

"Make you angry?"

"God yeah. That was Kayley's brother, thinks he's the big man, trying to call me a freak and stuff about what happened on Thursday just because Kayley was in the room when it happened. I said to him she's the reason it happened! In fact, she's the reason I got expelled!"

"Well, don't worry about him anymore, he's not bothering you now. Silly little boy."

"God help my future boyfriends. Did you get the money, dad?"

"Of course I did. I was lucky because there was a lot of people in there, too distracted to notice me nicking a couple of dollars. Anyway, we better get moving before someone notices, honey. Plus, I just fired a gun in broad daylight, better make a move before the cops coming investigating."

He grabbed my hand and we rushed back to the car, and we were soon dashing down the streets again. The whole journey I was slumped in my seat with my hands over my head. I managed to quickly contain myself before we arrived at the clothes store, like dad had planned.

"You feeling okay?" he asked, as we pulled up in the car park.

"I'm fine, dad, really," I replied, reassuringly.

"Okay, check before you move anywhere."

I did so, and before I knew it we were in the store. As we entered, dad leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Get anything you want," he said, craftily. "There's no cameras in here because it's just a cheap charity store. I'll distract the store owner. Use your head. Don't get anything too big."

I nodded and I had a good look around. I was immediately attracted to the jewellery section, which I quietly headed to while dad went over to the counter. Luckily, the store was so shit that no one else was in there, plus it was early in the morning. I knew dad would use this to an advantage.

As dad talked to him, getting him deep into conversation, I looked carefully at what I wanted. There was something that immediately caught my eye: gorgeous black hoop earrings that had bats dangling from the bottom. I took them off the rail and admired them for a while, tracing them carefully. I firstly checked around every corner to make sure no one could see me, including the store owner and the entrance to see if no one could spot me. When the coast was clear, I quickly dug it into my coat pocket, turning my back as I did it. I was very careful but also sharp. Once I'd done it, I casually strolled over to dad at the counter, who was still talking to the shop assistant. I'd made sure I'd buttoned my pocket.

"Ah, okay, darling?" Dad greeted, putting his arm around me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What were you looking at?"

"Oh, just the jewellery over there. All really pretty."

"Find anything you fancy?"

"Uhh…no, not really." I couldn't help but grin, but dad continued to smile down at me. "Not much."

"Ahh, okay."

"This one yours, is she?" the man on the counter asked, rather stupidly.

"Yeah, this is my daughter," Dad said, proudly. "Fourteen next month."

"Oh you can definitely tell she's yours. Same eyes."

"Yeah, I'm glad I got his and not my mom's," I said. "Hers were blue, they just wouldn't match me."

"Anyway, thanks, dude," Dad said, as he began to turn away.

"Oh we going now?" I asked.

"Why yes, you said you didn't see anything you fancied, so we might as well go now."

"Oh, okay, daddy."

He winked at me, making me giggle.

"Thanks for visiting!" the guy called waving.

"A pleasure to come!" I called back.

As soon as we were out of there, dad grabbed my hand and we ran back to the stolen car, laughing all the way. My mood had instantly changed and it was so wonderful. Running through the streets like a madwoman, feeling the breeze…I felt freedom. I felt it even more now I knew I wasn't in the clutches of school.

Once we were back in the car and strapped in, dad turned to me before turning on the engine.

"So…did you get anything?" he asked, smirking.

"Yep!" I replied, full of joy. I got the earrings out of my pocket and rattled them in his face. "Look, look, look!" I laughed. "I got this without getting caught!"

"Wow, baby!" Dad laughed. "You really are a natural. Didn't notice a thing. But, why earrings? You don't even have your ears pierced."

My smile faded as I realised my idiocy. "Oh no!" I cried, putting my face in my hands. "Oh bollocks!"

Dad was laughing uncontrollably. "Don't worry about it, ya silly billy!" he cackled. "You still got it, didn't you?!"

"Well, yeah," I replied, "but, still, I guess I got too excited and forgot about the fact I don't have my ears pierced."

"Ah, well, just for that, I'll let you have them pierced. For your birthday."

I gasped as dad started up the engine. I was grinning widely at him.

"Really, will you?!" I exclaimed.

"I don't see why not. You're not in school anymore so they can't nag you about it."

"Thank you, dad! But I thought you were giving me a phone."

"I am, but you can have that as an extra for showing daddy just how tough you are." He affectionately pinched my cheek.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, princess. Now, let's go home. I'm starving. Gotta eat something before I meet up with the guys."

"Can I come?"

Dad chuckled. "No, honey."

"But why?"

"Hey, you've had your time today. Besides, it's too dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt. You know what happened, last night, remember? All sorts of ugly can happen if I get frustrated. Maybe when you're older, Shay, but even then, you'll probably be wanting to do stuff by yourself. Oh and by the way, I can't be there all the time when you nick something, you know. You're gonna have to be sneaky if you wanna do that yourself. You were lucky today that no one was in there, but I knew there wouldn't be. I'd made it easy for ya."

He started reversing out of the car park and he drove back to that alleyway where we first discovered the car in minutes flat. Once we'd walked home, I put those earrings in my drawer for safe keeping, and dad made us some lunch before heading out again.

Even though that morning had that crazy little incident with Kayley's brother and that, I still loved it. Even though I was angry, I just loved witnessing dad showing people their true colours, showing how scary he really could be. I was lucky he was like that, because I knew he could defend both me and him.

Darren Lyons never did bother with me after that day, in fact I never saw him again. I never saw Kayley again either. I was so glad to see the back of them and school all together. I was missing my friends as it was, but I was even missing Chelsea, but I'd miss art classes more than anything else.

The next weekend, I did finally get a chance to meet up with Chase at his house. He was very good with me, trying his best to understand my point of view about what happened at school and stuff. I told him all about how I was going to move forward and defend myself more. I even told him I'd stolen some things, but he didn't seem to mind. He himself had stolen before then, but he didn't dare tell his mom. Although he did seem concerned about me, asking me if I needed to seek anger management or something. I calmly as possible stated I couldn't be doing with going through that process. We regularly met up, mostly spending Friday nights together, now I didn't go to school anymore.

Dad didn't even bother with trying to get me into a new school, as the only other option was Little Hill, and I was not going there again. We agreed they wouldn't let me in anyway because of my reputation at both LHE and GMS.

Dad and I continued out little outings on weekends, where we mostly went through the same process. One Saturday he even let me get some money with him, although he wouldn't let me carry it, in case we got caught and I'd get the blame. I got better at it too, although I didn't have to yield a gun at anyone most days, dad did most of that stuff. It was almost like we were slowly becoming partners in crime, like he was my trainer. He wasn't training me to be a criminal, he was training me to defend myself and to learn how to provide for myself. And I loved it.

My fourteenth birthday came around in the April, and dad, as promised, bought me my very own cell phone. This time he insisted he's bought it and not stolen it, which I found hard to believe but I just went with it anyway. The first thing I did was ring Chase, and we arranged for me, the boys and Chelsea to meet up that afternoon once I'd eaten lunch with dad (Chelsea had now gotten friendly with them too, having a massive crush on Tom).

The guys from the City came down to the town to see me and we all hung around at the park, where I showed everyone my new phone. We quickly exchanged numbers, and Chelsea even tried her first cigarette. Alex and Tom had started smoking weed, but I didn't dare try some. I wasn't an idiot, I knew it'd mess with my head and just worsen my schizophrenia. They called me a pussy but I just ignored them, I wasn't smoking it just for their sake. I found it crazy how they'd started smoking it already, as they were only fifteen. Chase refused it as well, but he continued to smoke cigarettes regularly. We all got a McDonald's for dinner, which they all paid for me as a treat. We sat outside in the warm April breeze as I munched happily with my best friends.

"So what else you got for your birthday, Shay?" Tom asked.

"Not much, really. Apart from this phone and the pens Chase got me, I didn't get much else. My dad's taking me to get my ears pierced tomorrow, which he promised me two birthdays ago, but never mind."

"My mom won't let me have mine done, either!" Chelsea complained. "If she thinks I'm gonna be plain and proper I ain't, I just ain't."

"You had a good day, anyway?" Jason asked me.

"Oh yeah. Just nice to see you guys again."

"How's it been missing school?" Matty asked.

"It's been bliss," I replied. "I hated it so much after you guys had gone."

"The middle school was so much better," said Alex. "I hate high school, it's so stressful."

"My dad said I won't be accepted into anywhere else because of what I did," I said.

"He's right," Chase said. "But you don't care, do you?"

"No, I have better things to do."

"Mrs. Quaid didn't half give us a lecture about it," Chelsea explained.

"So wish I saw it," said Chris.

"Did you tell them about what happened with Darren Lyons last month, Shaylee?" Chase laughed.

"Oh, yeah! You know that Darren Lyons?"

"Who, the guy who thinks he's the big man?" Chris said, making all the boys laugh.

"Yeah, Kayley Lyons's brother. He came up to me last month, while I was out with my dad at the bank he and his friends, one of them was your brother Jason, they just started threatening me after what I did to Kayley and shit, but I told him that Kayley was the one who lies about stuff and she pushed me to it! Well my dad came and sorted them out anyway, you should've seen their faces. Guy needs to realise his sister is an attention seeker."

"That Kayley is such an annoying twat," Chelsea said. "Thinks every guy is after her, when there really not."

"Oh, I would," Alex laughed, making them all chuckle in unison.

"Ew, Alex, you're such a pervert," Chelsea said, playfully.

"Ah, shut it, ya slut."

Chelsea and I both did our high-pitched girly giggles.

Once we'd finished and it was getting dark, we all headed back to park again, where they all started drinking. I had so much fun with them, messing around. I felt so relaxed and happy with them all, I didn't need to get drunk to have such a laugh with them. Chase and I were the only ones who didn't get drunk, in fact. Chase drank, but he didn't get pissed. It got to the point where they were so drunk they didn't know where they were all standing. Chelsea and Tom ended up eating each other's faces off in front of us all, making all the lads jeer and wolf-whistle while I just doubled up with laughter.

Once it got to the end of the night, around 10:30pm, people started to fumble off back home, to the bus station.

Well, that's what I thought.

"Hey, Shaylee!" Alex called in his overly-slurred voice. This was just as we were leaving the park, and I was standing close to Chase.

"What, dickhead?" I replied.

"You want me to walk you home?" he asked, tripping over his feet.

"Dude, I'll walk her home, it's not far," Chase said, helping him up. "Besides, you're pissed, you can't walk her. You need to follow the others back, if it's even possible!"

"I ain't pissed, Chase!" he shouted.

"Shhh! Shut up, man!" Chase laughed.

"Shhhhh!" Alex repeated. "Come on, let me take ya home and then I'll follow them back!"

"Alex, you can't."

"Oh, leave him be," I laughed, as I took Alex's hand. Chase looked slightly disappointed. "Come on, we'll all walk together and then you can walk him to bus station because he sure as hell won't get there safe by himself!"

"You heard the girl!" Alex shouted in his drunken state.

"Shush, man!" Chase chuckled. He then looked at me, who gave him puppy eyes. "Oh, alright then," he said, reluctantly.

"Come on then."

We all walked back to my street, with Chase and I making sure Alex stayed upright. We eventually arrived at the end of my street.

"Okay, I'll be okay from here," I said.

"We still have a long way to go!" Alex cried.

"Shhh! I know, but I'll be fine."

"You know what? I'm going to order a taxi for him," Chase said. "There's no way I'm walking him to the bus station in this state."

"Do you have the money?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Chase was already dialling a number on his phone and walked away down the pavement, putting his hand to his ear and the phone to the other. I carried Alex around the corner away from Chase, where I made him stand upright by the wall. He slumped onto me, making me laugh.

"Alex, come on, stand up straight," I giggled, lifting him up. I desperately tried to keep my voice down.

"I glad…" Alex began, loudly.

"Shhh!"

"Sorry," Alex lowered his voice rapidly. "I'm glad you….have had a good birthday."

"Oh well thank you for making it so good."

I smiled at him, and he gave me a wide, animated grin back. He then was staring at my lips with his dreary eyes.

All of sudden, out of the blue, Alex roughly pulled me closer to him and harshly kissed me on my lips. I let out a muffled scream into his face as I sharply pulled away, glaring at him. For some reason, he started laughing.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"What? I thought that's what you wanted," he slurred.

"What? What, no! No that's not what I wanted!"

"Hey, come on Shaylee…" He tried to pull me in again, but I stood away from him, avoiding his grasp.

"No, fuck off!" I cried, my voice starting to tremble.

"Aw, come on, Shaylee, why else would you pull me round a corner…."

"To calm you down, you asshole! Why would you do that to me?!"

I felt a tear rolling, so I immediately turned away. Chase then came round the corner, as Alex stayed wobbling against the wall.

"Right the taxi's on its way," he said. "Took me ages to…" That's when he noticed me crying. He came and stood next me, trying to get me to show my face. "Shaylee? Shaylee, are you crying?"

"No!"

"What's wrong?"

I inhaled deeply as I furiously wiped my black eyeliner tears away and looked away from Chase. I pointed back at an embarrassed Alex.

"Don't let him come near me!" I whimpered. "Just, just…I want to go home. Just let me go home!"

"Alex, what did you do?"

"Don't ask him! Just…ahhh! You've made me look like a twat, Alex! Why would you do that?!"

"Shaylee…" Chase said. "Calm down, tell me…"

"I'll…I'll ring you tomorrow, just let me go home, please!"

He nodded and let me go, and I started running down the street in my high-heeled boots, still with tears rolling down my cheeks, which I desperately tried to flick away. I heard Chase's yells at Alex get fainter as I ran back into my flat, slamming the door behind me. I went straight into my room and sobbed into my pillow, helplessly.

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe one of my closest friends had took advantage of me like that and just ruined my entire day.

Dad soon kicked my door down upon hearing my cries, and immediately came rushing over to me, sitting next to me on my bed, shaking my shoulders, gently.

"Shaylee!" he said, softly. "Shaylee, baby, what's wrong? Come on, I'm here…"

I latched myself onto him and sobbed into his chest and he shushed me, stroking my hair.

"Oh, dad…" I whined.

"What's happened, sweetheart? Come on, come on, tell daddy. Look at me. Look at me, come on." I did do, and he wiped my tears for me. "Shhh, calm down. What's happened? I thought you were going to have a lovely night…"

"I was…"

"Then why are you crying? It breaks me to see you like this, sweetie. Come on, come on….tell me."

"Dad, can I…can I tell you tomorrow? I don't really want to talk about it." Dad sighed and looked at me with a concerned expression. "Please, dad. I need…I need to sleep on it."

"Okay, okay," Dad said, gently, as I buried my head back into his chest. "Shhh. Quiet down now. Don't want you to go to sleep all hysterical now, do we?"

I sniffled as he continued to calm me down, petting me like I was a kitten. It worked, though. My crying made me tired out, and I almost fell asleep in dad's arms. He tucked me in and kissed my forehead before leaving me to sleep.

The guilt that I felt when he left the room was enormous. I knew now he was going to worry all night and not sleep. I didn't get a good sleep last night, I just couldn't stop thinking about what Alex had done.

Chase was going to go mad at him.

Remember how I said I had a little crush on Chase? Well that grew even bigger after that night. It was strange, because I knew that Chase had a crush on me, I just knew it, but I knew how conscious dad was about me and boys, especially now as I was a teenager. I guess that's why I chickened out of telling him about what had happened. I felt so pathetic about sobbing over it, but I couldn't help myself.

But I guess that was the downside of being free. I wasn't in a safe environment anymore. Anyone could take advantage of me. I knew I wasn't safe, I liked to think I could take on the world now I had freedom.

I knew I was fucking crazy. But it didn't matter. I was free.