Two years prior*

Callie*

I open my swollen eyelids and roll over to see about a hundred texts from Maddie and several more of my friends.

Where are you? - Maddie

Why aren't you in Literature? - Shannon

You're missing band class! I looked for you after but couldn't find you. Are you sick? - Chasity

Are you seriously going to ignore me? Seriously, Callie? - Maddie

C'mon! I need to talk to you! I called the house, and Ague was rude to me. C'mon, Cal! - Maddie

Okay, I'm calling AGAIN! PICK UP, BITCH! - Maddie

That's it! I'm coming over after Spanish! I don't care if I get in trouble for ditching. Your ass better be up! - Maddie

I groan as I read the last text then flip my phone to see what time it is. When I realize it's 10:07 in the morning, I'm alarmed that Robert didn't even try to wake me up. Jill would know better, but Robert? He was anal retentive and would have certainly cared, right? I sit up and swing my feet to the floor before stretching and stumbling over to my desk where I pick up my planner.

"Ughhhh, bastard is out of the country today! Fuck him!" I groan as I toss the planner onto my bed and head to the bathroom so I can shower. The last thing I want is to face Maddie. I hope that Ague won't let her in...in fact I better phone down to him and tell him to NOT let her up here.

Jude climbed out of the car and headed towards the front door, but Ague quickly got out to try and stop him. "Mr. Jude, stop! I forgot to tell you something."

The young boy turned to look at the older man, one who he had always admired for as long as he could remember, and raised his eyebrow. He may have been just barely 10, but after talking to him for a bit, one would automatically think he was 16 or even 17. "What's up, Ague? You look worried..." Jude trailed off as soon as the older man reached him.

"Listen, Mr. Jude..."

"Jude. Just call me Jude. I've told you this, Ague," the younger boy laughs as he soon realizes Ague isn't laughing at all. In fact, the look on his face alarmed Jude suddenly, but he waited to see what it was that was so pressing.

"Miss Callie...well, she's not herself right now, and I meant to tell you before I dropped you off."

"Not herself? You mean she's drunk again?" Jude sighed as he began storming towards the front entrance once more, but Ague walked right beside him.

"I'm not sure this time, but Maddie was here earlier and they got into a screaming match. I tried to stop young Maddie from going on up the elevator, but she wouldn't have it. She demanded I let her up, and even though I am fast, I wasn't fast enough. Anyway...Miss Callie is not herself. I think the kitchen is pretty much destroyed as well as the front sitting room. I'm so sorry Mister...I mean, Jude. I can send Esmeralda in to clean it up. But she's gone for the day. I'll have to call her.

"I got it," Jude snapped now as the older man looked beside himself. He was used to this by now as Callie had come home more often than not and he was constantly cleaning up after her. It's not that he really wanted to, but he was really worried about his sister. He was worried that she was not herself and that she was becoming more and more of another person. This alone frightened the young boy, and the fact that Robert and Jill didn't stick around long enough to get her the help she needed was almost more than Jude could bare.

2 hours prior*

"How did you get up here?" Callie instantly was on the defense as she saw her friend, Maddie. She figured that Maddie got her way no matter how much Ague had protested, and she should have known better.

"Thought you could hide from me, bitch? Huh?" Maddie walked closer to Callie who appeared not to be afraid in the least.

"I'm not hiding! I'm fucking hungover! What part of respect don't you get, Maddie? I didn't answer you because I'm recovering from that damn party from last night, which by the way, that boy toy of yours tried to rape me! Just get out of my face..."

Callie turned to walk into her bedroom, but Maddie had other plans as she leaped forward and caught her arm. "You're not running from me this time, cunt! I'm not playing with you! And Vico wouldn't hurt a fly! I saw you with my own eyes!"

"Get off of me!" Callie shouted as she tried her best to yank away from the older girl, but she was no match apparently as Maddie pushed her against the nearest wall, knocking down a picture frame.

"You think this is over! Huh! You try to sleep with MY DATE! and think this is over! I'll ruin you! And no amount of hiding will stop me!"

"Get the fuck off!" Callie shoved Maddie hard as she planted her hands on her chest between them, and for a moment, Maddie stumbled backwards as Callie reached for the nearest object, a hardback notebook and chucked it at her friend's head. Maddie managed to to duck as she lunged forward and grabbed the younger girl by the ankle, bringing her down to the floor and hard.

"Bitch!" Maddie screamed as Callie began to flail her arms. She managed to get a handful of Maddie's hair and began pulling as Maddie was twisting her ankle. Somehow she was able to ignore the pain as fire ran through her veins and fury came out through her fingers. Scratches and yelping and screaming and shouting as well as punches and flying objects flew through the penthouse, and no manner of shouting from a disturbed Ague could stop the girls. Not even when he tried to blow an air horn. Nothing got through to them, and when Maddie was pinned against the door jam with Callie's arm, it was a good thing that Ague was present. Because she wouldn't have let go. She was too far gone, in a blackening rage and as Maddie gasped for air, Ague did the only thing he knew to do: he slapped Callie across the face so she'd let go, or she would have ended up suffocating the older girl.

"Leave! Now! Before I call the police!" Ague demanded angrily, and as Callie stepped back, her face a whitening rage, Maddie began choking as she scrambled to find her backpack and ran out the front door leaving a devastated Callie to march over to the giant liquor cabinet in Robert's office and pull out a seasoned bourbon.

Removing the cap, she poured some down her burning throat before Ague could do a single thing, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her life was trashed now anyways. She didn't seem to care what she did from here on out, and no adult, not even loving Ague, would be able to stop her.