When I got to the O'Dell's house I pounded on the door. It was freezing outside with snow being blow every which way by the wind. The cold air didn't help the bruise James had left on my right cheek. And the fact that I'd left my hat, coat and scarf and gloves at Lily's didn't help matters, either.

"Rosemary, Leo, open up!" I shouted. It was hard to hear anything due to the howling wind; "it's Morgan!"

I put my arms down by my side.

"Leo go open the door would you?" I heard Leo's mom say.

I heard footsteps walk across the wooden floor of the front entrance, the door unlock and open. Inside, across the doorway, stood Leo. Some of the warm air came out of their house. Leo looked shocked when he saw me.

"Omygod Morgan what happened?" he asked.

"Morgan come in hun," Rosemary, Leo's mom, called.

I stepped inside glad to be out of the cold. Leo closed and locked the door behind me.

"Do you mind if I…?" he asked, wanting to touch me but not quite sure.

"No," I replied.

Leo put his arm around me and led me to the kitchen where his mom was. She took look at me and said; "Leo get some ice and a paper towel."

Rosemary pulled out a chair for me from the kitchen table. I sat down. Leo opened the fridge and got out some ice, wrapping it in a white paper towel. He brought it over to me and put it on my face.

"Ow jeez," I said.

Rosemary brought a wool blanket and put it around my shoulders. She then proceeded to make hot choclit.

Leo sat down at the kitchen table and looked at me.

"Morgan," he asked; "what happened?"

"I…I," I knew I couldn't lie to him. And James hadn't ever told me not to tell. But then he hadn't ever said I could, either.

Rosemary made the hot choclit and set it in front of me, sitting down at the kitchen table herself.

"Morgan, honey, what happened?" she asked.

"He gave me bruises Rosemary," I simply replied.

"Who did?" she asked.

"Do you know?" Leo asked.

I nodded and sipped some of the hot choclit.

"My…..James," I said.

"James?"

"lLly's brother."

"Oh dear. Why?" rosemary asked.

"I was supposed to go over to their house Tuesday afternoon, after school. But I hadn't agreed to it. I said ok because he frightened me. He didn't understand. He still does. And and then….."

"Oh Morgan," Leo said, his clear light blue eyes filling with sadness.

"You said no and he, he?" Rosemary asked.

I nodded.

"But he hasn't?"

I shook my head.

"Ok."

"And then he got me drunk. He blamed it on me, during the argument. That's what it was about. That's why he hit me."

"You drank?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I did. But he ordered the wine. And kept pouring it. I drank it because I was afraid of what he would do. He kept pouring it but that's all he did, that night."

"Wow."

"I know."

I looked into Rosemary's brown eyes; "he scares me Rosemary."

"I know he does dear. He scares me too. You can stay here tonight. But I have to let someone know where you are. I wont tell them anything else."

I nodded; "ok," I said. "Ok."

Rosemary then proceeded to make the phone call to my parents.