Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I do not own Higher Ground but I do own Kristin Maddox and all characters not all Higher Ground (Mr. Sheyn, Ashley, her dad, etc...)
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"Goodness." Kristin muttered as she walked into her house. It had about 5 beer bottles that weren't there that morning. "He must've gotten drunk before he went to work," she said, relieved that he wasn't home, when she saw his truck was gone. She began to pick up the house.
She sighed as she picked up the beer bottle her dad had thrown at her last night when she had cut in front of the TV. When shehad gotten a snack and picked up the house she sat down and watched TV. Around 7:00 PM she heard his truck pull up into the garage. Suddenly, she started shaking violently. She was scared to death. He walked in, staggering. No wonder he had came home late- he had gone to the bar. He was definately drunk. She curled into a tiny ball on the couch, hoping he would notice that she had cleaned up the house and not noticing that the little ball on the couch was shaking so hard it looked as if she was having a seizure. She had to admit, sometimes her dad was nice. Once when he was high he got her a stuffed animal. She treasured it. But he nver got high anymore-just drunk. Like tonight.
"Hey, you cleaned up the house...good, girl..." her dad cooed like she was a dog, coming towards her. He saw dog crap on the floor. Hell no! I forgot to clean that up! Kristin yelled in her mind. "Well, I see you've had an accident!" He said, grabbing her hair. He pulled her to the floor and shoved her face just above it. Now...think about what you've just done!" He yelled and began pounding every inch of her back, her legs, her bottom. Ten minutes later he stopped and threw the weeping child onto the couch. She winced in pain. "Now, tell me, girl, why didn't you clean it up?" "I-I-just missed i-i-it...it must've been from last night..it was under a beer bottle. I thought Maddy (A/N: Maddy is the dog)..." She didn't know what else to say, she didn't know why she said that, it just made him hit her harder for even mentioning beer. He smacked her back and forth until he got tired of "child's play" and took off his best. He grabbed the terrified, aching, girl's arm and starting swinging the belt, not caring where it hit.
~Two hours later~
Kristin was on her bed. Her dad had gone to another bar. She saw the sharp pin (A/n: NOT the writing pen-then would be PEN, the kind you needle with) laying on her desk. She didn't want to, not tonight. Her wrist still was aching from 2 nights ago. She shook her head and got up and went downstairs to the kitchen. There wasn't much in the frdge-a little milk, a stick of margarine, about 4 cases of beer, a whiskey bottle, some leftover pizza, and some rice that had fungus growing on it. "That's just sick." She muttered to herself, throwing the rice-and the container-away. She looked at the pizza. It looked nasty, so before deciding anything she went to the cupboard. She looked. Holy! She wanted to drop to her knees and thank God on the spot. There was cereal-good cereal, in fact-that her father must have been hiding from her. She didn't care how much trouble she would get in. She grabbed a bowl and poured the cereal into it-filling the bowl. She then put milk into it and the cereal on the top came out onto the dirty counter. She decided against taking it to the table and scarfed it down right there on the spot. Then she went upstairs and went to bed. She fell asleep as her head hit the pillow.
The next day she woke up earlier than she usually does. She wanted to slip out of the house before her dad could wake up. She had to put on a sweatshirt, she had belt welts on her arms, and even 2 or 3 on her face, but people were use to those, weren't they?
She made it, luckily. Her dad was conked out on his bed. She ran to the bus stop and no one was there. But she was hot. Even though it was Toronto, it wasn't that cold yet, even in October. She was there for 20 minutes before the next person showed up-Ashley. Ugh. "Hey I'm sorry about yes-" Ashley started but stopped when she saw Kristin's stony glare. "You...told..." Kristin said, a sudden iciness in her voice. Kids had began to gather around. "Well, yeah, you were-" "You...told..." "Yes, we've already established that fact!" "I...can't...believe...you...told!" Said Kristin, with the same iciness as before. "Good for you!" Ashley declared, annoyed. "Damn you!" Kristin shouted and shoved Ashley to the ground. She jumped on her and punched her, while the other kids chanted "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" She didn't care, she drowned out all the noises and took out all her frusterations out on her best friend. A man came from across the street and picked up Kristin off of Ashley. Ashley's nose was broken for sure and she had both eyes black. Kristin looked at the man. It was her next-door neighbor. No doubt that her father was going to hear about this. When the bus got there, the man talked to the bus stop, saying how he got out of his front door hearing children chanting (it did sound kind of freaky) and he found this young lady *motions to Kristin* on top,punching, this young lady *Motions to Ashley*. "Thank you," the bus driver said and the man left. Ashley sat in the left front seat and Kristin on the right. When they arrived at the school Mr. Sheyn was on bus duty. "Oh, goodie!" Kristin muttered. She pulled down her jacket even more. The bus driver guided them over to Mr. Sheyn, who shook his head in dissapointed and sadness...for more Kristin than Ashley. This was a one- time thing, yet for Kristin it happened everyday.
Kristin was taken to the principal's office. She wanted to take off her jacket because Ashley's blood was on it. "This is nasty." She muttered to herself. "I agree with you." The principal said, nodding her head for Mr. Sheyn-who decided he was staying- to close th door. "Why don't you take off the jacket?" Oh no! Mr. Sheyn told her! Kristin thought, and she had picked on eye-communication between the two. "Um, I'd rather not, it's kinda cold." She lied, and she was sweating. "Well, you can borrow a non- bloodied jacket, then." The principal said, motioning towards the lost-and- found that the poor kids often were allowed to get from after the week ended. "alright..." She muttered. She took off the jacket and Mr. Sheyn and the prinicpal's eyes both widened...
Disclaimer: I do not own Higher Ground but I do own Kristin Maddox and all characters not all Higher Ground (Mr. Sheyn, Ashley, her dad, etc...)
____________________________________________________________________________ _________
"Goodness." Kristin muttered as she walked into her house. It had about 5 beer bottles that weren't there that morning. "He must've gotten drunk before he went to work," she said, relieved that he wasn't home, when she saw his truck was gone. She began to pick up the house.
She sighed as she picked up the beer bottle her dad had thrown at her last night when she had cut in front of the TV. When shehad gotten a snack and picked up the house she sat down and watched TV. Around 7:00 PM she heard his truck pull up into the garage. Suddenly, she started shaking violently. She was scared to death. He walked in, staggering. No wonder he had came home late- he had gone to the bar. He was definately drunk. She curled into a tiny ball on the couch, hoping he would notice that she had cleaned up the house and not noticing that the little ball on the couch was shaking so hard it looked as if she was having a seizure. She had to admit, sometimes her dad was nice. Once when he was high he got her a stuffed animal. She treasured it. But he nver got high anymore-just drunk. Like tonight.
"Hey, you cleaned up the house...good, girl..." her dad cooed like she was a dog, coming towards her. He saw dog crap on the floor. Hell no! I forgot to clean that up! Kristin yelled in her mind. "Well, I see you've had an accident!" He said, grabbing her hair. He pulled her to the floor and shoved her face just above it. Now...think about what you've just done!" He yelled and began pounding every inch of her back, her legs, her bottom. Ten minutes later he stopped and threw the weeping child onto the couch. She winced in pain. "Now, tell me, girl, why didn't you clean it up?" "I-I-just missed i-i-it...it must've been from last night..it was under a beer bottle. I thought Maddy (A/N: Maddy is the dog)..." She didn't know what else to say, she didn't know why she said that, it just made him hit her harder for even mentioning beer. He smacked her back and forth until he got tired of "child's play" and took off his best. He grabbed the terrified, aching, girl's arm and starting swinging the belt, not caring where it hit.
~Two hours later~
Kristin was on her bed. Her dad had gone to another bar. She saw the sharp pin (A/n: NOT the writing pen-then would be PEN, the kind you needle with) laying on her desk. She didn't want to, not tonight. Her wrist still was aching from 2 nights ago. She shook her head and got up and went downstairs to the kitchen. There wasn't much in the frdge-a little milk, a stick of margarine, about 4 cases of beer, a whiskey bottle, some leftover pizza, and some rice that had fungus growing on it. "That's just sick." She muttered to herself, throwing the rice-and the container-away. She looked at the pizza. It looked nasty, so before deciding anything she went to the cupboard. She looked. Holy! She wanted to drop to her knees and thank God on the spot. There was cereal-good cereal, in fact-that her father must have been hiding from her. She didn't care how much trouble she would get in. She grabbed a bowl and poured the cereal into it-filling the bowl. She then put milk into it and the cereal on the top came out onto the dirty counter. She decided against taking it to the table and scarfed it down right there on the spot. Then she went upstairs and went to bed. She fell asleep as her head hit the pillow.
The next day she woke up earlier than she usually does. She wanted to slip out of the house before her dad could wake up. She had to put on a sweatshirt, she had belt welts on her arms, and even 2 or 3 on her face, but people were use to those, weren't they?
She made it, luckily. Her dad was conked out on his bed. She ran to the bus stop and no one was there. But she was hot. Even though it was Toronto, it wasn't that cold yet, even in October. She was there for 20 minutes before the next person showed up-Ashley. Ugh. "Hey I'm sorry about yes-" Ashley started but stopped when she saw Kristin's stony glare. "You...told..." Kristin said, a sudden iciness in her voice. Kids had began to gather around. "Well, yeah, you were-" "You...told..." "Yes, we've already established that fact!" "I...can't...believe...you...told!" Said Kristin, with the same iciness as before. "Good for you!" Ashley declared, annoyed. "Damn you!" Kristin shouted and shoved Ashley to the ground. She jumped on her and punched her, while the other kids chanted "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" She didn't care, she drowned out all the noises and took out all her frusterations out on her best friend. A man came from across the street and picked up Kristin off of Ashley. Ashley's nose was broken for sure and she had both eyes black. Kristin looked at the man. It was her next-door neighbor. No doubt that her father was going to hear about this. When the bus got there, the man talked to the bus stop, saying how he got out of his front door hearing children chanting (it did sound kind of freaky) and he found this young lady *motions to Kristin* on top,punching, this young lady *Motions to Ashley*. "Thank you," the bus driver said and the man left. Ashley sat in the left front seat and Kristin on the right. When they arrived at the school Mr. Sheyn was on bus duty. "Oh, goodie!" Kristin muttered. She pulled down her jacket even more. The bus driver guided them over to Mr. Sheyn, who shook his head in dissapointed and sadness...for more Kristin than Ashley. This was a one- time thing, yet for Kristin it happened everyday.
Kristin was taken to the principal's office. She wanted to take off her jacket because Ashley's blood was on it. "This is nasty." She muttered to herself. "I agree with you." The principal said, nodding her head for Mr. Sheyn-who decided he was staying- to close th door. "Why don't you take off the jacket?" Oh no! Mr. Sheyn told her! Kristin thought, and she had picked on eye-communication between the two. "Um, I'd rather not, it's kinda cold." She lied, and she was sweating. "Well, you can borrow a non- bloodied jacket, then." The principal said, motioning towards the lost-and- found that the poor kids often were allowed to get from after the week ended. "alright..." She muttered. She took off the jacket and Mr. Sheyn and the prinicpal's eyes both widened...
