Chapter Eight: The Book

"PAIGE!" Katie yelled, cheerfully, jumping up and down as she clapped her hands. A gigantic smile appeared across her face.

Paige's mother drove up against the curb, as they neared the bus stop sign at Toronto Community Mall. Katie continued laughing in excitement. Paige smiled, with happiness also. Then Paige noticed a worn out brown school bag sagging on the bench behind Katie. It looked like it had nothing init. Next to the bag, was a large photo album. She began to wonder what was it in.

"Katie! The anticipating moments as come!" Paige laughed, getting out of the car and opening the door for her friend toward the back. Katie entered, her plain chestnut hair hanging over her shoulder.

When Katie sat down on the window side of the car, Paige sat with her to make her feel more comfortable. Paige never realized how pale and thin Katie was. Katie was just as tall as Paige was, maybe more so, but she looked as if she weighed ninety pounds tops. But her marble green eyes shimmered in the pink orange sun; Katie smiled.

"Wow, Paige." Katie said, amazed. "You're right about the huge change!" She giggled; tugging on the same shoulder Hazel had tugged early. Only Katie did it impressively. "The shirt is really cool." 

"Thanks," Paige said, back. First complimented she received since her change.

When the girls returned to Paige's house; Paige immediately pulled Katie out of the car and took her for the tour of the house. The girls laughed, as Paige pretended to be on MTV's Cribs.

Paige opened the polish wood doors to the living room, "This is the grand room, over here, and me and the stars would sit here on this very couch, and drink brandy and eat caviar, every Friday night." Paige laughed and plopped on a flower antique style couch, and pretended to be one of those fancy stars from the 1950's maybe earlier.

Katie laughed, and looked around the well-furnished house. She never had seen anything so beautiful. "Paige, your house is beautiful!"

Paige shrugged and got up from the couch, as if her house was no big deal. "It's nothing really great. Just an ordinary house, I guess."

Katie turned to Paige, a smile attached to her face. "Paige, my house is a two floor twin house with three broken windows and a water stained ceiling. This is a really big thing." Katie admitted, shaking her head.

Paige walked over and opened the door. "I guess, let's go up to my room."

The two girls ran up to Paige's room. Paige burst through the door and belly-flopped on her purple canopy bed. She laughed. "That was fun!" Paige said, turning her head toward Katie who was in awe with Paige's room as well as the rest of the home." Paige, you're house is so beautiful, it must be fabulous to have so much money!"

At first, Paige didn't mind Katie's comments about her house and her living, but she kept saying it over and over again, and Paige began to feel very uncomfortable.

Paige turned her body around, so that she would lie on her bed on her back, she propped her elbows on her bed, to hold her body up. "Enough about the house," Paige ordered, but with a laugh to hide the anger in her tone.

Katie shrugged, sliding the empty-looking school bag off her back and onto a chair, and putting the album on an end table next to the chair. Paige furrowed her brow of curiosity. "Hey Katie, what do you have in the photo album?" Paige asked, pouting her lips.

Katie forced a smile tracing the stickers on the front cover of the album. "Just stuff I have as a Pride and Confidence Booster."

Paige became puzzled, "Huh?"

Katie picked the book off the table and brought it over to the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and set the album on her lap. Paige looked at the cover. "So what's in it?" Katie took a deep breath and opened to the first page.

Paige took a sigh, as her eyes wandered across the page. She saw pictures of little bodies with scratches and bruises. She wanted too look away but instead she asked, "Why do you have these?"

 "My brothers and Sisters and I went through pain and hurting for two years, these pictures were taken about eight months ago when my mother finally learned the truth, and we were sent to the hospital for an examination. The nurses took these as evidence that we were beaten to the police and for the court of law."

"Okay, so why do you keep them? I mean, if I were you, I would want the memory erased out of my mind forever."

Katie took a deep breath then exhaled heavily. "I keep them as a boost of courage and pride. When I feel like there is no more in life I can do. I look at the book and it shows me," Katie paused, as she tried holding her tears. "It shows me- that it took a lot of confidence and courage to go through what me and my siblings. Going to court for six months…without breaking down and resume to suicide. I remember when my younger sister, Hailey, attempted cutting. I showed her the book, and it helped a lot."

Paige didn't know what to say. Katie continued, "Not everyone goes through what we went through and makes it completely through, Paige." Katie paused and forced a smile. "You don't deserve to live with your hurting either. Your friends, Paige, is your pride and Confidence booster." Paige smiled, "You're absolutely right, Katie. Absolutely."