Chapter 2: You Promised

The next day at school, Ashley was running towards her locker as fast as she could and tried to avoid everyone's stares. Cassie was getting ready for class when Ashley ran by her. "Ashley?" She called out. She ran after her best friend, worried about her.

Ashley came to her locker with tears falling down her face, despite the fact she had just put her makeup on to try and disguise her bruises. "Ashley?" Cassie called. Ashley spun around.

"Hey, Cass," she greeted.

Cassie saw the makeup smear across her face. Her eyes widened when she saw the bruises. "Oh…Ashley! He did it again, didn't he?" She asked.

"No…I fell and hit my face on the coffee table no biggie," Ashley replied.

Cassie grabbed Ashley's arm and dragged her into the bathroom, and was thankful to see that it was empty. "Cassie you're hurting me," Ashley snapped. Cassie wasn't even pulling hard. She let her go and lifted Ashley's sleeves up and saw bruises on her arms.

"And you got these from falling down the stairs again?" Cassie asked.

Ashley pulled her arms away. "Ashley, how much longer are you going to put up with this? Especially with the abuse you're going through," Cassie insisted.

"You don't understand, Cass, he promises he'll stop. He told me he'll stop," she assured her.

"I've heard that line come from your mouth once a day every day during the past two years we've known each other. Ashley, he's going to kill you one day and that'll not just kill me, but Andros will die faster than the rest of us."

"Dad's not going to kill me."

"LOOK AT YOURSELF ASHLEY!"

Cassie had Ashley face the mirror. "Look at her face, look at your arms, and look at your legs. You're a mess. You're nothing but a kickball to him," she insisted.

"He's all I have," Ashley snapped.

"He's a monster."

"He's my father."

Ashley winced when she leaned against the wall. "What he's kicking your back now too?" She asked.

"It's none of your business of what happens at my house," Ashley replied.

"My best friend is getting beaten by her father every single day for the stupidest things. What was his reason this time, huh? Daddy's just really drunk honey. Daddy's stressed. Daddy's had a hard time at work. I'm tired of it, Ash. You're lucky I didn't go to authorities."

"You can't do that without me, and I won't do it, Cassie."

Cassie rubbed the back of her neck. "Andros needs to know. He's your boyfriend, Karone called me last night telling me how you almost gave him a heart attack during your date because his hand rested on your back," Cassie explained.

"His hand went up my shirt thank you. I'm not ready for that yet," Ashley stated.

"I get that, but that's no reason to scare the daylights out of him. You know that Andros would never hurt you."

Ashley just listened to her. "How much longer are you going to let him do this to you? How many more excuses are you going to hear?" Cassie asked.

"It'll be all over when I graduate," Ashley replied.

"If you make it that far. You wouldn't even let me get you help when you can to my house with blood coming from your side."

Ashley felt the tears falling down her face again. Cassie grabbed Ashley's wrist and showed it to her. "This is what he's doing to you, Ashley. This is not what a father is supposed to do to his daughter. He's supposed to love her and watch her grow up. Not beat her until she can't walk," Cassie snapped. Ashley pulled her wrist from her grasp.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone, Cassie. You weren't even supposed to find out," Ashley pointed out.

"Ashley, I found you in this bathroom trying to take use cover up to cover the bruises on your neck when he choked you."

"That was an accident."

"It's always an accident to him."

Ashley shook her head. "I'm not going to turn him in, because if I do, they won't believe me. Trust me I've already tried," Ashley told her. She sank to the floor and tears made their way down her face. "When the police let him go, I couldn't even go to school the next day because he beat me so bad," she sobbed. Cassie kneeled in front of Ashley. "He has control over me, he's always had control over me," she sobbed. Cassie pulled Ashley into an embrace. "He told me if I tried it again that he'll kill me. He told me that if Andros knows about what he's doing to me he'll kill Andros in front of me," she added. Cassie stroked her hair.

"Calm down," she whispered.

"You promised you wouldn't say anything. You promised, please don't break your promise to me."

Cassie closed her eyes. "I won't break my promise. I won't tell," she assured her.

(After School)

Ashley went straight home like her father ordered her to. When she came in, she found a puppy in a basket in front of the couch. She walked over and picked it up, by the basket was a note. She picked it up and read it.

Sweet Ashley,

I'm really sorry for what I did to you this morning. You know that I never mean to hurt you and that you mean everything to me. You know that I'm just under a lot of stress right now. I hope you like the puppy. And I'll be home soon. I love you very much, Ashley.

Love,

Daddy

Ashley sat down on the couch with the puppy in her arms and she cried. She cried as hard as she could. Every morning he beat her and every afternoon she came home to find a gift waiting for her along wit ha note of apology. She buried her head into the puppy's fur and she sob.

Cassie came home and let out a sigh. She couldn't believe that Ashley was still going through all this. She wanted to help her best friend, but Ashley won't let her. The last thing Cassie needs would be to lose her best friend because of a monster that treated her like garbage. However, she had to keep her promise to Ashley and never to tell anyone about what Mr. Hammond was doing to her, not even Andros. No one could know what was happening to Ashley.