p style="text-align: center;"CHAPTER 3/p
p style="text-align: left;"Rizzo walked into the apartment, which was dark because her dad hadn't paid the electric bill... again. She walked in to see her mom reading a book on the couch, with the help of a flashlight. "Hey." she said, sitting on the couch. "Hi. Did you have a good time at Frenchy's?" "Yeah, it was great." she said. "Where's dad?" "The usual place." her mom said, with a look of sadness on her face. "Great, he's at the bar again." Rizzo thought. If her dad wasn't out getting drunk, he was at home, being drunk and taking everything out on her and her mom. /p
p style="text-align: left;""When did he leave?" Rizzo asked. "About an hour ago." her mom answered. "He usually stays out for three to four hours." Rizzo thought to herself. She had time to tell her mom and then go back to Frenchy's. Rizzo's mom got up and went to the kitchen. "Do you want a sandwich?" she asked, bringing the items out of a cooler full of ice. This is how they kept food fresh without the refrigerator. Rizzo wasn't really hungry, but she knew she had to eat something. "Sure." she said, walking to the kitchen. /p
p style="text-align: left;"They ate in silence. When Rizzo was done, she went back to the couch. Her mom cleaned up the table, then went to join her. An hour and a half has already passed. Rizzo thought she better tell her mom before her dad came back. /p
p style="text-align: left;""Mom, I... I have to tell you something." she said. "What is it, honey?" " At Frenchy's house, I found out that I'm...pregnant." Just as her mom was getting ready to say something, the front door slammed loudly. Her dad was home early, and he heard just enough.../p
p style="text-align: left;""WHAT?" he screamed. He was home early, but still as drunk as ever. "You better have a good explanation, Betty!" She hated when he called her that. She hated when he talked to her in general. Rizzo didn't answer, which made her dad angrier. /p
p style="text-align: left;""Ok, girl. You asked for it." he said, fist raised. Rizzo's mom was terrified. Rizzo slowly backed into a corner, her dad getting closer and closer. She had nowhere else to go. Then, Rizzo's mom took action and pushed her out of the way, just as her dad was throwing the first punch. Her mom fell into a shriveled pile on the floor. Rizzo wanted to scream, to cry even. But she knew it would just make things worse./p
p style="text-align: left;""Rizzo, go pack! Go somewhere safe!" her mom yelled in breathless shrieks. Rizzo's dad didn't care about her anymore. He had found someone to hit, and was content. "Go!" her mom yelled again. Rizzo took a long look at her mom, not knowing when, or if, she'd see her again before running to her room and packing./p
p style="text-align: left;"Rizzo rummaged through her closet and found a suitcase. She packed clothes, her toothbrush, a comb, and of course, her Pink Ladies jacket. She even packed the stuffed bear her mom got her for graduation. She could still hear her mom's pained cries coming from the living room. She heard her dad's awful words. She wanted to go back, to help. But she knew she should listen to her mom. So, with one last look at her room, she climbed out her window, got in her car, and drove to Frenchy's house. /p
p style="text-align: left;"She was crying as she told Frenchy what happened. "I'm so sorry, Rizz. Do you want to try to call her, see if she's ok?" "Yeah. Can I use your phone?" she asked. "Sure, it's right there." Frenchy said, pointing to her nightstand. Rizzo picked it up and dialed the number. Frenchy sat patiently on her bed. /p
p style="text-align: left;"Finally, someone picked up. " Hello?" her mom said, weakly. She was hurt pretty bad. Her leg was now broken, along with a few ribs. She had many gashes and cuts that caused her to lose a lot of blood. "Mom? Hi." Rizzo said, scared of the weakness in her mom's voice. "Rizz, where are you?" she asked. Her voice kept getting weaker. "I'm at Frenchy's. I'm ok." "That's good." her mom answered, her voice nothing more than a whisper. " Rizz? I love...I love..." Then Rizzo heard it. The thud of her mom dropping the phone. Rizzo's eyes filled with tears./p
p style="text-align: left;""Mom!" she screamed. "MOM!" But it was no use. She couldn't hear her anymore. Rizzo was crying hysterically. sitting on the floor. Her legs felt too weak to stand on. Frenchy knelt down and held Rizzo close as she cried. Frenchy cried with her. It was then that she realized what happened. Her dad killed her. Her best friend's mom was dead, and she had nowhere to go... They held each other until they both fell asleep, still on the floor.../p
p style="text-align: left;"Rizzo walked into the apartment, which was dark because her dad hadn't paid the electric bill... again. She walked in to see her mom reading a book on the couch, with the help of a flashlight. "Hey." she said, sitting on the couch. "Hi. Did you have a good time at Frenchy's?" "Yeah, it was great." she said. "Where's dad?" "The usual place." her mom said, with a look of sadness on her face. "Great, he's at the bar again." Rizzo thought. If her dad wasn't out getting drunk, he was at home, being drunk and taking everything out on her and her mom. /p
p style="text-align: left;""When did he leave?" Rizzo asked. "About an hour ago." her mom answered. "He usually stays out for three to four hours." Rizzo thought to herself. She had time to tell her mom and then go back to Frenchy's. Rizzo's mom got up and went to the kitchen. "Do you want a sandwich?" she asked, bringing the items out of a cooler full of ice. This is how they kept food fresh without the refrigerator. Rizzo wasn't really hungry, but she knew she had to eat something. "Sure." she said, walking to the kitchen. /p
p style="text-align: left;"They ate in silence. When Rizzo was done, she went back to the couch. Her mom cleaned up the table, then went to join her. An hour and a half has already passed. Rizzo thought she better tell her mom before her dad came back. /p
p style="text-align: left;""Mom, I... I have to tell you something." she said. "What is it, honey?" " At Frenchy's house, I found out that I'm...pregnant." Just as her mom was getting ready to say something, the front door slammed loudly. Her dad was home early, and he heard just enough.../p
p style="text-align: left;""WHAT?" he screamed. He was home early, but still as drunk as ever. "You better have a good explanation, Betty!" She hated when he called her that. She hated when he talked to her in general. Rizzo didn't answer, which made her dad angrier. /p
p style="text-align: left;""Ok, girl. You asked for it." he said, fist raised. Rizzo's mom was terrified. Rizzo slowly backed into a corner, her dad getting closer and closer. She had nowhere else to go. Then, Rizzo's mom took action and pushed her out of the way, just as her dad was throwing the first punch. Her mom fell into a shriveled pile on the floor. Rizzo wanted to scream, to cry even. But she knew it would just make things worse./p
p style="text-align: left;""Rizzo, go pack! Go somewhere safe!" her mom yelled in breathless shrieks. Rizzo's dad didn't care about her anymore. He had found someone to hit, and was content. "Go!" her mom yelled again. Rizzo took a long look at her mom, not knowing when, or if, she'd see her again before running to her room and packing./p
p style="text-align: left;"Rizzo rummaged through her closet and found a suitcase. She packed clothes, her toothbrush, a comb, and of course, her Pink Ladies jacket. She even packed the stuffed bear her mom got her for graduation. She could still hear her mom's pained cries coming from the living room. She heard her dad's awful words. She wanted to go back, to help. But she knew she should listen to her mom. So, with one last look at her room, she climbed out her window, got in her car, and drove to Frenchy's house. /p
p style="text-align: left;"She was crying as she told Frenchy what happened. "I'm so sorry, Rizz. Do you want to try to call her, see if she's ok?" "Yeah. Can I use your phone?" she asked. "Sure, it's right there." Frenchy said, pointing to her nightstand. Rizzo picked it up and dialed the number. Frenchy sat patiently on her bed. /p
p style="text-align: left;"Finally, someone picked up. " Hello?" her mom said, weakly. She was hurt pretty bad. Her leg was now broken, along with a few ribs. She had many gashes and cuts that caused her to lose a lot of blood. "Mom? Hi." Rizzo said, scared of the weakness in her mom's voice. "Rizz, where are you?" she asked. Her voice kept getting weaker. "I'm at Frenchy's. I'm ok." "That's good." her mom answered, her voice nothing more than a whisper. " Rizz? I love...I love..." Then Rizzo heard it. The thud of her mom dropping the phone. Rizzo's eyes filled with tears./p
p style="text-align: left;""Mom!" she screamed. "MOM!" But it was no use. She couldn't hear her anymore. Rizzo was crying hysterically. sitting on the floor. Her legs felt too weak to stand on. Frenchy knelt down and held Rizzo close as she cried. Frenchy cried with her. It was then that she realized what happened. Her dad killed her. Her best friend's mom was dead, and she had nowhere to go... They held each other until they both fell asleep, still on the floor.../p