Late

"You got a job?" Rey asked, wiping the bar surface down as Zac sat on a stool chatting to her.

"Yeah." Zac nodded.

"Ok." Rey shook her head with confusion, "Why the big rush to come tell me?" She laughed a little.

"Well I thought… that's what you want." Zac shrugged, "For me to… to get my act together. That's what I'm doing." He nodded.

"We're not together, Zac. There's no reason for you to be… trying to impress me." Rey shrugged, "But I'm happy that you've got a job. Where is it?" She asked.

"The garage a few blocks away… wait, wait a minute." He rewound, "So you're saying you basically don't care?" He asked.

"I'm not saying I don't care. I just… don't want you to do this for me. Do it for yourself." Rey shrugged, "We're over. I… I think I just need to be alone at the minute." She nodded.

"You've been alone since fucking birth. Aren't you fed up of being alone?" Zac shook his head as Rey looked at him, "No, fuck you. I'm trying to do something good, for us, so we can work, and you don't even give a shit."

"Ok, turn it all around on me just like you always do." Rey nodded.

"You're a stupid bitch." Zac got off the stool as Rey looked unbothered at him. She'd heard it all before, "Honestly, I don't know why I waste my time on you." Zac said as Joanne appeared from the back, "You're just a cheap, useless whore." Zac spat.

"Hey, what it!" Joanne yelled.

"Are you done?" Rey yawned.

"Oh, fuck you. You stupid bitch." Zac kicked the stool over and left the bar as Rey nodded to herself.

"That was him telling me he was gonna change, by the way." Rey turned to Joanne.

"I hate that little prick so much, you have no idea." Joanne spat, "You don't need to put up with him."

"Now he's gonna go on like a four week bender." Rey sighed.

"He's not your child, Rey. You don't need to worry about him. It's his mistakes. Not yours. Let him make them." Joanne shook her head.

"These barrels need changing." Rey shook her head, walking on through to the back.

Punk had gotten home one night after being out with AJ. For months they had spent all their time together, and it wasn't even like they were getting fed up of one another. He was spending way more time with her than he was with his family at home. Not that they were a family exactly.

He got home, closing the door over when he heard a fight in the living room. He ran through and saw his dad pinning his little brother up against the wall.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Punk exclaimed, tackling his dad down to the ground, "Don't you fucking touch him." He choked his dad out. He was a scrawny looking guy. He had a few tattoos, bloodshot eyes and always reeked of booze.

"Get off me!" His father, Dan, exclaimed angrily.

"Phil, it's ok, man." Dean nodded as Punk backed up and got to his feet whilst their father got to his, "I started it." Dean assured his brother.

"I don't give a fuck." Punk spat, "Don't you put your hands on him again." Punk warned.

"And who the hell are you?" Dan spat, drunk and high of course, "You're barely even here anymore. You're too busy out with that little piece you got." Dan nodded, "Is there a reason you haven't introduced me to her?" He smirked, grabbing a bottle of beer from the floor, checking a few lying around to see if there was anything left in any of them.

"I'm never gonna bring her here." Punk made clear.

"We not good enough for you anymore, huh?" Dan chuckled.

"We don't even have a couch." Punk shook his head, looking around the house which basically had nothing in it. His father would sell pretty much everything in order to get money for drugs and booze.

"There's a… a few chairs somewhere." Dan slurred as Punk listened to the crying and screaming upstairs. It wasn't abnormal to hear his mother in that state.

"Go check on her." Punk nodded to Dean who left the living room and headed upstairs, "You're gonna die alone." Punk shook his head, "Because as soon as me and Dean get jobs, we're out of here." He said, "And we owe you nothing." He made clear.

"Why do you act so high and mighty?" Dan laughed.

"Every wrong turn I took, was for you, to protect you or save your ass from going to jail but you know what… maybe… maybe that would have been better for everyone involved." Punk nodded.

"You're just a little Punk." Dan spat, walking over to Punk, "And that girl is gonna get rid of you once she really gets to know you." He nodded, splashing some beer at his son as Punk punched him across the face hard, watching him fall over, not for long until he got back up and punched Punk across the face just as Dean came back into the room.

"Hey hey hey, enough." Dean said, pulling Punk back.

"That's it… you… both of you." Dan shoved them, "Get out of this house!" He exclaimed as they backed up, "Get out of this house. Sleep on the streets for all I care." He spat, "Out!" He shouted harshly as Punk and Dean were pretty much shoved out of the house onto the street, listening to the lock and chain going on the door as Punk held his bleeding face.

"You alright, man?" Dean sighed as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Punk assured him, "Looks like we're out for the night." Punk nodded. It wasn't the first time.

"I can go crash at my buddy's, you can come." Dean assured him.

"You go. I think I'm gonna go to April's." Punk nodded, "You be alright?" He asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

AJ was lying in bed, falling asleep when she began to hear knocking. She sat up right away, not being able to figure out where it was coming from until she heard Punk.

"April." Punk whispered as AJ looked over to the window.

She got out of bed, running over and opening the curtains, opening the window up.

"Oh my God, what are you doing?" AJ shook her head, "What happened to your face?" AJ asked worriedly, closing the window over and noticing his cut face.

"Are your parents sleeping?" Punk made sure.

"Yeah. They take sleeping pills. They aren't gonna wake up." AJ shook her head, "Your face, what happened?" She demanded to know, cupping his face.

"I got into a fight with my dad." Punk shook his head, "He threw me and Dean out of the house. Dean went to his buddy's but… I thought I'd come here. I can go if-

"No." AJ shook her head, "No, you're fine. Here let me clean your face." AJ sighed, "Sit down." She told him as he sat down on her bed. She disappeared out to the bathroom and came back with some wipes to clean up his face.

"Sorry about this." Punk said.

"Don't be sorry." AJ shook her head as she cleaned his eyebrow up, "It doesn't look like it's deep so that's good." She said, making sure it was clean, wiping some of the dried in blood on his face and tossing the wipes in the trash, "You can stay here." She nodded, standing in between his legs as he leaned his forehead on her stomach tiredly, "If I had… nicer parents, you could stay every night." She sighed, playing with his hair as he looked up.

"It's ok. I'll go before they wake up." He said as she smiled and nodded, leaning down and kissing him softly. She pulled back and took her t-shirt off, revealing herself with no bra on as he smiled. She really was perfect and she was all he needed.

He pulled her back in by the waist, kissing up her stomach and over her breasts, standing up and kissing her on the lips before picking her up and placing her down on the bed, taking his own clothes off as AJ smiled with excitement.

"We have to be quiet." AJ made clear as Punk smiled and nodded, climbing over her.

"So are you gonna tell me about what happened with your dad?" AJ asked him, lying naked with him in bed later on, speaking quietly.

"Not much to it really, as usual." Punk nodded, "I came home and… he had Dean pinned up against the wall. I broke it up and he… he's drunk and high. He tried to throw beer at me and I punched him, he punched me back and… he threw us out." He said as AJ sighed.

"I'm sorry." AJ frowned, cuddling into him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Punk shook his head, playing with her hair.

"It's not always gonna be like this." AJ shook her head as Punk nodded.

"I know. I'm gonna make sure it's not." Punk nodded, "I used to try and help him so much. And it all did was get me in trouble." He sighed.

"What do you mean?" AJ questioned.

"The… the real reason I got moved schools was because I… my dad had gave me drugs, I had to go across town and give them to someone." He nodded as AJ looked up at him, "But I ended up having to go to school with them in my bag. Someone found them and I got arrested." He nodded, "I mean I was always fighting in school too, but… that was the final straw." He said, "The only deal was that I move schools if I wanted to continue going, and I did." He nodded, "I got one of those tags too where the cops know where you are." He said, "And a criminal record." He said, "All because I was just… trying to help my junkie dad." He shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" AJ asked him, "You know it wouldn't have mattered to me." She said.

"I just don't want you around that shit. I'm never gonna take you to my place. There's bottles and drugs all over the place. We got no furniture." He said as she sighed, "I just… I couldn't imagine living like that. Putting my own family through that."

"You'll get out." AJ nodded, "Things will be better one day." She assured him, "And you won't have to put up with any of that." She said. She wished she could help him more, she knew just being here for him was enough.

"Yeah, I'm desperate for a job so I can… move out and get my own place." He said as she smiled, "You could… come with me." He said as she looked up at him.

"You'd really want that?" AJ smiled as he nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, I know your parents aren't junkies but… they certainly aren't the nicest people." He said.

"Right." AJ agreed.

"Don't you just wanna get away from it?" He asked her as she nodded.

"I need to finish school and go to college." AJ shook her head, "I don't think I'm ready for all of that." She laughed a little as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, it is daunting." Punk nodded, "Hey, I'm just dreaming out loud here." He laughed a little as she smiled.

"There's nothing wrong with that." AJ nodded.

"Hey, April." Bob smiled, a few weeks later as he watched AJ rush into the store.

"Hey." AJ nodded quietly, her head down as she rushed into the store and down one of the aisles as Bob shook his head with confusion. She never normally came into the store on her own. She was always with Punk, and she looked extremely anxious.

He waited on her coming to the desk, reading his paper, putting it down when she put the box down on the desk as he looked at it.

"Uh…" Bob looked at her, taking the box and putting it through as AJ took her wallet out, her hands shaking as he watched her, "Sweetie, are you ok?" He asked her as AJ nodded.

"I can't… get this note out." AJ shook her head frantically, pulling at her wallet until she dropped it, coins going everywhere as Bob sighed.

"Let me help you." Bob nodded, walking around from the desk and crouching down with her to pick the coins up, passing them to her as she nodded.

"Thank you." AJ nodded, "I… I don't think I have enough." AJ shook her head with embarrassment as Bob just nodded.

"You're fine." Bob said, grabbing a bag and sliding the box inside it, passing it to her.

"Please just pretend I never came here… for that." AJ nodded, "Don't… don't say anything." AJ begged him as Bob nodded.

"I never saw it." Bob nodded, "But if you need to talk, I'm here." He said as she nodded and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you." AJ nodded, quickly leaving the store as Bob sighed, watching as she quickly re-entered the store, "Do you have a bathroom in here?" AJ asked him as Bob nodded.

"Through the back." He pointed as she nodded, walking off through the back as he walked around the desk, putting the money in the cash desk for the box of pregnancy tests she had taken.

AJ quickly locked herself in the small toilet, ripping the box of pregnancy tests open as they all fell out onto the floor. She didn't even know how to do this. Why would she? She was a teenager.

After many weeks of being late, she realised she couldn't ignore it, especially when she was always taking her period regularly. She hadn't told anyone about it. She was praying it was a false alarm.

She done all of the tests, sitting them in the sink and getting herself together, taking deep breaths in and out, so many crazy thoughts going through her mind as one would suspect.

Once the time was up, she leaned forward, looking on at the tests and crying to herself, placing her hand on her forehead as she looked on at all of the positive tests sitting staring at her.