The rest of the day passed by slowly after the incident in the restroom with Aphrodite. Her little tagalongs would send me glares anytime they would see me. I think they figured out that I know what is happening with their leader. After lunch I saw her telling all the girls that they needed to all go separate ways and find true friends in their lives. That she felt no connection with any of them. She was done with popularity.

That's what I heard her tell them anyways. She told me she didn't need fake people around her child. All they would do is use them and spread lies.

She did confide to me that she will have to keep it a secret from her family. At least until after graduation and she can move away from them. She is scared that they will pull her out of school and ship her away. Where she will have the baby so that they can force her to give the baby away.

Her family is all about their public image.

I slip away to my locker after the final bell rings of the school day. Ready for all the staring to end. Word got around school that Aphrodite was seen talking to me, while ignoring her usual crowd.

Some were saying that I talked her into experimenting with me, because I had to be a lesbian because I wasn't into any of the guys in our school. Some of the boys kept trying to get me to go out with them, my freshman year. I tried to turn them down nicely at first, until one told me I was a tease and a 'stupid bitch' for not wanting to give my virginity up to any one of them.

I toss all but my Latin book back in my locker. The rest of the letters right in the back of the book. I look my locker over making sure I grab everything I need. A sigh escapes me as I look at the blandness that it is. No pictures or decorations. Nothing that isn't needed for school. No way to show who I am, not even to myself. Blank like my life.

"Persephone." I turn around as butterflies dance through my stomach trying to start a party. I try to ignore the feeling as I look up into his endless eyes.

"Yes, Aides," My foot closes my locker as I try to hide as nonexistent my life really is.

"You ready to go to the club room," he asks with a look that speaks a thousand words that I could never decipher. His hair and eyes looks like he slept through his last class. I'm about to answer him when I see Aphrodite at her locker. I watch her movements as they seem off to me. She looks jumpy and nervous. Like something is going to jump out after her. A surge of protectiveness runs though me as I look at her more.

Can you watch out for her, for me please sister? Please just make sure she is okay.

"Can you tell her Ms. Clatic I won't be able to make it to club today," I tell him as I make my way to her. "Tell her I will explain tomorrow." I speed my pace up as I dodge other students leaving the building. My anxiety dwindles down as the hallway empties out.

"Aphrodite," I say as I get closer to her locker. She doesn't completely acknowledge me as I walk up to her. Things in her locker get thrown around as she tries to get her stuff. "Are you okay." I ask trying to get her to talk to me. There is a moment of silence as she pulls her bag out, just standing there facing her locker. "Aphrodite, what is wrong?"

"I got a text from my sister," she says as she turns around to face me. "One of the nurses recognized me and called my mother. I didn't think anyone they knew worked there. I went a couple towns out to go to the doctor so that this wouldn't happen. Now I'm gonna have to leave and see if I can stay with Eris or Artemis until Ares gets back." Her face is red and puffy as she walks by me to the door. I trial behind her as we walk out of the school. The parking lot is completely deserted when we exit out of the doors.

"Aphrodite, please stop and talk to me before you just up and leave town." I'm not ready to loose my first real friend. "How will I know you made it there okay? I only have letters once or twice a month to keep in contact with them."

"You could come with me. I bet you have already been planning on leaving to get away from your mother." I think about it, but remember I'm not eighteen yet.

"I want to. I really do, but I can't for a couple weeks. I could the night before I turn eighteen. That way my mother doesn't find out until the next day where I will already be eighteen by law. The only problem I have is having a way to get there. I can't drive and I don't have any money." Her face turns over in concentration as she thinks it over. I want to go with her so bad, but I don't want my mother to find me and ruin it all by dragging me back. Father and them could get in trouble as well since mother never let him be on my birth certificate.

"Seph, if you want I can try to stick around for a couple days. I'll just have to find somewhere to hide out and see if Eris can spare a couple days to come down here. That way I can call and sort it out with your dad for you. We can plan a place, date, and time on when you want one of them to pick you up. Though I have a feeling Aides would be willing to drive you to your dads. He would probably like to have some time to get to talk to you in a place that isn't school." I feel my face heat up at the mention of Aides. I wouldn't mind some time with him but until I'm away from my mother I don't know how that would be able to happen.

Aphrodite and I end up spending the time until club is over sitting in her car talking plans. Afterwards she promises to meet me after school the next day and to not expect her to be looking like herself.

When I get home my mother is waiting for me like any other day. She puts me straight to work with her until an hour before bed time. The hour left me enough time to do my homework before I was out like a light.