When the bell chimed Michaela left the school building and the other teenages dragged her along and out of school like she was a fish and they were the stream which pulled her with them. She felt her mobile bleep and she picked it out of her pocket where it was nesting on the tissues. She glanced at the message and found a smile spread over her face.

Michie hi. I know u h8 me callin u that. Lol. Gud luck on your dad. B

Yes Michaela did hate the nickname Michie. A bit like Mickey mouse but she put up with it. She liked it when Bolton called her that. She unlocked her front door and walked inside feeling her happiness instanly drown. She closed the door and dropped her bag on the bottom step before slowly making her way to the kitchen where she heard muffled voices. Loud muffled voices which were barely muffled. She heard her mum's worried, small voice as Michaela stood warily in the door frame. Her father was leaning over her mum as she was backed into a corner. He was yelling at her in a deep voice and her mother was shaking and trying to calm him down. That's when he pulled his arm back and slapped Michaela's mother hard across the face.

"You fucking bitch." Her father yelled and her mum clutched at her face.

"Leave her alone." Michaela ran infront of him, protecting her mother.

"You little cow." The man left the woman alone and turned to the girl. Michaela knew this would happen but she knew she'd feel painfully guilty if she'd just stood there. The man shoved Michaela aside which made her fall to the floor. He started kicking Michaela's side. Over and over. The pain was unimaginable. She felt it dash through her and then suddenly she felt nothing. She knew he was still kicking her but she didn't feel it. She was sprawled across the cold hard floor. Then that's when he pulled his belt off and whipped the side of her face. That's when the blood beads dripped down and onto the floor. Then it all went black and fuzzy... She woke to the sight of her mother dabbing at the cut and whispering soothing words.

"Thank you. You're a brave girl. But you should've let him just hurt me." Her mum muttered in a low voice.

"I couldn't just do that." Michaela coughed in a hard dry voice. Now she refelt the pain. It was tingling and she felt like she wanted to die just to get rid of it. She got to her feet much to her mother's protests.

"You can't tell anyone about this. He'll kill us." Her mum whispered into her ear. Michaela nodded and crossed the room trying to ignore the pain. She looked in the mirror in her room. She had bruises up and down her arms. Her legs had a couple of bruises and when she lifted her top she gasped at the amount there. Then she registered her face. The cut spread from by her left eye down to beside her lip.

Please could you come over. I need you. Michie x

She knew that this would kill her probaly but she needed him. She needed him. She lay on her bed gently to try and avoid further pain. She lay there thinking for a while when someone was in her doorway.

"He's at the pub. The coast is clear." Her mum then backed away. Michaela sighed. She heard a knock at the door and softly got herself off the bed and wandered downstairs. She opened the door and there he was. Looking at her worriedly. Then he noted her face. He pushed past her and they walked the stairs together. Michaela and Bolton entered the room. Michaela took a long time locking her room so she wouldn't have to look at him. When she finally did he pulled her onto the bed with him.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He was hurting mum. I got in between them. Then he turned on me." Michaela started crying then. For about the five hundreth time that day. She pulled up her sleeve. His mouth fell open at the bruises and he let out a gasp. "It's worse on my stomach." Michaela whispered.

"Michie." He pulled her to him and she sobbed against his chest. "You have to tell someone."

"No. He'll hurt us more." Michaela shook her head and more tears slipped down her cheeks.

"You have to." Bolton tried to reason.

"No." Michaela argued.

"Just think about it." Bolton sighed. He pulled the girl closer to him as if afraid she'd fall to pieces. And she probaly would. She was fragile. Michaela didn't respond. "How does your mum look?"

"She has a big sore spot on her cheek where he hit her but it'll clear up quickly. And she has a bit of a bruise on her arm because he grabbed her. I got the worst of it." Michaela replied as she wiped her eyes.

"Oh." He bit his lip.

"Yeah. Thanks for coming by the way." She smiled.

"I couldn't of just left you." Bolton shrugged.

"Friends?" Michaela looked deep into his eyes and noticed a twitch. She didn't know what it was.

"Friends." Bolton laughed. He wanted to be more though. He wanted her to beg. He knew her to well to actually believe she'd do this.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't believe you. You know I knew that you wouldn't do that but..." She trailed off.

"Don't worry." Bolton put his finger to her lips to stop her saying more. "Shh."

"But I'm so sorry." Michaela spoke around his finger.

"I told you to shh." He grinned. That was when he removed his finger and kissed her. It was familiar territory. Yet it was like an explosion. Their lips curved to a similar rhythm. That's when Bolton broke away. "I'm sor-" He was broken off by Michaela's lips on his once more. Then she lay over his body and they kissed for a whole lot longer.