Stacy's POV

I woke up half expecting Sabree's hair to be blinding me as it had been when we fell asleep last night. I swear, I had meant to get Sabree into her own bedroom, her own bed, instead of out here, on a lumpy couch. We just got caught up in. . .talking. In fact, I expected Sabree to be propped up against me.

Instead I can't find her. "Sabree?" I call, peeking into the kitchen. Sure enough, there she was. Standing on tip toe on a chair, trying to remove something from the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet. From my stand point, it looks like a box of pancake batter, but whatever she was trying to retrieve was the least of my worries. Sabree wasn't a complete klutz, but she has her moments.

Take now, for example. The was starting to wobble and if things went the way I envisioned them, she'd topple of the chair any second now. I sigh, approaching her quietly, as not to add insult to injury, and slip my arm around her waist to brace her back. My other arm slides under her legs.

"Do you really want to hurt yourself more than you already have?" I laugh, taking a step back from the chair. Last night was great night for Sabree's klutzy nature. Last night, she'd been leaning against the car door and fell right out when I opened it for her. And then, she smacked herself straight into my door before I'd gotten a chance to unlock it.

"Now," she pauses, poking an accusing finger into my chest, "before you go and make fun of my shortness, you should know to blame genetics." She says simply. The box of pancake mix comes clattering down, giving Sabree quite the scare. She slides herself out of my arms and kicks the box over to my stove.

I shake my head, watching as she flees from my grasp. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Well…there's a lot of things you don't know about me. Like," she says, in a very matter of fact-ly tone, "Up until…well, today. To the age of sixteen and half, I'm afraid of ducks. And garden gnomes."

Ducks? Garden gnomes? I'm not sure if I want to know the story behind that. I know I shoudn't laugh, cause its just rude. But her admitting her childhood fears to me was just so cute. It just made her glow.

"And my cooking skills are limited to pancakes and cereal." She shakes her head in disappointment before dragging the chair she'd been standing on to the table to sit down. I follow suit, pulling out a chair next to her, watching as she combed her fingers through her hair, nonchalantly.

"So tell me more about Stacy Peralta. Your parents must be so proud to have such a well behaved kid like you."

The subject of my parents. . . no one really asks me about them, so I never know what to say. There wasn't much to tell anyways, other than the fact that the both of them are real estate agents and gone all the time.

"Well, my mom is always gone selling a house in some other part of California, my dad usually goes with her. He likes to drink. . more than he should. They don't care too much for my skateboarding." I finish and look up at her. I must have hit a nerve with talking about my dad. She's all fidgety, playing her with hair and face.

"Yeah. I've been down that road. Stace, you're a good kid, and you've got nothing to complain about."

Once she let her hands fall, I capture them in my own, gently rubbing my thumb on the top of her hand. I look at her very seriously and make sure her eyes were locked onto mine, "No one deserves what you have to go through, Sabree. I swear I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you."

My promise gets a little smile out of her before she goes into another confession, "Stace…I'm sorry for that day at the beach. For freaking out and screaming at you when you told you had wanted to kiss me. I just assumed that you couldn't possibly be in love with a broken person. Let's face it, Stacy, you're perfect and you deserve someone perfect."

I sigh. How can I possibly get through to her? How can I make her realize that perfection is the last thing I'm looking for? She's so difficult at times. Explaining this to her was not going to be easy without making it sound like I didn't care about her at all, but I suppose I have to take a stab at it…

"Sabree, look, I don't...I don't care about perfection. I don't care about what goes on at home...I care about you. And I promise, I'm going to do everything I can to protect you."

She remains silent. I don't think Sabree knows how to reply to something like this. I don't think she's heard it before.

But the sparkle in her eye gave off the sign that she knows I'm speaking honestly from my heart. She only smiles and places kiss on my forehead, "Thanks kid…I'm just gonna take a shower real quick like."

….

As the day wore on, the fact that Sabree had to go home today sunk itself deeper and deeper into my mind. I don't want her to go home. I don't want her to get another beating she doesn't deserve . I guess I let my feelings get the best of me today. I can feel myself voluntarily withdrawing myself from today's activities

Tony's wiped out the most so far, which rarely ever happens so I'm getting a good kick out of watching it. There were a few instances were Sabree shoved him off his board and vice versa when she was trying to rip. But what caught my attention even more was her and Jay. The shock of them actually getting along still hasn't rubbed off on me, or anyone one of us for that matter. I suppose their useless and slightly angry banter had just become apart of out everyday routine.

"Karen she couldn't have gone that far…she's sixteen for god sakes. It's not like she can drive out of fuckin' Santa Monica!"

I heard Rick's voice in the background, and an instant fear that Sabree hadn't heard it herself filled my whole body. I was put in a situation were I couldn't exactly tell her that her father was looking for her without giving her position away. To my knowledge, her dad didn't pay much attention to us when he found her that one day so I figured that she was home free as long as she stayed hidden.

He was getting closer, I could hear his footsteps. At the last minute I saw Sabree completely submerge herself underwater.

"Hey, you're one of the boys' that was hanging out with Sabree," My pulse tripled when he spoke. This was an instant were I could easily admit that I was wrong. "So, have you seen her?"

I'd really hoped that he wouldn't recognize me, but there was no way out of this, "No, haven't seen her around lately."

He only smirked. He saw right through me as he continued to stare me down, "Sure you haven't. But if you do happen to see her, stay the fuck away from my daughter. You understand me?" he spoke in a warning tone.

I was expecting the slightly cliché, or else what? I want so bad to say it. I try to summon the words from my mind to my mouth, but nothing. Rick smirks, locking a threatening eye on me as he walked away.

I wait until I can no longer see him before I turn around, Sabree's head blonde head bobs up from behind Tony's toned shoulder. "Damn, chicka that was a close one. You're fucking insane, you know that?" I heard Tony say while Sabree made her way to shore.

"I gotta go. Like, now." She stutters, swimming to the shore.

"Well, let me drive you," I intervene. Sabree walking home while her dad had the streets on lock down for her frightens me.

"No. Its fine, I know a short cut. I'll be okay."

….

Sabree's POV

Damn my luck. I swear, they we're out cold. I struggle to pull the apartment key from my pocket.

The size of this apartment still threw me off. Our old apartment was a bungalow compared to this. . .

I don't hear the tv droning, or Karen's witch-like laughter. I think I'm in the clear.

"Sabe, it's about time you got your ass back here,"

Of course I'm never in the clear with my dad. "D-daddy, you scared me," Acting was never my forte so I knew that he wouldn't be fooled by my innocent act, not even for one millisecond.

I close my eyes, bracing myself for the worst. I was sure it was coming, he was pretty easy on me the night before but I knew he was just saving the big guns for later, when I really fuck up.

" I don't understand why you're all flinch-y. You're off the hook this time, Sabe. But just you wait, the next stunt you pull I swear to God I won't be in such a generous mood. Just get your ass in bed and make sure it stays there."

So I crawled into my bed, hoping for sleep to overcome me immediately with my dad's threat fresh in my mind.