Here is the next chapter. It gets kind of rough in this one. There is abuse and some harsh language. If you dont like that, dont read it. Enjoy :)

It Will Get Better

Chapter Two

It has been almost a week since Ashley was let out of the hospital, and we have been pretty much inseparable. When she got out, she came to my house after we took her home to see her mom. She met my brothers Mike and Caleb. She got along very well with Mike. Which is saying something. Mike is very, very picky about people he is around. But when he saw Ashley, his eyes lit up like never before. He smiled and immediately started talking to her. Ashley didn't care about his disability or how he acts like a six year old on crack. She just saw him as Mike, my brother. And I liked that, anyone that can win my brothers' over, is cool with me. I mean, I spend most of my time with them anyways, so any friends of mine have to get along with them, and like them, and that is that.

Ashley and Caleb, well, that's different. You see, Caleb has a thing where he acts ten years older than he really is, but still acts like a six year old like my brother. Think of it like this. You know how a small dog, lets call the small dog a Pomeranian, likes to bark and try to go after a dog fifty times its size. Its called big dog syndrome. My little brother Caleb is like the Pomeranian and a six year old on well, crack, like Mike. So when he met Ashley, he went all FBI on her. Questioning her, taking notes…. Literally, and eyeing her down. Ashley was a trooper. She just let him do his thing with a not so noticeable smile on her face. Though, I could see it. I am sure my brother could not.

She answered all his questions with smile and a wink towards me, letting me know she was ok with everything. I was not sure how she would react to everything. I mean, I had tried explaining to her about my brothers. She just brushed it off, and told me to chill out. That she could handle it. I nodded and said ok. I am to say the least, very shocked, yet extremely happy, she knew how to handle herself around them and how to be around them. I was starting to wonder how she knew so much, and why she was so great with them.

Its nine right now, and Ashley and I are sitting on my front porch. Listening to the wind, cars, and crickets. It's a nice combination, the chill of the night, the colors of the street lights on the dampened road, and just being with someone to share this wonderful moment with. Ashley is leaning her head on my shoulder in a very sweet way, her head tilted upwards to look at the night sky. I am just enjoying the company. I feel the need to ask her about today, how she felt and whatnot.

"So…." I say trailing off trying to figure out what I want to say next.

"So what." She says with a smile.

"Well, I was wondering. How did you know how to act around Mike and Caleb? You were so cool, and you seem so comfortable around them. Not like other people who have met them. It was amazing." I say with a small smile.

She takes her head off my shoulder and looks me in the eyes. She takes a deep breath, and smiles kind of. Its one of those, half smiles, that says a lot more than just a normal smile, you know?

"I was so ok with it because my sister, Jennifer, has downs syndrome. I have been around people with disabilities basically my whole life Spence. Up until about a year ago." She trails off with that. Sadness filling her face and eyes,

"What happened Ash?"

She looks away to wipe a tear from her face, then she looks back to me. I nearly die from the look on her face. Her eyes are filled with water, her chin is quivering, and she is biting her bottom lip. She just looks, broken.

"Um… About a year ago, Jennifer and I were swimming up at Rattle Snake Lake. We were playing in the shallow part of the lake, right by the shore you know." She stops to take a shaky breath. I take her hand to give her some sort of comfort; I know where she is going with this. And I am hurting for her. "She said she was thirsty, so I got out of the water to get her a Sunny D, her favorite." She laughs at this. "I was gone for less than a minute, just a minute Spence. When I turned around to bring her the drink I couldn't see her. I ran to the lake, screaming her name, but somehow I already knew what had happened. I looked out some ways, and I saw her pink swimsuit peaking out of the water a bit. I swam out to her, I grabbed her and swam to shore. She died in my arms Spence."

She started crying extremely hard. I grabbed her and pulled her into me and held her tight. She looped her arms around my lower back and put her face in my neck and sobbed. I ran my fingers through her hair, and had one hand on her neck to try and steady her body. Her tears were soaking my neck, I started crying with her. I couldn't help it, I was so sad for her. She cried for at least ten minutes before she settled down.

"I am sorry." She said with a sniffle.

"You have nothing to be sorry for sweetie. Sometimes, we just need to, well, cry and let it out. I understand." I said while giving her a hug.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Well, I am just nice by nature, but, you make me want to be there for you. To make you feel better, and I like to make you smile." I say blushing.

"Thank you, Spencer. For everything." She says giving me a hug and a kiss on my cheek.

I hear the door open behind me and Mike comes out crying. I immediately stand up and walk towards him and wrap him up in my arms. He starts sobbing, and holding onto me tighter. Man, people are really crying and upset tonight. I think to myself.

"What's wrong Mikey?" I ask him in a small comforting voice.

"I miss mommy sissy." He says while wiping his eyes.

I immediately wish he wouldn't have said that in front of Ashley. She doesn't know about my mom yet. I have not had the heart to tell her yet.

"I know little man, she will be home soon." I say rubbing his back. "How about we go have some milk and cookies? Would you like that?" I ask him, already knowing the answer.

He nods excitedly and laughs so cutely. He looks at me then at Ashley and whispers in my ear "Can Ashley come in and have some to?" I smile. "Why don't you go and ask her bud."

He walks over to her very shyly, and stands directly in front of her. "Ashley, do you wanna come inside and have some of Spencer's famous cinnamon cookies and warm milk with me?"

"I would love to Mike, thank you buddy." She says with a smile and a laugh. "I could never refuse an offer like that."

Mike grabs her hand and runs inside; dragging Ashley's smiling face with him. Right as I was pouring the milk for everyone, none other than my mom barges through the door. High, and with her boyfriend James. She is making so much noise and Ashley looks confused. I give her a small smile and tell her she should go.

"Spence, I am not leaving you with her right now ok. I am staying." She says sternly.

"Ok, just, just don't say anything. Please Ashley, just stay in here, till I say it's ok." I say pleading with her.

"Ok Spence I will stay here."

I walk into the living room, where my brother had run to right when he heard the door. I see him hugging her and her halfheartedly hugging him back. She kisses his head and sends him off to bed. He walks to me and gives me a hug and a kiss goodnight, then walk into the kitchen and does the same to Ashley.

"Hello mother." I say.

"Spencer what in the hell is he doing up right now. God damn it! I told you to put him to bed at eight thirty. Why can't you do anything right." She says with venom.

I just shove the hate into the pit of my stomach. "I laid him down. He got up because he missed you. So I made him some cookies and milk, to get him tired again." I say. "You have been gone for a week. You could have called to let me know that you were ok mom."

"I don't have to do anything for you. You little brat. You need to do a better job with your brothers. Not keep them up so late." She says walking towards me and grabbing my arm. It's hurting me.

Ashley must have ignored me, because she is now in here looking at this mess I call my life. She looks concerned. I didn't want her to see this. I didn't want her to know what my mom is, or how she treats us. She knows now. There is no going back.

"Mom! You are hurting me. Let go!" I scream.

"No, you are a little bitch. Never doing what I tell you. Always disobeying me. I am so disappointed in you Spencer. No wonder your dad killed himself, you're the reason were alone. I wish you would just, disappear damn it!" She screamed.

"No mom. Dad killed himself because of you! And your drugs, you stupid whore!" I yelled through my sobs.

She slapped me. Hard. Right across the face. I struggled to get free of her grasp, when I did I looked at her, wiped the tears from my face and then looked at Ashley. I backed up and ran out the front door. Ashley wasn't far behind me. I jumped down the stairs, and ran to the big pine tree in our front yard. I punched it, over and over again. Till my hand was bleeding. I dropped to me knees and sobbed. I felt a hand on my shoulder, I brushed it off. Ran to the fence and leaned over and threw up. I was so angry and sad. How could she say it was my fault? I cannot even believe her right now. I was still crying hard, when Ashley walked up behind me and turned me around. She took her hands and wiped the tears from my eyes, and hugged me.

I dropped again, but this time, she fell with me. I just laid there on the ground sobbing. With her holding me. I felt sick again, I felt hurt, I wanted to disappear, just then I wanted to be gone.

There it is. Sorry if some of the language and sitations offended anyone. And before anyone asks, yes, most of the stuff in this story has hapened to me, I am 18, not sixteen, I did live in multiple shelters since I was 10, and, my mom is a drug addict. The rest of it, is just added to make the story more intersting. RR Please!