Author's Note: This is the chapter, where, if you don't feel like reading the other chapters, you should read this one. It's a good review to freshen your mind and has a little view from part of the gang.
By the way, at my school, we have four classes before lunch and three after, just in case it confuses you a little bit.
The end is near… Sorry!
Chapter Seventeen: Except Us
Gabriella entered the living room, two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands. The steam rose in lazy swirls in the air, the liquid spun in the cup. Gabriella frowned as she handed Troy his mug, and Troy gave her a small thanks before taking a tiny sip. Troy stared gravely into the fire that crackled in the fireplace before he noticed Gabriella staring at him.
"Go ahead and say it, Gabriella," Troy sighed, setting his mug on the coffee table in front of him. Gabriella took a sip of her hot chocolate and looked puzzled.
"Say what?" She asked.
"I don't know," Troy said with a shrug. "Whatever you were going to say."
"It's just," Gabriella began. Troy sighed heavily. "What?"
"I knew you had something to say!" Troy said.
"I'm sorry, but this has to stop!" Gabriella screamed, slamming her mug onto the coffee table. Troy jumped at the noise and looked at Gabriella, alarmed. She had never gotten so worked up over something, at least not in front of him. "You can't keep letting him do this to you!"
"I'm not!" Troy exclaimed, exasperated. "I escaped!"
"Not before he twisted you ankle!" Gabriella shouted, throwing her hands in the air. Troy looked down at his foot and tugged his pant leg up a bit.
"How did you know about that?" Troy asked. He was trying, after all, to make it seem like he didn't get hurt; trying not complain. Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"I could see your huge ankle from a mile away and it didn't help you that you limped into my living room!" She said.
"What huge ankle?" Troy asked, trying to sound innocent.
"Troy, come on! Your ankle is about three times its normal size!" She exclaimed.
"Are you calling me fat?" Troy asked in a girly tone. Gabriella swatted his shoulder and Troy cringed, recoiling away. She gave a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry," She said quickly. "I lost control."
"Oh, yeah," Troy said with happy sarcasm. "Because you're so powerful!"
Gabriella stuck her tongue out. Almost immediately her face fell serious and she took Troy's hand. Looking him dead in the eye, she said, "Your mom left. Did she even know?"
"…That was random," Troy said after a moment of silence, trying to avoid confrontation of that subject.
"Troy, I'm serious," Gabriella exclaimed. Troy looked her in the eyes and sighed.
"Yeah, she knew," He finally said.
"She did know?" Gabriella asked. "Did she ever do anything about it?"
"I told her once," Troy shrugged. Gabriella tried to look him in the eyes.
"And?" Gabriella urged.
"She said I was over-reacting and told my dad how dramatic I was being," Troy finally admitted. Gabriella shook her head and let go of his hand. She slunk away from him and stood by the fireplace, letting the warmth heat up her legs.
"This has gone on way too long, Troy," She said, letting a tear slip down her cheek. Troy remained on the couch and looked up at her sadly.
"So what do you think I should do?" He asked angrily. Gabriella remained silent, weighing the options. "Either way I lose. I either lose my dad and go to California, or I keep getting beaten and stay here with you guys. There's no right thing. Personally, I could deal with choice number two. I could never live with number one. I mean, I guess I could avoid my dad for the rest of my life and make sure he never finds me…"
He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Gabriella and Troy shot each other looks. "You can't be serious," Gabriella said exasperatedly. She walked over to the door and Troy disappeared into the kitchen. The door swung open before Gabriella got there. Jack Bolton was leaning heavily against the doorframe.
"Hello, Miss Montez," He sneered. "Troy needs to come home now."
"He's not here," Gabriella said, using her acting skills to the best of her ability. But Jack, being a very good actor himself, saw through her act and stormed into the house.
"Troy!" He screamed. "Troy, get down here!"
When nothing stirred and there was no answer, Gabriella shrugged and said, "He's not here. If you don't believe me check the kitchen." She emphasized the last word and as Jack disappeared into the kitchen, Troy showed up in the dining room. Gabriella pointed up the staircase and Troy went as quickly as his twisted ankle could carry him.
"I heard footsteps!" Jack's voice said from the kitchen. "Where is he?"
Jack traveled up the stairs quickly and minutes later, he appeared again, holding Troy by the collar of his shirt. Troy grimaced as he was dragged down the stairs, when suddenly Jack lost interest of tugging him. He instead pushed him the rest of the way. Troy's feet left the ground and his head replaced them a few steps later. Gabriella gasped and slapped her hand onto her mouth. He tumbled head over heels and crashed onto the landing.
Gabriella hurried over to Troy and looked up at Jack angrily as he walked slowly down the stairs, grinning evilly. He hoisted Troy up by his hair without a word. Troy let out a fresh gasp of pain and stared at Gabriella with silently screaming eyes. Gabriella grabbed his hand tightly and refused to let go. Troy gave her a sad look and said, "Good bye, Gabriella."
She shook her head, loosening her pented up tears as she whispered, "I love you, Troy." Troy gave her a weak smile and whispered back.
"I love you, too."
Jack paused and gave an evil smile. "How sweet," He cooed. "You two are in love!" He looked Gabriella in the eyes inquiringly, his hands still clamped onto Troy. "Tell me, how could you possibly love Troy? Such a worthless, weak pansy?"
"He's not!" Gabriella screamed, her words echoing in the house. Jack looked taken back by the outburst and clicked his tongue, shaking his head. Gabriella's hands balled up into fists, shaking, as she said, "He's not worthless and he's not weak!"
"You don't believe me?" Jack asked, tightening his grip on Troy. Troy winced but didn't make a sound. "Watch." He raised his hand and Troy's eyes widened in fear. He clamped them shut and braced himself.
"No!" Gabriella shouted, her quick hands darting out and grabbing Jack's wrist tightly. Jack looked over at Gabriella, his mocking grin faded. Her voice came out cracking and racked with tears, "Please don't."
Jack's hand slowly lowered as he looked deeply into Gabriella's horrified brown eyes. She sluggishly loosened her grip on Jack until it slipped entirely off of his arm. A spilt second later, Jack's hand came up and smacked Troy hard across the face. Troy screamed loudly, his eyes clamped shut. He stumbled as his weak knees gave out, but Jack tugged him back up.
"I told you he was weak," He spat at Gabriella. He then pushed past her, still holding Troy, and walked out of the open front door. Upon arriving to the car, Troy was roughly shoved into the passenger's seat. Gabriella watched from her doorway, tears falling like hot wax down her cheeks.
The second she saw the car zip out of sight, Gabriella ran inside and fumbled numbly around the living room for her phone. As soon as her shaking hands grasped the phone, she dialed a number as fast as she could. After two rings the person answered.
"Chad, it's Gabriella. You have to get Zeke and Ryan and go over to Troy's house now."
…Ms. Darbus…
A few days later, a Friday to be exact, Ms. Darbus sat at her desk, watching each of her students as they worked on a project.
Ms. Darbus watched each of her students carefully like she always did. Every year, with every new batch of children, her eyes would be peeled for anything odd or peculiar, or something special. That's why she knew that something was going on with Troy Bolton.
He seemed to jump at his own shadow nowadays. He was always wearing long clothing and never really looked anyone in the eye. That was not the Troy Bolton that entered her classroom three years ago. That Troy Bolton was flamboyant and loud and always ready to have some fun. He was constantly chatting and laughing during class and never seemed to back down when challenged by a teacher. But now, if she scolded him the slightest by saying that he would have to go to detention for being late for class, he looked… terrified.
It was her job as a teacher to report anything that she thought was wrong with her students, and she felt that she definitely wasn't doing her job. She had a hunch really, that was the only reason why she didn't speak out, and if she was wrong, working side-by-side with Jack Bolton would be disastrous.
The bell rang and all the students filed out of the classroom for lunch period. They all smiled and laughed and headed out with their friends, chatting about what they wanted to do that day. Ms. Darbus was only slightly surprised when Ryan Evans approached her desk looking nervous. He would always go to her for little things about drama club or singing practice. Today's topic, however, was a tad bit different.
"Ms. Darbus, can I –uh- talk to you for a minute?" Ryan asked nervously, taking off his hat and wringing it in his hands. Ms. Darbus nodded as the door clicked shut. "I just wanted to –uh- talk to you about… well, it's hard, Ms. Darbus."
"We have some time, Ryan," Ms. Darbus pointed out. "There's no rush. Why don't you pull up a chair?" Ryan nodded and yanked a teacher's stool from the corner. He plopped it on the ground and took a deep breath.
"There's something wrong with Troy," He said shakily. Ms. Darbus nodded and urged him on. "Well, you see, it's his dad. I think… Well, I know that Troy's getting… well, abused."
Ryan waited, staring at Ms. Darbus with wide, scared eyes. Ms. Darbus nodded and asked calmly, "How do you know this?"
"I was with him a few nights ago, on Sunday," He said. "Gabriella called us- Chad, Zeke, and I, that is- and told us to go help Troy because he was in trouble. So when I got there, well, you see, Troy was on the ground and I glimpsed Mr. Bolton well… just… kick him over and over…" He paused and put his head in his hands, a tear leaking down his cheek. Ms. Darbus reached out, a tissue in hand, and Ryan ignored it, looking back up and staring at Ms. Darbus, glassy-eyed.
"What did you do?" Ms. Darbus asked, her cruel curiosity getting the best of her. Ryan shook his head and let out a dry sob, wrenching his head into his hands.
"Well, we were looking through the window. Chad wanted to go in but Zeke and I stopped him," Ryan explained. Ms. Darbus nodded, knowing full well that that's exactly what Chad would do. She looked at Ryan with a new eye; she always thought, academically, he was on the duller side, but doing what he and Zeke did was a smart decision. "We all knew how strong Mr. Bolton was so Zeke and I didn't want to risk all of us getting hurt. We know it was selfish but, what could we do? Well, it wasn't selfish of Chad. We literally dragged him away from the window and to his car. He was kicking and screaming the whole time, but again, we couldn't do anything else."
"Except phone the police," Ms. Darbus pointed out. Ryan's face fell and immediately Ms. Darbus felt bad for her outburst. She knew Ryan must've had a good reason.
"Troy knows that he should tell but he refuses," Ryan said. "And he made us not tell. He doesn't want to lose his dad and if his dad does go to jail, he has to go to California with his mom. He doesn't want to leave here. He loves Albuquerque so much, Ms. Darbus."
"So, why have you told me?" Ms. Darbus asked, quizzically.
Ryan's face darkened and he stood up. He walked over to the window, and turned his back to Ms. Darbus. His voice came out low and menacingly. "Mr. Bolton hit Sharpay, too. There was an awful bruise on her cheek that she covered with make up for a week. I just… I'm an awful friend."
"Mr. Evans!" Ms. Darbus said loudly. "You're doing the right thing! It was good you came to someone!"
"But Troy asked me not to, Ms. Darbus," Ryan said, shaking his head. "He asked me not to tell on his dad. But I knew that I could trust you to do something because it really has gotten out of hand."
Ms. Darbus sighed and tried to remain calm although her heart was thumping in her chest, her head was reeling, the room spinning. She brought her hand to her head and asked, with her eyes shut (as to not look Ryan in the eyes), "How long has this been going on?"
"I don't know," Ryan said. He sighed. "Way too long. We've only known for about a month now. I mean, before we found out, there were signs and then Chad and Gabriella saw…" He then launched into the stories of Troy's repeated beatings: the night with the bedpost, the belt whipping, the kicking, the punching, the cigarette burning. Everything he knew, he told.
Ms. Darbus looked at Ryan, her mind flying from thought to thought. Her first thought was that this was all a ridiculous lie. The next was that it wasn't, that everything she was dreading was true. She looked up at Ryan.
"You said 'we'," She told him. Ryan nodded his head. "Who else knows?"
"It's just Chad, Gabriella, Zeke, Jason, Kelsi, Taylor, Sharpay, and I," Ryan said quickly, reciting off names.
"Quite a bit of people," Ms. Darbus observed. "Why hasn't anyone out of all of you done something?"
"Troy thinks he's worthless and that he deserves all of this," Ryan explained. "Mr. Bolton even scared Sharpay into not saying anything with one slap. So, imagine Troy who was tied to a bedpost. He just feels that it would make him the worst son ever if he sent his dad to jail for something he feels he deserves."
"Why does he think he deserves it?" Ms. Darbus asked, silently shocked that something got Sharpay Evans to shut up, no matter how awful.
"I guess that's the way he's been raised," Ryan shrugged. "He hurt Gabriella-," Ryan began.
"You mean, Troy hit Gabriella?" Ms. Darbus asked, awestruck. Troy was strong and menacing looking, but she never thought that he would go to lengths to hurt someone.
"No," Ryan said quickly. "No, he'd never do that. He just told Gabriella they couldn't go out… to protect her."
"Very nice of him, I guess," Ms. Darbus said. "But, he broke up with Miss Montez. What does that have to do with his… beatings?"
"Well, he thought that since he hurt Gabriella, the only fair thing would be for him to get hurt, too," Ryan said. "That's the only thing that I've heard of that he tried to get beaten."
"He tried to get beaten?" Ms. Darbus asked, shocked.
"Troy made his dad really mad so that Mr. Bolton would beat him or something," Ryan said. "So Gabriella went over to his house and apparently Mr. B. had belted him or something."
Ms. Darbus didn't speak, shocked into a numb silence. She never exactly liked Jack Bolton but she never thought that he would beat his son; someone as kind and sweet as Troy. In her years of work with him, that thought never crossed her mind even a small bit… until quite recently.
"Mr. Bolton threatened to break Troy's neck if we told," Ryan said, shaking his head sadly. His body began to shake and he collapsed into the stool before his knees gave out. "We didn't know what to do, Ms. Darbus. We knew Mr. Bolton would do it, so we kept our mouths shut."
"Did anyone else get an idea?" Ms. Darbus asked. "I mean, he changes in the locker rooms, right?"
"He hasn't been changing in the locker rooms anymore," Ryan said, trying to control his shaking limbs. "He would wait until everyone would leave the locker rooms if he dared even to try to shower. I mean, you see how he's been wearing long sleeves and pants everyday. The only way you would possibly expect it is watching him flinch and then he had that panic attack."
"Did Troy ever say why his dad was doing this?" Ms. Darbus asked curiously. Ryan stopped for a minute.
"From what Troy says it's because he's… weak and he needs to toughen up," Ryan explained, sadly. "But it also happens because of stupid things that all teens do like forgetting to make you bed, or being out a few minutes past curfew."
"Was Mr. Bolton the reason Troy was in the hospital?" Ms. Darbus asked, her stomach turning to lead in anticipation for the answer. Ryan sat silently, his body still shaking.
"Yeah, Gabriella found Troy in his living room, coughing up blood," Ryan said. Ms. Darbus cringed at the thought. "It was internal bleeding. But Troy lied and said that it was someone who broke into his house. We were so stupid!" Ryan shouted, punching the desk in frustration. "He told us that since Cassidy came, everything was better!"
"Cassidy?" Ms. Darbus asked, utterly confused.
"Mr. Bolton's new twenty-year-old wife who just had his new son," Ryan said bitterly. "She was eight months pregnant when they got married if that tells you why Mrs. Bolton left."
"Wait, did Mrs. Bolton know anything about the beatings?" Ms. Darbus asked, hoping the answer was 'no', for it would awful to find that Mrs. Bolton left in the middle of all that was happening.
"Troy tried to tell her," Ryan said, remembering what Gabriella told them that Sunday night on the phone. "But she just thought he was over-reacting."
"Over-reacting about getting beaten?" Ms. Darbus asked incredulously. Ryan nodded his head.
"So Mrs. Bolton left for a "Girl's Spa Week" in California," Ryan began. "And never came back home."
Ms. Darbus sat silently in her desk, awestruck. She shook her head. "Did Troy ever tell you about this? Or did you just figure it out?"
"Some things, Troy told us," Ryan said. "But some, we had to figure out. I mean, I figured everything out when Troy sung this song in the theater one morning. Sharpay walked in and told me about it. So, from the lyrics, I kind of connected what I thought and Troy only confirmed what I thought."
Ms. Darbus, even in her shock, was somewhat impressed that Troy had made up a song. Ryan stood up and nervously used his right hand to grab his left upper arm, trying to get his body to stop shaking. He couldn't help but to give a tiny grin as he realized something: he was telling. Troy was going to be free.
"Well, we think this has been going on for about a year or two," Ryan said, loosening up and feeling more brave.
"A year or two?" Ms. Darbus asked.
"Well, he's been able to cover it up," Ryan said. "But now, he can't take it anymore. Mr. Bolton's getting more extreme since Mrs. Bolton left and the bruises have become more visible. Troy can't take it anymore. He's been passing out at basketball games and Mr. Bolton has been making him run seventy suicides each practice…"
"Suicides?" Ms. Darbus asked, not knowing sports lingo.
"Running from one spot in the gym to the next, back to the beginning spot and then further, then back," Ryan explained, remembering when Chad spent almost ten minutes explaining it to him. "So Troy had been doing seventy suicides because he 'forgot' to bring his jersey to practice."
Ms. Darbus shook her head sadly. "This is unbelievable."
"That was Taylor's first instinction," Ryan said despondently. "But she came around after a while. Jason, though, he just can't leave Troy alone anymore. He locked Troy in a closet, he punched him, got him in trouble, and almost told the whole school about Troy's secret."
"Would him telling necessarily be bad?" Ms. Darbus pointed out.
"He was just doing it to hurt Troy," Ryan explained. "Besides, you know how the school would just bombard Troy if they found out- him being popular and all." Ms. Darbus nodded in understanding. "I'm just so scared, Ms. Darbus. I don't know if this is the right thing."
"Mr. Evans, it's fine-," Ms. Darbus tried to speak.
"Can you not tell anyone?" Ryan asked quickly, his fear igniting again.
"Wasn't the whole point of your telling me was so that I would tell the authorities?" Ms. Darbus asked.
"Yeah, but I changed my mind," Ryan said shakily.
"It's my job now, as a teacher, to tell someone, Ryan," Ms. Darbus said.
"But… I lied," Ryan said slowly.
"Ryan, I know you didn't lie," Ms. Darbus said exasperatedly.
"What if Mr. Bolton finds out?" Ryan asked nervously. "What if he breaks Troy's neck? It'd be all my fault. What if Mr. Bolton found out that I told and went after me or Sharpay to get back at me?"
"I'll make sure he has no idea that I know," Ms. Darbus reassured him. Ryan shook his head and pressed on.
"He's going to find out, Ms. Darbus," He said. "What if, before the police get there, he breaks Troy's neck? Don't tell! Please!"
"Mr. Evans, please, be calm," Ms. Darbus said. Ryan stood up, pushing his stool onto the ground in a hurry.
"I-I-I can't do it, Mr. Darbus!" Ryan said. "I don't want to! Please don't tell!"
Ryan began to shake, not like Troy during his panic attack, but his entire body seemed to shake and twitch out of his fear. Ryan shook his head and stood trembling, in the middle of the classroom. Ms. Darbus shot up out of her chair and ushered Ryan to the nearest seat. Ryan collapsed into it heavily and shook uncontrollably.
Ms. Darbus ran out the door, her long scarf flowing behind her. She whipped down the hall and into the cafeteria. She slammed the door open, causing the room to fall silent. "Miss Evans?" She screamed. "Sharpay? Will you please come to my room for a moment?"
She watched, along with the rest of the cafeteria, as Sharpay got up from her seat and walked over, knowing what everything was about. Her face turned into a happy, half-hearted smile as she said, "Hello, Ms. Darbus."
Ms. Darbus guided Sharpay into her classroom where Ryan was still shaking in one of the desks, tears rolling quickly down his cheeks. Sharpay ran over to him and knelt down next to him.
"Ryan," Sharpay soothed quietly. "Ryan, it's okay."
"No, it's not!" Ryan shouted through his tears. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't've told! I should've kept my mouth shut!"
"Ryan, it was time for someone to know," Sharpay pointed out quietly. She placed a hand on Ryan's lower back and rubbed it in small, peaceful circles. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"What if he breaks Troy's neck?" Ryan shouted, releasing a fresh wave of tears. Sharpay shook her head with a small, grim smile.
"Don't worry," She said. "It was an idle threat. He wouldn't actually break Troy's neck."
"He tied him to a bedpost!" Ryan yelled. "He broke his rib! He burned him! He beat him with a belt! What's going to stop him from breaking Troy's neck?"
Sharpay paused, mulling it over. She took Ryan's hand and squeezed it tightly. Ryan sniffled as Sharpay said, "Nothing… except us." Ryan looked up and into her eyes. He nodded and looked over at Ms. Darbus, who was standing in the doorway, watching with a poignant look on her face.
…Troy…
The practice started after fifth period, during free period. The team screamed and shouted their spirit as the basketballs flew as blurred spots past their faces. Suddenly, Troy stepped into the gym, clad in his basketball shoes, gym shorts, and his jersey. Chad and Zeke paused in surprise. Jack looked up and froze, his face filled with anger and rage.
"Troy," Jack yelled. The team stopped, staring at Troy as he entered. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah," Troy said with a smile. He was still far away from the team; no one could actually really see him yet. He kept walking and Jack had to stop him by shouting again.
"Alone," He said.
"Whatever you say to me, you can say to my team," Troy pointed out and kept on walking. Jack hurried to meet him, grabbed him by the upper arm and dragged him out of the gym. When they were outside of the doors and into the locker room, Jack let go of Troy and shouted.
"What?" Jack screamed. "You think this is funny?"
"No," Troy said. He paused. "Actually, yeah, a little bit."
"Troy, go change into your tee shirt now," Jack said slowly. Troy shook his head and tried to get around his dad. Jack stepped over so that Troy couldn't leave and Troy sighed.
"They already saw me in my jersey," Troy pointed out. "Wouldn't it be suspicious if I changed into a tee shirt?"
Jack stopped, knowing that what Troy said was true. Troy smiled, knowing that he had won this fight. Jack looked at Troy, disgust lining his face. "Figure out a story," Jack said in a low, menacing tone. "Or you'll be really sorry."
"I'm going to be sorry anyway," Troy shrugged. "I think I didn't make my bed. So, you'll get mad at me for that later- might as well have some fun."
"Troy!" Jack dove forward and pinned Troy against a wall of lockers, catching Troy off guard. Troy gulped, now seeing how angry his father was. He expected that his dad would be mad but he thought he didn't really care anymore, until he got this fresh reminder of how much pain he would be in.
"Fine, Dad," He said. Jack's grip loosened and his arms slid off of Troy's. Troy walked away from his dad, his mind working on overdrive to think of a story plausible enough for everyone to believe. He gave a tiny smile, for he figured out a story. Then he ran out onto the court, screaming wildly. "Come on, guys! Are you ready for the game on Saturday?"
The whole team let out a whoop as Troy came out into the center of the court, giving instructions for the next drill. A few people scattered out to grab the random basketballs that had been lying on the court and few stayed and watched him as he did his job as Captain.
"Dude," one player, Bill Morrison said. "What happened to your back?"
"And your ankle?" Another player, Chuckie Klapow asked, referring to the Ace bandage that was wrapped around Troy's right ankle. Troy paused and looked at them angrily, his face blaring the question Why'd you have to ask?
"I was on a run and I twisted my ankle," He said quickly. Everyone nodded; it was believable. "And I ran into the Captain of the Knights the other day and we got in a fight. Now come on. Go start your drill."
After practice, everyone had left the gym except Troy who remained on the far side of the court, practicing free throws. He dribbled the ball a few times in front of his feet and shot, missing the basket by inches. Troy shifted his weight to go grab the ball and then collapsed onto the ground, tears pouring out of his eyes much like water dripping out of a faucet. He clutched his ankle tightly and let out a sob, the pain throbbing in his foot. He stopped as he heard the door click open.
"Troy, whatcha doing?" Jason cooed.
"Go away, Jason," Troy shot, sniffling.
"Aw, does Troy's little ankle hurt?" He asked in a mocking baby voice. Troy shot him a look and stumbled up onto his feet, gingerly laying his weight on his right ankle, then on his left.
"Get lost," Troy spat and turned to leave.
"Your dad's right," Jason said. Troy paused but didn't turn around to look at Jason. "You are weak."
Troy walked forward, limping whenever his right foot hit the ground. Tears leaked down his face, rolling slowly over his cheeks and down his chin until they dripped onto the floor. Jason smiled.
He won.
…Ms. Darbus…
Ms. Darbus sat in the silence of her house. Her cat jumped onto her lap and purred. Absentmindedly, she petted the small animal, staring off into the distance. She remember seeing Troy in class today and put her hand to her heart, remembering how she felt it rip apart when he cringed.
She stood up abruptly in her chair and her cat jumped to the ground, hissing. Ms. Darbus navigated down the halls of her house until she reached the kitchen. She reached out for the phone and held it in her hands as if it was a bomb ready to explode. Quietly, she dialed. On the third ring a voice answered.
"This is Allyson Darbus and I'd like to report a case of child abuse."
Author's Note: Ahh! Someone told! Are you happy? I hope so. Next chapter is the last chapter –sob-. I'm sad. Well, please review!