(AN As always, FreakierThanFreaks, I just absolutely LOVE reading the reviews you leave for me and this story. Thanks a bunch for your support!)

Jade finally got to the house about fifteen minutes after my dad left. I was still balled up in pain by the stairs. Looking up at the twenty steps that I had fallen down, I thought:

Well dang, it seemed like more than that…

Jade rushed over to me and helped me up; I was shaking all over.

"Cat, listen to me really, really closely… What. Did. He. Do? Do I need to call the cops?"

I tried to say no, but I couldn't get the word straight out. I didn't want her to call the cops on him. I just wanted to get out of this God forsaken place once and for all. I never ever want to come back ever, ever again, for the rest of my life. Never even wanted to see my dad for the rest of my life, or his.

"No..." I finally mustered.

Jade looked at me like I was crazy or something. I don't blame her actually; it was kind of a crazy thing to do. Usually people would want someone like my dad to be sent to jail straight away. As soon as possible even. But I just want him to stay out of my life for good and completely ignore me, just like the good old days.

"Cat, are you sure?"

I nodded at her.

"Positive?"

I gave her another little nod. She leaned in and hugged me again. Pain shot through me when she did this. It hurt. Oh so very much. I didn't want to tell her this, though. I just wanted to be comforted by someone, even if it did bring me a little bit of pain. This is just what I needed. Someone that really knows me well enough to understand why I do certain things. Someone just like Jade. If only someone like that came in a boy version. I would kill for a guy like that. Do you think that there's anything like a Jade potion? I wish.

Jade helped me out to her blue mustang and drove me right back to her apartment building. I was pretty sure I wanted to stay there forever. That is, if Jade would let me. I'm pretty sure that she would, she sure seem like she did. Besides Jade wouldn't keep asking me unless she really, really wanted me to. I mean, up until a about a week ago I could've sworn that Jade couldn't stand me one bit. But apparently she did. I had always known that there was some sort of good in Jade.

"Jade?" I said half way through the car ride.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

There was some brief and very, very awkward silence. There seems to be a lot of that lately. I guess we just can't help that.

"For what?"

"For coming to help me even though I didn't listen to you…"

"It's fine." She told me "Just… please don't do it again. You have no idea how much that scared me. I mean, it must've been even scarier for you. I couldn't imagine going through something like that. You must've been so terrified. Knowing you, of course you were…"

She just went on and on. I blanked out after she started going on about how the devil should come swallow up my dad. But I did keep fazing in and out of the somewhat lecture. It wasn't really a lecture, just kind of a rant.

"…and people like that should just be locked up…"

I went on thinking. Thinking about stuff that has gone on in the past couple of days. I tried to think of the better things, like painting that room of Jade's. it was super duper fun. I couldn't help but let out a little smile about that.

"…and stuff like that could affect things in the future. And in a VERY bad way…."

I thought about how funny it was when Tori found me and Jade in the bathroom stall and how mad Jade got at her.

"…when it happens, everything could just go ahead and blow up…"

I thought about that day that I got punched in the eye by Amy Harris (who was not, thank God, related to André in any way) and how me and my friends laughed about it right afterwards.

"…people could just come and scoop it right up…"

I thought about the time I saw that happy little girl in the mall when me, Jade, and everyone else were at the mall. How I wished that I was that happy as a little girl.

"…and then it could get completely blown right out of proportion…"

And I especially though about the time I first died my hair. How scared I was about it. How I thought my parents would definitely not approve of it one little bit. How much I really wanted them to notice me for once. How they barely even looked my way. And just like that, my thoughts from bad to go in under a few seconds of thinking.

"…and then just like that, POOF, it's gone forever and ever…"