Jaxon's POV

I stood outside the school, waiting for KC to come out. Her classmate, Ashley, said she was helping the music teacher put up stuff. I looked back at my mom, who was in her car waiting to take us home. I smiled.

"Hey!" I heard KC say, cheerfully. I turned towards her and she kissed me on the cheek. I smiled at her.

"Happy anniversary," I told her, holding out my present to her.

She took it from me. She opened it. It was a necklace I bought with my lawn mowing money that had a music note on it.

"Happy anniversary, Jaxon," she said with a smile. "I love it!"

"And happy birthday," I added. "Your birthday present is at the house."

"Thanks, Jax," she said. "Oh!" she added. She opened the smallest pocket of her backpack and pulled out a tape. "I made this for you."

She held it out for me to take. I took it.

"A song?" I questioned, knowingly.

"Yeah," she said. "I hope you like it."

"I already love it," I assured her.

She took ahold of my free hand.

"Little girl!" I heard her dad say. We looked over and saw him walking towards us. "Get in the car."

She squeezed my hand.

"Don't let go," she begged me in almost a whisper.

"I won't," I replied.

"Did I stutter??" He questioned her.

"I don't want to," she admitted.

He grabbed her arm in a tight grip. I could tell in her face that it hurt.

"You better go or else," he threatened her.

"Or else what, Anthony?" I heard my mom question. He let go of KC's arm. Mom stood next to me. "You lay your hands on her in front of me again, I assure you will get what you dish out."

"You better be there by eight," he told KC. He glared at us and walked away.

"Let's go," mom said. We got in the truck. Luke had been waiting for us in the back.

When we got home, we had hamburgers for a birthday dinner for KC. She didn't talk much the whole time. I could tell that she was thinking about when she'd get home.

"I love you, KC," I told her.

She looked at me from across the table. She smiled at me.

"I love you too," she responded.

After we were done eating, I asked KC to go to my room. When she got there, I handed her the ukulele I got her. I got it from a classmate that didn't want it.

She smiled big.

Mom helped her tune it. Mom drove her home.

KC's POV

"Are you sure you don't want to keep it at our house?" Rachel asked me.

"I'll hide it," I promised.

"Happy birthday, sweetie," she said, "and happy anniversary."

"Thanks!" I replied. "Love you. Bye."

I opened the door.

"Hey," she said. I looked back at her. "Let's not say 'bye'; let's say 'see you later'."

"Okay," I answered. "See you later. Love you."

"Love you, too," she said. "See you later."

I got out of her truck and walked the rest of the way to my house. I walked inside and went straight to my room. I put my new instrument under my bed. I got in my bed.

"Get out," I heard my dad say.

I looked towards my bedroom door. I didn't move. He walked over to my bed and forcefully pulled me out of it.

"Let go!" I yelled at him.

He slapped me so hard that I got dizzy for a second. I started crying. He dropped me to the ground.

"You are looking more and more like her everyday," he told me. He meant my mom. "She cried just like you do. Both of you are weak and worthless. You deserve what I do to you because you're nothing. You'll always be nothing."

"Good! I don't want to look like you anyway!" I yelled. "And no, I'm not! Mom isn't either."

"You want to look like her, cockroach?" He questioned me. "Then, I'll make you look just like she did when she'd cry."

"It's my birthday, daddy!" I begged. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

He beat me.

"Get up!" He ordered me after he was done.

I tried to, but I couldn't. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. He dragged me to the bathroom and forced me to look in the mirror. My face was completely bruised.

" That's what she looked like," he told me. "Now take a bath."

He shoved me to the ground. He left the bathroom. I pulled myself over to the tub. I turned on the water and filled it up. I got undressed as carefully as I could. I got into the bath. The warm water slightly helped my pain, but not enough. I moved forward bit by bit until my head was away from the drain.

"I'm…sorry," I said.

I submerged my head under the water and let go of my breath. I immediately started choking on the water, starting to drown. After a bit, words popped into my head.

Let's not say "bye"; let's say "See you later"

I couldn't pull myself out of the water. I continued drowning, darkness creeping in my vision, until I felt hands pull me out. I started coughing up all of the water I had inhaled. I finally looked to see that it was my dad that pulled me out.

"What do you think you're doing, you little b!tch?!" he yelled at me. "You're not going anywhere!"

He didn't care about the fact that I was dying…he only cared that I was leaving what he does to me. He walked out.

I got out and went to my room, not bothering to try to get dressed. I laid under my covers, in pain. My chest now hurt too because of the pressure of the water. I stared at the ceiling.

"Please get me out of this," I prayed. I closed my eyes and kept them that way until I fell asleep.