BOOM.
She ran down the street, tears rolling down her tan, hot cheeks. She took a left and slowed down. As she started walking she heard it. The black truck was coming around the corner. She stood there for a moment, stunned, then ran up the closest driveway and hid behind a motorboat attached to a green SUV. She tried slowing her breath but it wouldn’t work. She kept telling herself “Calm down” but her heart felt like it was going to explode with fear.
She sat there for a few more minutes, then stood with caution and looked around. There was no sign of the black truck, so she decided to start walking again. She was on her way to her friend Daniel’s. He was the only one she could count on to help her. Daniel always helped.
As she turned the corner she saw his house. It was a big house, white with green shutters. She ran up to the house and hit the front window, as she walked into the breeze way she saw Daniel opening the door.
  “Michelle?”
“Daniel!”
“What are you doing here?”
“He hit me.”
“Who?” Daniel asked confused.
“My dad.”
As soon as those two words rolled off her lips she broke down. Daniel grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms, giving her an embracing hug. She could smell his cologne. She missed the smell. The hug too. 
“Come inside.” Daniel said
“Where’s your mom?”
“She’s out of town for work.”
Michelle walked over to the grey leather couch and sat down. Daniel brought her a glass of water and sat beside her.
“So what happened?”
“I got home 30 minutes late and he freaked out. We got into an argument and he pushed me into the door and hit me. I pushed him away then ran out the door. He’s probably going to call the cops again.”
“But he hit you.”
“Doesn’t matter. They never do anything about him.”
“I’m sorry. What else can we do?”
“I don’t know.”
“You can stay here tonight. My mom will be gone all night.”
“Thank you but I don’t want your mom getting mad. I’ll go to Lynn’s.”
“No, your staying here. You are not walking around. It’s 10:30.”
“Oh yeah I forgot to tell you. After I left I heard his truck so I hid in someone’s driveway. I’m pretty sure he’s looking for me.”
“Yeah you’re definitely not going out there. You can sleep in my room.”
“Alright...Thank you¨
“Anytime.” He smiled at her. She felt butterflies in her stomach.
Michelle and Daniel stood up. She walked upstairs to Daniel’s room. She clicked on the light, it was the same as she remembered. The same reddish brown walls with leaf patterns. The same golden bed frame. Michelle and Daniel used to date but he had ended it. He was her best friend as well. This was the first time she had been there since. She had been very upset when he ended it, he said he’d never leave. But he did. And that made her distrust him.
Michelle laid down on the bed and soon she was fast asleep.
When Michelle woke up she sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes thinking about what to do but her brain seemed fried from all the worrying from the night before. So she decided to go down stairs and talk to Daniel.
“Hey sunshine.”
“Don’t even” She said in a sarcastic tone.
“So do you know what you’re going to do?”
“Yeah, I’m going to call my grandma. Let me see your phone please.”
Daniel pulled out his phone and handed it to Michelle. It was an iPhone 5s. She turned it on and tried putting in the password but it was declined.
“What the heck, what’s your password?”
“Oh yeah, 2845”
She put the password in and clicked the contact list and put her grandma’s phone number in the dial pad. It started to ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey grandma, it’s Michelle.”
“Oh hi Honey. What are you up to?”
She thought of how to explain what had happened. Her grandma always gave her these big lectures about life and other things, and it drove Michelle insane.
“Can you pick me up? Me and dad got in a fight and he hit me. So...I left.”
“Michelle I’m in Arizona right now, I don’t get home until tonight,”
“What time?”
“About midnight”
“Okay I guess that works”
“I’ve got to go, but I’ll pick you up later. Just text me the address. Love you, bye.”
She hung up and Michelle handed the phone back to Daniel, he turned it off and put it into his pocket.
“So?”
“She’s picking me up tonight.”
“Oh good.”
“At midnight…”
“Um that’s kind of late, but it should be fine”
“Okay cool”
KNOCK, KNOCK
“I’ll get it”
He walked to the door and unlocked it. When he opened it there was a man standing there in a dirty baseball cap.
“Hi I’m Michelle’s dad. I went to her friend Lynn´s but she wasn't there. Is she here?”
Daniel looked back but Michelle wasn’t where she had been.
“No sir.”
“Alright, if you see her, let her know I’m looking for her.”
“Ok.”
Daniel shut the door and waited till he heard the breezeway door shut.
“Michelle?”
“I’m in here!”
He walked into the kitchen to see Michelle halfway out of the window.
“What are you doing?”
“Is he gone?”
“Yeah”
She worked her way back into the house but soon failed and dropped the window on herself
“Ouch!”
“Haha! Are you ok?”
“Don’t laugh!”
“Sorry” he said in a sarcastic tone.
“Mhm.”
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
“What the heck?” said Daniel
He opened the door and it was Michelle’s dad again.
“Yeah?”
“Where is she?”
“I told you she’s not here.”
“Her shoes are right there!”
Daniel looked over and seen her black timberlands sitting on the rug.
“Umm..”
Michelle walked around the corner and walked up to the door
“Get out here. You’re coming home with me!”
“No I’m not! Grandma is picking me up tonight. I’m not coming with you though.”
“Alright I guess you want to be put on probation.”
“Go ahead and threaten me. I’m not scared of you. I’m seventeen you can’t just control me! ”
As she said that she slammed the door in his face, and a gust of cold air blew her hair into her face. They heard him storm out of the breezeway and get in his truck. His tires squealed as he sped away.
“Well there goes that!” Michelle said in annoyance.
“You okay?”
“Peachy.”

Later that evening, Daniel and Michelle were watching tv when Daniels phone buzzed.
“Tell Michelle to come outside.”
“Um, look at this” Daniel said with an awkward look on his face.
Michelle leaned over and looked at the phone, it was Anne. Michelle and Anne had had some problems in the past. They used to be best friends but Anne started spreading rumors about Michelle, so she cut her off. They hadn’t talked much since but why would she want her to come outside? What did she want? Thoughts raced through her mind.
“Text her back and ask why”
“Okay.”
BRINGG
She looked at the phone and worry rushed up her spine. The text read...
“Someone wants to fight her.”
Michelle felt her stomach twist. But she felt something else too. Anger.
“What does it say?” Daniel asked nervously
“Apparently someone wants to fight me.” Michelle walked over to the window and looked outside, she saw Anne standing at the stop sign down the block with two of her friends, Alyssa and Parker.
“I’ll be right back” she said.
“Michelle no.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
She walked over to the door and unlocked, Daniel rushed over to her and held the door shut.
“Stop!” she yelled at him.
He looked at her, surprised and let go of the door handle. She walked outside and down the street with Daniel following close behind.
“What do you want Anne?”
“I want to beat you up, that’s what” she said with a snotty tone in her voice, and as soon as Michelle heard her, something snapped inside her. Michelle stepped forward and hit Anne right in the jaw bone! Anne let out a loud curse and then it was on. Anne grabbed Michelle’s hair and Michelle grabbed Anne’s, she pulled her down to the ground and started hitting her with all the strength in her body. Michelle was usually not a violent person but she was fed up with people and their drama. Daniel leaped over to them and pulled Michelle away but she still had ahold of Anne’s hair and she pulled away from Daniel, hitting Anne again in the face. Parker pushed Michelle and grabbed Anne from the ground. Michelle didn’t even notice that while she had Anne’s hair she had smashed her head onto the cement and she had a bloody goose egg the size of a golf ball on the back of her head. You could see the blood dripping down her head, staining her golden hair. Michelle took a few steps back towards Daniel. The look on Alyssa’s face will forever remain in Michelle’s brain. It wasn’t sympathy for her friend, it was more like she was scared of Michelle.
“Why did you hit me!”
“You asked for it stupid! Maybe you shouldn’t be a two faced, snotty, back stabbing brat! I am so sick of you!”
“Michelle lets go!” Daniel screamed.
Only then did Michelle realize that people were coming out of their houses yelling and threatening to call the cops! She turned around and ran back to Daniel’s house. She reached his house and he got there soon after. They walked into the house and there was a long moment of silence as they closed the door.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, she deserved it anyways. Are you alright?”
“Yeah”
She looked down at her hand which felt warm and wet. It was bleeding. She must have missed Anne and hit the ground. She walked down the hall to the bathroom and washed off the blood. She walked back out to the living room to find Daniel sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He seemed upset.
“What’s wrong?” she said as she walked over to the couch and sat beside him.
“Nothing it’s just..I miss you…”
“Oh…” She wanted to say she missed him too but her heart still hurt. She trusted him and he betray her.
“Well maybe we can start hanging out more” she said with a fake smile.
“That sounds good”
Later that night, around 11:30pm,  Michelle and Daniel were playing GTA 5 when someone knocked on the door. They walked down stairs and looked out the window. Her grandma’s truck was in the driveway.
“It’s just my grandma.”
Michelle opened it and there standing in the breezeway was a very friendly looking woman. She did not look like a grandmother. She was fit and skinny with a bright smile.
“Grandma!”
“Hey sweetie, you ready to go?”
“Yeah hold on”
She turned around to Daniel who was standing behind her. She took a step closer and gave him a hug. She stood on her tippy toes and whispered into his ear,
“I miss you too.”
She smiled and walked out the door. Daniel rushed to the window to see her get into the car and drive away. He thought about what she had said, and a huge smile appeared on his face.