The fat and flabby guy spiked the ball over the net with such swiftness for his size. Hannah and I sat on our bikes in utter amazement, and then we realized we didn’t have a court to play on. It was the second beach we went to and we decided to give up. We had to get ready for movie night at school, anyway. We pulled up to my house and Caroline’s* bike was there. I immediately thought something was wrong.


I found Caroline in the bathroom straightening her hair, but her eyes were swollen and red. I didn’t say anything because Hannah was there. I locked myself in the bathroom to talk. I wanted to know what happened to my best friend. She said that her mom got upset and started throwing glass. Caroline also said that she pulled her and banged her head against the wall. Her mom said she was going to kill herself, so she told Caroline when the police found her to check the black bag for notes. Caroline said she was able to lock herself in her bathroom to call my mom. My mom came and then she rode over on her bike to safety. I couldn’t believe my ears. I had just read the book Ana’s Story. It is about a girl who was abused her whole life. I found out Caroline was in that same boat.


I came home after movie night and Caroline was still at my house. I found out her mom had gone to a mental health clinic. After I picked my mouth up off the floor, she said she was going to sleep over. I was happy that Caroline was going to be safe. Just then her mom walked in. She had a cut on her face and leg. I guessed it was because of the glass. My mom said that we were going to sleep at my grandmother’s house and Caroline’s mother would sleep at my house.


We had slept over at my grandmother’s house dozens of times, therefore we felt right at home. We watched television with my grandmother and then we read, after that we turned in. We woke up the next day and my grandmother made eggs Benedict. We found out that Caroline’s mother was going to check into a mental health clinic. The people at the clinic couldn’t believe they let her leave the night before. After, we went out to lunch to get it off our minds. We always go to Pepe’s whenever something bad happens, so that is where we went. Once our stomachs were full, we new it was time. We went to Caroline’s house. There was glass everywhere; under the carpets, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, and everywhere else. There were no places without glass. Caroline just burst out into tears and cried on my shoulder, I let her cry until there were no more tears left to fall.

*Name Changed