“Lizzie! Get down stairs now!” yelled her father.
“Coming,” Lizzie responded quietly. She knew what was coming, she was scared. She didn’t want to go downstairs, but she knew if she didn’t, she would get it so much worse.
“Get down here now! You know I don’t like waiting!” Lizzie’s father yelled again.
She walked carefully downstairs as she knew what was coming. She was always so friendly; she knew she never deserved it. She was so scared as she walked into the kitchen.
“Lizzie, what did I tell you?” Her father asked firmly.
“To clean up the kitchen after dinner” Lizzie responded softly.
“And did you?” asked her father.
“No…”Lizzie said, and before she could continue, she was on the ground. She just lay there, helpless. She tried to stay awake, but she couldn’t. She knew what was going happen if she passed out. She kept thinking to herself, “Stay awake. Don’t faint. Nothing can happen if you awake”.
She tried so hard, but ended up passing out on the cold, hard kitchen floor, helpless. Nobody around to help stop for what was going to happen.

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 
Hours passed when Lizzie finally woke up in her bed. She was entwined in her blanket and sprawled out on her bed. She started crying to herself as she thought about what had happened to her. No one knew about what happened except for her and her father. Lizzie’s mother was a doctor, so she was never really home. When she was home, she was always asleep. 
Lizzie didn’t have many friends. She usually kept to herself, but when she was talked to, she was always so nice to everyone.
She wished so much everything would end. That everyone would know. She couldn’t tell anyone because she knew her father would just hurt her more.
Lizzie had gone through so much in her life. With all the worrying and stress at home, it was a surprise how her grades were so well. Most people never think of much when they see her. She’s usually known as the one who’s alone. She never wears things that make her stand out. She doesn’t wear make-up. She always has on long sleeves or a jacket. She never wears skirts or dresses. It’s always pants. She loves colors and pretty dresses, but if she wore them, everyone would see the marks and bruises all over her body.
During school one day she was sitting in the back of a classroom reading a book. It was what she usually did when she was waiting on the bell to ring. Then suddenly a person comes up to her and says “hi”
Lizzie slowly looks up to see a tall boy with brown hair and blues eyes that sparkled. He wore a green and blue striped t-shirt with khaki shorts and green flip flops.  She put on a little smile and said “hi”
The boy replied “I’m Jordon. What’s your name?” he had the perfect white smile and was enthusiastic when he said something.
“I’m Lizzie” she replied cheaply. She was trying to figure out why he was talking to her. He never had before.
“Well nice to meet you Lizzie,” Jordon said with a welcoming smile.
“Right back at you, but why are you talking to me?” she questioned.
“You look liked you could use a good friend and a smile,” he answered cheerfully.
“Thank you,” Lizzie said. She put her book and stuff away into her bag. The bell then rang and they both said bye as Jordon went to go sit in his seat.
After class, as Lizzie was getting up from her seat, Jordon comes up to her and asks “Would you like to sit with me at lunch?”
“Umm...ye…yes,” Lizzie stuttered out with a smile.
“Great, let’s go,” Jordon said.
They both walked into the cafeteria and put their bags at a table. Jordon and Lizzie walk into the line talking about everything: what they liked to do, their favorite music and so on.
When they got back to their table Jordon quickly set his food down and pulled the chair out for Lizzie. She blushed a little bit and said with a smile “Why thank you”.
“You’re welcome Miss Lizzie,” Jordon replied with a cheesy smile.
They talked all lunch period long. They even talked all day whenever they had the chance to. Lizzie was the happiest she had been in a long while. She had a big smile on her face and thought that life was getting better. Her world had lit up like lights fireworks on the Fourth of July.
When Lizzie got home, she walked in her house all smiles. All the sudden her father yells “Lizzie! Is that you?! Are you home!?”
“Yes!” Lizzie yells back.
“Come here!” her father yelled in reply. 
Lizzie put her stuff away and walked into the kitchen with a smile. “Why are you all smiley? What happened at school?” He said a bit disturbed. She then lost the smile on her face.
  “It was just a good day at school,” she replied softly.
“What happened,” her father said very firmly.
“I...I…I made a new friend” she managed to stutter out.
“What’s their name!” her father yells out.
“It’s…umm...” she stuttered.
“COME ON! OUT WITH IT!” he yells
“Their name is…Emily,” she lied.
“Oh. Okay. “Her father said a bit calmer than before. “It’s a girl. Good.” He said reluctantly.
“Yea, she is,” Lizzie said sarcastically to herself.   
She walked to her room and started on her homework. She spent of her evening in her room until her father yelled “Lizzie! Come eat dinner!”
“Okay! Coming!” she yelled back in reply as she went down stairs.
When she got downstairs to the table, she sat down in her usually spot across from her father.
As they were eating her father asked,” who’s this new friend of yours?”
“Er…ame…s…ily” Lizzie mumbled really quietly.
“What? Speak up!” he said a bit frustrated.
“Her name is Emily”, Lizzie said more loudly than before.
“Okay…and?” he asked her, wanting her to continue on.
“She’s...umm…my age. She has green eyes, blonde hair, and…yea.” She replied.
“Okay…well you don’t ever have friends? Why do you need one now? You’ve never had one! WHY NOW!?” her father started to get more and more loud as he spoke. He started sounding upset and worried. She was confused as to why though.
Lizzie tried to change the subject. “I’m tired. I’m going to take a shower and then go to bed.”
“Okay”, her father said.
Lizzie put her dishes in the sink and went upstairs to her room. She grabbed a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt, as well as other things, and then she headed for the bathroom to take a shower. 
After she was out she went to her room, put her in a bun, and got into bed. She got out a book and read it until she fell asleep. Which didn’t take long, she had a long and eventful day.

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 
When Lizzie woke up, her bed was all messed up and her clothes were on the floor. She had forgotten all about her troubles yesterday, until now. She was terrified of the image and wished it would go away.  She tried to ignore it and just got ready for school, she ended up skipping breakfast because she wasn’t really hungry anymore.  
“Lizzie! I don’t care who that girl is! I don’t want you talking to her!” Her father yells from another room.
She walked out the door and went on her way to school. She started thinking of why her father didn’t want her to have a friend. She wondered what he would do if he found out if she talked to ‘her’. The most important thing was, she worried what her father would do if he found out that “Emily’s” real name was “Jordon. Lizzie was a bit worried when she got to school.
Lizzie got to class and went right to her seat. She put her bag on the floor next to her desk and then sat down. As she went to pull out a book she had been reading, she hears her name being called from across the room. She looks up to see Jordon standing in the doorway with a huge grin on his face as he waved to her. She forgot everything her dad had said and waved back to him.  Jordon wonders his way over to where Lizzie was sitting and smiles.
“Hi”, Lizzie says with a small smile.
“Hey”, Jordon says back with his cheesy smile.
They both talked all day. She was happy that they both got along so well. She was always happy when Jordon was around. She hadn’t been happy in a long time. She never wanted it to end.
When she got home later that day, she was all smiling and cheery. How could she not be? She was talking to her favorite person in the world whom she started to care a lot about.
When she walked in the door she put her stuff down and strolled into the kitchen for a snack.
“Lizzie…” Her father says firmly as he sits at the kitchen table.
She quickly turned around to see her father glaring at her. “Yes?”
“You’re smiling and all cheerful. What did I tell you?” he says a bit louder.
She gets quiet then says, “Not to talk to Emily”.
“Did you?” he asked fiercely.
“Y…yes.” Lizzie says terrified as ever.
“I TOLD YOU NO! I SAID THAT YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK TO HER! YOU NEVER LISTEN! YOU’RE SO WORTHLESS AND HORRIBLE! YOURE SUCH A DISGRACE!” her father screamed at her.
“IM SORRY!” Lizzie yells out with tears running down her face.
“Sorry? Ha! That’s all you have to say is ‘sorry’? I’ll show you the meaning of sorry little missy!” he yelled as he went after her.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *
*  *  *  *  *  * 

Lizzie woke up to a headache. She went to look at the time and realized she couldn’t get up. Her hands and feet were tied to her bed. She wanted to scream but she knew she would get it, probable again. She soon figured out that she had been unconscious for two days. She started to notice all the new bruises and marks all over her body. She was terrified of everything, she couldn’t trust anyone. She started crying because she was scared of everything at that moment.
Her father then walks in and says, “You’re awake! Oh good. Now you can watch your punishment take place.” He had that evil sound in his voice which scared Lizzie even more.
He started cutting her hair really short and he dyed it purple. She started to cry harder than she already was and she screamed “NNOOO!!!!  STTOOPP!!!”
“Are you telling me no?” he said laughing, “rethink that”.
“Let me go! Please! Just please. Let me go. I’ll stop talking to Emily! I swear! Promise! Never Again!” Lizzie quickly said before her father could hurt her anymore.
“Oh! Hmm. How do I know you not lying again?” he questioned.
“I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll never talk to anyone at school again. I’ll do whatever just to get out of this. Please!” she said desperately.
Her father thought about it for a bit and decided to let her go.
“If you do anything, like talking or just looking, at that girl. You won’t be going anywhere for a very, very long time,” he threatened.