She'd had enough of it. Why should I stay in a home where I'm not wanted? Her mom's boyfriend, who didn't even live there, made all the decisions. He's not my father, she repeated to herself for the hundredth time. Why is he trying to tell me what to do?

She threw her stuff in her backpack, and grabbed her keys. Walking out to her car without a second glance backward, she got in. Starting it, she pulled out of the driveway.

Two hours later, after pulling into her dad's driveway, she threw her bag on the bed. He frowned, demanding to know what was going on. His daughter shook the brown hair out of her face, pulling it back, and pulling a sweatshirt on.

"I'm staying here. I'm living here from now on, not at Mom's." She mumbled the last word, picking up her keys again. Her step-mom just watched from the doorway.

She smiled. "You can stay here as long as you need to figure stuff out." She hugged her stepdaughter, who smiled.

"I missed the last day of school to come, bud I don't think it really mattered." A pause. "I'm going for coffee."

Her dad grumbled, walking out of the room quickly to find his ex-wife's number.

She gave her step-mom a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping out.

She smiled at a girl sitting in the coffee shop as she walked in. After ordering, she went to sit down next to the fire, across from the dark-haired girl. God, she's pretty, she couldn't help but think.

There was no one else in the shop but the two girls (other than the girl behind the counter). She admired the girl's beautiful black hair, intelligent blue eyes, slim figure. Wow, she thought, smiling a little. The girl noticed her studying her, and they both blushed.

Recovering, the dark-haired girl smiled. "You look stressed, friend. I'm Ash." She leaned forward and shook the girl's hand.

"Katie."

"Hey, Katie. I've never seen you in here before."

"Yeah... I'm hoping to move into my dad's in this town. He lives just down the road."

"So I'd see you in more often?" Ash asked.

Katie nodded.

"Sweet." The girls smiled, each wondering very much about the other.

The two girls spent 3 hours talking to each other, getting to know the other.

When they reluctantly had to leave, they exchanged numbers, and went out to the parking lot.

Ash turned to Katie, smiled, and pulled her into a hug. Katie, startled, stiffened, but then hugged back. Pulling back, Ash kissed her lightly on the cheek, Katie noticing for the first time Ash's lip ring. Standing mere inches apart, they studied each other's faces. Katie noticed Ash's shoulder-length hair, falling in layers to beautifully frame the oval, pale face. A good amount of black eyeliner bringing out the sparkle in her bight blue eyes. Katie studied the full, pink lips made to look even better by the silver lip ring on the fight side of Ash's bottom lip.

Ash smiled, looking at the somewhat wavy purple-brown hair of Katie, falling past her shoulders, held in a pony-tail, and topped with a grey corduroy hat. She admired Katie's beautiful green eyes, smiled at how much she adored them.

Both noticing how long the moment had lasted, they blush and Katie turns a bit to her left.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Ash nods, smiling wider and showing her brilliantly white teeth. She watches Katie turn, walking to her small four-door. Ash admires the tight jeans, tight band shirt. She scolds herself, and turns to go to her own car.

You're such a dumbass, she thinks. Scare her away on the first day! What were you thinking, that kisso n the cheek, holding her hands while you spent eternity staring at her? She sighs. Well, at least I didn't waste my time staring at something ugly. What could be more beautiful than her?

Katie scolded herself even as she turned back around to stare. Oh, I love those pants. What are they called? Bondage pants? Yes. She listened as the chains hanging from them jingled. She admired how they brought out Ash's bum. Tsk tsk, she yelled at herself.

Katie had always known she'd liked girls. Well. She hadn't always known. But she'd realized it a few years before. And sure, she'd had girl crushes, but she'd never worried about it much before. Before now. She'd never felt the connection, the spark that she'd felt today. That she'd felt with Ash. This is new... she decided. She sighed, and got into her car.

Ash walked into the door of her family's apartment. If you could call it a family. Her dad was all she had left. Her mother had died two years ago, and her father had yet to care at all.

He drank. A lot. She usually just shrugged it off. It had become normal. Tonight, he came storming into the living room, screaming something about "goddamn Tom." He focused his too-red eyes on her.

"Where have you been?" He asked, drunkenly, slurring all the words together.

"At the coffee shop, Dad." She tried to pass.

He stopped her. "Lying little bitch." She grimaced, a few tears stinging her eyes.

"I'm not lying, Dad." He answered in a whisper that stung her throat.

He struck her, hard, on the mouth, which wouldn't have hurt as much if his ring hadn't tugged her lip ring. She fell to the floor with a cry. He grunted, kicked her leg out of the way, and plopped down onto the couch.

"Someday you'll learn not to lie to me, you little slut. I know you were out fucking your boyfriend."

She didn't answer, tired of arguing, and not strong enough to. She pushed herself to her feet, and made her way back to the bathroom.

Her lip was bleeding, and she noticed a bruise forming already. It was small, but noticeable. She groaned, but got ready for bed.

Katie sighed as she dropped her keys on the table by the door. She smiled until she saw the look on her dad's face. He was on the phone, frowning, his face slightly red. When he saw her, he stopped pacing, and handed over the phone, shrugging.

She took it, glancing over at her step-mom, who was watching television.

"I'm not coming home." Katie said, without so much as a hello. She sat down on the recliner in her room; grabbing the remote, she turned on her stereo. "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure began to play.

"Why aren't you?" Her mother sighed on the other end of the line.

"I'm tired of never being good enough to you. Don't worry, though. I'll come visit." She hit the "off" button, frowning. Memories came flooding back, of her mother's scolding, yelling.

"All you do is fail! You don't appreciate me, and I'm tired of it! I should just send you to your father's!"

Well... I beat her to that, didn't I? She thought, tears streaming down her face.

She grabbed under the bed for her bag, using a Kleenex to blot the tears on her cheeks. I shouldn't do this, she though. And why am I? She didn't stop, however, pulling the dagger out of its sheath, smiling at the shininess of the blade, amplified by the tears in her eyes.

Moving back her sleeve and wristbands, she laid her arm down on the bed. She laid the coolness against her bare skin and breathed in deeply.

Ash sighed, smiling, as she woke up, staring at the clock on her bedside table. The numbers --flashing 11:37-- meant nothing to her. She glanced down and saw her headphones that she had thrown on the floor in her sleep. They were laying on top of her cell phone, which, as if on cue, started to play its ring tone.

Ash, hopeful, picked it up quickly, breathed in slowly, and answered.

"Yeah." She said, waiting for the voice on the other end.

She heard the caller's sharp intake of breath.

"Hey, Ash, this is Katie. Am I calling at an inconvenient time?"

Ash closed her eyes, smiling to herself.

"No, no, of course not. In fact, you have perfect timing. I just woke up." Ash stood up, and moved towards her mirror. She grimaced as she saw the reflection.

The bruise from the night before had darkened, showing on the bottom right of her lip. She rolled her eyes, and shrugged.

"Oh, cool. I was hoping you'd wanna go out to lunch, or just do something in general. I've gotta get out of this house." Katies said, and Ash could hear her jingling her keys, ready to go.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds great. Meet you at the coffee shop in twenty minutes?"

"Great." Katie said, hesitating afterwards. Neither girl started to hang up, and when they both realized it, they laughed.

"Uh... see ya." Ash said.

"Yeah... Bye." Katie said, hanging up.

When Ash pulled up, she immediately spotted Katie, but Katie didn't see her. Ash sat in her car a minute, watching her. She was leaning against her cute little car, the sun shining brightly, giving Katie a glow that made her look positively radiant.

Knowing she couldn't sit in her car all day, Ash got out, running a hand back through her hair. She noticed Katie staring at her, and she smiled.

Ash made her way over. "Hey, beautiful."

Katie blushed, grinning. "You too. Where do you suggest? Remember I'm new around here."

Ash grinned. "Come on." She led her way back to her car.

A few minutes later, after scaring Katie to death at how fast she drove, they pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a dark, abandoned building. Katie glanced at Ash.

"What is this place? She asked, smiling.

"It's a sandwich place meant for teenagers. Met some good lays here once upon a time." Ash said, getting out of the car.

Katie didn't know whether or not to take her seriously, so she said nothing and followed her new friend inside.

Ash walked down the alley between the old building in question and another. She noticed Katie, walking beside her, shiver. She grinned over at her.

“Do you need someone to hold your hand?” She asked, glancing up ahead and then back at Katie.

Katie grinned back, and said, “As a matter of fact, I do!” She then grabbed Ash’s right hand wither her left, surprising the taller girl.

Ash smiled, pretending not to be surprised. “Cute.” She said, squeezing her hand a little.

Katie just laughed, loving the warmth and softness of the other girl’s hand. They walked into the building, Ash leading the way through the dark, dusty corridors.

Katie started to get nervous, wondering if Ash had brought her here to scare her. Then, when she stopped reassuring herself that this was not true, Ash opened a door to a dimly lighted, comfortable room.

They found seats in large, overstuffed leather chairs, looking out the window, revealing a beautiful, sun-filled landscape. Music was playing low; Ash recognized it as Switchfoot. She hummed along, looking out through the glass. She realized Katie was studying something on her face. She turned and smiled.

“Yes?”

Katie hesitated, then reached out and touched the bruise on Ash’s lip.

“What happened?” She asked, feeling the swelling.

Ash took Katie’s hand down and held it. She took in a breath. “Nothing. Well… it’s a long story, really.” She smiled, changing the subject. “So, what reaction is your boyfriend having, back in your old town?”

Katie blushed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“I… I’m single.”

Ash looked surprised.

“Really? Beautiful girl like you? Why the hell are you?”

“I guess none of the girls in my old town were interested.” Katie said with a grin, obviously enjoying the startled look on Ash’s face.

“…Girls?” Ash asked, swallowing a lump in her throat. This can’t be true… Nothing ever goes the way I hope… so this can’t be right, she thought, staring at the other girl.

Katie nodded, sure that Ash would get up and run out screaming any second.

But Ash just smiled. “Awesome. Me too.” She slapped her a high five.

“You… like girls too?” Katie asked hesitantly.

“Realized it a couple of years ago.” Ash answered, taking a bit out of her sandwich. “Guys are jerks. Every one of them. And girls are hotter.” She grinned.

Katie nodded, taking one of Ash’s chips. “True.” She said, before popping it in her mouth. "So... have you ever had a girlfriend?" She asked, trying to stay cool, though she could feel her cheeks heating up.

Ash frowned. "I've... dated a few girls, but I didn't like any of them enough to consider a relationship. The girl I dated the longest, her name was Nikki, started to get kind of clingy after... after a few dates, and I broke up with her. She still calls me, begging for a second chance, but I say no. She's pretty scary." Ash visibly shuddered. She hesitated a second before speaking again. "What about you?"

It was Katie's turn to frown. "Well... when I first realized it, I told my best friend... And we... you know, experimented, I guess you'd say. We made out, and did a little more, but we didn't have sex... But the next week, I think her boyfriend found out... And she hasn't spoken to me since." Ash noticed a few tears gathering in the seemingly younger girl's eyes. Katie turned away, pretending to be grabbing a napkin off the nearby table. When she turned around, she had the napkin in her hand, but didn't use it to wipe her eyes, but her mug instead. "But, no, I've never had a girlfriend."

Ash, not really the comforting one, said nothing. She nodded, lowering her eyes as she took a drink out of her own mug. What does she want me to say? I wish I could say something, but... I just... can't.

Katie sat up higher in her chair. "I'm sorry. I guess I kind of put you on the spot, didn't I?"

Ash smiled. "No, no, I'm sorry, I... I've never been good at knowing how to say the right thing at the right time. I'm not a very comforting person." She laughed. "I think most parents can tell that the second they see me."

Katie smiled, more comfortable now. "I like being with you."

Ash imitated a violin player; arm across the shoulder, back across the chest. "I'm joking. Thank you. I agree." She smiled. "It's a feeling like... like a new beginning. A good one." She laughed out loud at the grin on Katie's face. "I know, I know. I'm being dramatic now. I can't help it... I come here to write poetry. Or, rather... I used to."

Katie's eyes brightened with her growing smile. "Really? Will you let me read it?"

Ash reached across the table and ruffled the other girl's hair. "Maybe when you're older, kid." Ash grinned, standing up. "Come on. Let's get out of here. It's a depressing place."

Katie stood up as well. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess it is." When they left the room, Katie took Ash's hand again. Ash laughed, looking over at her. "Why not make it a tradition?"

Ash smirked. What's this? Am I feeling happiness for the first time in my life? "Yeah... why not?"