A/N: Okay... umm... this kinda deals with abuse of a sort... and it's got
some language which is the only reason I've rated it like it is...
---Family and Friends, Water and Blood---
By Ashley S. Brown
=======================================
A few random raindrops speckled down onto the windshield as Riley Johnson started up her car. She flicked on her windshield wipers and her headlights and pulled out onto the road. Grabbing her purse, she felt around in it, hoping to find a cigarette. She knew it was a lost cause, after Jonathon had requested she stop, she'd cut down, until eventually he blew up at her and threw all of the cigarettes she had away. He'd done a lecture, and she'd be damned if he didn't end up being the only person to affect her with preaching.
Maybe it was the fact that he was the only one who'd ever shown any faith in her, the only person to ever believe that she wouldn't just end up as some cheap whore on the street or dead in a prison brawl. Maybe that was why she listened to him and quit smoking, and drinking, and partying ever chance she got.
Picking up the bag she threw it as hard as she could into the backseat, wanting to do more to take out her anger, but managing to keep her head and not do anything that would kill her. She flipped on the radio, turning it up as loud as she could bear it.
After twenty minutes of driving, Riley pulled into the driveway of a darkened house, turning her car off. She unbuckled and leaned back, grabbing her purse and some of its contents. She messed with her hair until it fell in her face, hiding the left half.
She got out and, ignoring the storm that now raged on around her, walked slowly up to the porch. Before she even got to it, the door opened.
"Riley?" A voice asked. It was too dark for him to see her, but she smiled.
"Yeah. How'd you guess?" she replied lazily, trying to keep emotion out of her voice.
"Who else shows up at my house at ten o'clock at night?" he asked.
"Better not be anyone else... cause that'd mean you ain't telling me something, and that's unacceptable, Jonathon Maxwell!" she yelled, beginning to run up to the porch.
She squeezed by him and looked around the dark living room that she knew so well. He flipped on a light and guided her to a chair.
"Lucky your parents aren't home, eh?" she asked, forcing a laugh.
Jonathon crouched down on the floor in front of her, "What happened this time, Riles?"
Riley bit her lip, shoving her hair out of her face. Jonathon winced at the sight, and she wondered briefly how bad it was this time to make him react like that... usually he was pretty emotionless when it came to dealing with this.
"Be right back, 'kay?" he whispered. She nodded in response, trying to bite back the tears that were now streaming down her face.
When Jonathon came back she was crying pretty hard. He sat down on the arm of the chair, putting an arm around her. "Hey, hon, it's okay, got it? I'm gonna fix you up, you can stay here for a while... Mom and Dad won't be home for at least a week... probably longer though."
She nodded, trying to stop crying. Jonathon helped her up, moving her over to the couch and picking back up the things he'd gotten from the bathroom. She noticed a mirror and snatched it from him, looking to see what damage had been done.
There was a cut above her already black eye, her whole cheek was a bloody mess and hurt like bloody hell, and her lip was swollen to about three times its normal size. Her eye had blood in it, but only because the cut above it was bleeding profusely.
She sat the mirror down and waited for Jonathon to clean her up, like he always did. She winced and cursed in the usual places as he dabbed and swatted his hand away like always, but other than that she was pretty cooperative.
When he was finished, he smiled at her.
"What would I do without a friend like you, Jonathon?" she whispered. He hugged her and shook his head.
"I'm not sure, Riles, I'm not sure."
Riley stuck her tongue out and scrunched her face up the best she could without hurting it more. He laughed and grabbed the mess he'd made while cleaning her up.
"I guess you didn't bring clothes?" He asked, looking at her purse that lay all alone on the floor.
"Hell, Jonathon, I forgot you threw my cigarettes away or I wouldn't have brought that thing."
He smirked and commented slowly, "So good at promises, aren't you?"
She threw a pillow at him, causing him to laugh, "Come on, I'll get you something to sleep in."
She got up and began to follow him up the stairs to his room. "Hey, umm... thanks for helping me. I'm sorry I get into so much shit, Jonathon."
He turned around and shook his head, "Riley, Riley, Riley, it's not your fault. It's your father's fault for getting so drunk. If he wouldn't get so damn drunk, he wouldn't hit you." He wiped away a stray tear as she came up to the step below him.
=======================================
A/N: Not quite positive where the idea for this came from. It's the first chapter in the story I'm attempting to write, but I'm not sure I'm going to post any more of it. Please review and tell me what you think? Thanks~
~Ashley
---Family and Friends, Water and Blood---
By Ashley S. Brown
=======================================
A few random raindrops speckled down onto the windshield as Riley Johnson started up her car. She flicked on her windshield wipers and her headlights and pulled out onto the road. Grabbing her purse, she felt around in it, hoping to find a cigarette. She knew it was a lost cause, after Jonathon had requested she stop, she'd cut down, until eventually he blew up at her and threw all of the cigarettes she had away. He'd done a lecture, and she'd be damned if he didn't end up being the only person to affect her with preaching.
Maybe it was the fact that he was the only one who'd ever shown any faith in her, the only person to ever believe that she wouldn't just end up as some cheap whore on the street or dead in a prison brawl. Maybe that was why she listened to him and quit smoking, and drinking, and partying ever chance she got.
Picking up the bag she threw it as hard as she could into the backseat, wanting to do more to take out her anger, but managing to keep her head and not do anything that would kill her. She flipped on the radio, turning it up as loud as she could bear it.
After twenty minutes of driving, Riley pulled into the driveway of a darkened house, turning her car off. She unbuckled and leaned back, grabbing her purse and some of its contents. She messed with her hair until it fell in her face, hiding the left half.
She got out and, ignoring the storm that now raged on around her, walked slowly up to the porch. Before she even got to it, the door opened.
"Riley?" A voice asked. It was too dark for him to see her, but she smiled.
"Yeah. How'd you guess?" she replied lazily, trying to keep emotion out of her voice.
"Who else shows up at my house at ten o'clock at night?" he asked.
"Better not be anyone else... cause that'd mean you ain't telling me something, and that's unacceptable, Jonathon Maxwell!" she yelled, beginning to run up to the porch.
She squeezed by him and looked around the dark living room that she knew so well. He flipped on a light and guided her to a chair.
"Lucky your parents aren't home, eh?" she asked, forcing a laugh.
Jonathon crouched down on the floor in front of her, "What happened this time, Riles?"
Riley bit her lip, shoving her hair out of her face. Jonathon winced at the sight, and she wondered briefly how bad it was this time to make him react like that... usually he was pretty emotionless when it came to dealing with this.
"Be right back, 'kay?" he whispered. She nodded in response, trying to bite back the tears that were now streaming down her face.
When Jonathon came back she was crying pretty hard. He sat down on the arm of the chair, putting an arm around her. "Hey, hon, it's okay, got it? I'm gonna fix you up, you can stay here for a while... Mom and Dad won't be home for at least a week... probably longer though."
She nodded, trying to stop crying. Jonathon helped her up, moving her over to the couch and picking back up the things he'd gotten from the bathroom. She noticed a mirror and snatched it from him, looking to see what damage had been done.
There was a cut above her already black eye, her whole cheek was a bloody mess and hurt like bloody hell, and her lip was swollen to about three times its normal size. Her eye had blood in it, but only because the cut above it was bleeding profusely.
She sat the mirror down and waited for Jonathon to clean her up, like he always did. She winced and cursed in the usual places as he dabbed and swatted his hand away like always, but other than that she was pretty cooperative.
When he was finished, he smiled at her.
"What would I do without a friend like you, Jonathon?" she whispered. He hugged her and shook his head.
"I'm not sure, Riles, I'm not sure."
Riley stuck her tongue out and scrunched her face up the best she could without hurting it more. He laughed and grabbed the mess he'd made while cleaning her up.
"I guess you didn't bring clothes?" He asked, looking at her purse that lay all alone on the floor.
"Hell, Jonathon, I forgot you threw my cigarettes away or I wouldn't have brought that thing."
He smirked and commented slowly, "So good at promises, aren't you?"
She threw a pillow at him, causing him to laugh, "Come on, I'll get you something to sleep in."
She got up and began to follow him up the stairs to his room. "Hey, umm... thanks for helping me. I'm sorry I get into so much shit, Jonathon."
He turned around and shook his head, "Riley, Riley, Riley, it's not your fault. It's your father's fault for getting so drunk. If he wouldn't get so damn drunk, he wouldn't hit you." He wiped away a stray tear as she came up to the step below him.
=======================================
A/N: Not quite positive where the idea for this came from. It's the first chapter in the story I'm attempting to write, but I'm not sure I'm going to post any more of it. Please review and tell me what you think? Thanks~
~Ashley