Teenage Life Sucks

The moonlight poured through the open curtains and flowed across the
carpet towards the bed. It smothered the furniture and lit up the
figure in the bed with a milky glow. Her pale, almost translucent
cheeks sparkled in the night. Her softly moulded lips were slightly
parted, the faint whisper of breath escaping so quietly.
Zo? Canterbury woke with a start. Loud, echoing noises bounced off her
door and strange bangs filtered the air. She sat up and scrunched up
her duvet, bringing it close to her face. Then there was silence.
She waited with baited breath when the handle turned and in staggered
Daniel, her mother's boyfriend.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked, pulling the duvet closer to
her face.
He held a can of beer in one hand and in the other was her diary.
"That's mine!" she cried, reaching for it.
"Interesting life you got," he exclaimed. "But there's no need for
this."
He read aloud her innermost secrets, the hateful feelings she had
towards Daniel.
She begged him to stop, but he carried on.
"Oh, listen to this, 'The way he looks at you, like he's imagining you
naked, putting his greasy hands on your body. He's sick.' Tutt, tutt,
this won't do."
He grabbed her hand but she pulled away. Furious, he snatched her hair
and dragged her into the kitchen, shoving her head into the sink. He
started to turn the faucet, but stopped when he saw Zo?'s mother come
down the stairs.
He let go of her and to her advantage, she ran into the hallway,
slipping and sliding on the tacky linoleum.
He advanced towards her, hand shaking, the beer spilling on the cool
tiles, spit spraying as he cursed her. She sank onto the floor, tears
rolling helplessly down her cheeks.
"Crying what solve this girl!" he shouted.
She looked up at him. His face was red, his grey hair sticking to the
balding spot on his scalp. A drop of saliva hung from his bottom
lip.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she stammered, raising her hand to her
face.
"Leave her alone," came the slurred words from her drunken mother. She
slipped down the stairs, zigzagging across the floor.
"Don't tell me what to do woman," he warned.
"Ah, shut up you fat slob," she laughed.
"Don't you dare call me that," he roared, lifting his fist and
threatening to knock her over.
Her mother tried her best to be serious, her eyes going in and out of
focus.
Zo? felt her way across the floor, keeping her back to the wall and
her eyes on Daniel and her mother.
Looking to the side, she realised that the front door was just metres
away. If she could make it to there without them noticing then she
might have a chance of getting out.
Daniel turned to her.
"And where do you think your going?" he leered, and leaping forward,
he grabbed her arm, twisted it hard, and pulled her up so that she was
on tiptoes, her chest pressed against the large bulge of his
'beer-belly'.
"Let go of her!" shouted her mother, leaning against the wooden
kitchen table for support.
She tried to squirm free, but Daniel shoved her hard against the cold
glass door, and with his other hand, found her throat and started to
squeeze it, pressing his large fingers into the pale skin around her
neck.
Zo? summed up all her remaining strength and kicked Daniel hard
between the legs.
He let her go, groaning, doubled over with pain.
She grabbed her trainers and ran for the door. Daniel looked up to see
her run past, but he stuck out his foot and she tripped, sprawling
across the clay tiles.
He leant over her; the foul smell of sweat mingled with beer and
cigarettes, and began rhythmically punching her wherever he could find,
kicking her in the stomach, hitting her face.
Zo?'s mother watched, but finally love for her daughter took over her
drunken state.
She rammed into Daniel, knocking him over and letting Zo? escape
through the front door.
Not waiting to see if her mother was all right, Zo? rushed down the
driveway and ran. She ran and she ran and she ran, not caring where she
was going or who she might meet.

* * *

Katie Hawthorn ran a hand through her short crimson hair and took a
deep gulp from her glass of cola. Sighing, she glanced at the text on
the paper and set about copying it into the laptop, pausing every now
and again to peer at the small letters.
Her mother and father had gone for a meal, leaving Katie to baby-sit
her baby brother Luke. Luke was asleep, so Katie decided to make a
start on her English essay, even though it was a Saturday night.
She hadn't noticed how quiet it was until the doorbell rang, echoing
throughout the empty corridor.
She padded barefooted down the carpeted hall and lifted the latch on
the door.
"Oh my god, Zo?!" she cried.
Zo? stood, wobbling on the porch. Her face was bruised and a nasty
purple cut had formed on her upper lip. Her sweater had been ripped and
there were red welts on her neck. Tears were spilling down her cheeks,
and her breath came in short gasps. Katie now felt her own eyes
watering, and she stepped forward to hug Zo?.
Whimpering with pain, Zo? was led into the lounge and sat down on the
couch.
Zo? stared around uncomfortably at the warm surroundings of Katie's
home. Pictures of her and her family were everywhere, and sadly Zo?
realised that they were all happy photos, everyone smiling, hugging,
laughing.
Katie came back into the room with a glass of water, her mascara
smudged beneath her green eyes.
"What happened?" Katie whispered.
Zo? stared at her feet, and gulped.
"It was Daniel."
Though Katie knew this would be the answer, she was still shocked. Zo?
pushed her limp russet hair out of her eyes, and looked up at her best
friend.
Fresh new tears spilled onto Katie's cheeks and they threw their arms
around each other, sobbing hysterically.
After a while, Katie made Zo? and herself a cup of tea, and they
talked. Katie lost count the number of times both of them started
crying in the middle of sentences.
It was a little after eleven when Katie's parents returned home. Their
voices floated up the drive, and they were laughing heartily when they
pushed open the door.
"Hi Katie," her mother said, but she stopped in her tracks when she
saw Zo?.
"Oh my god, Zo?, what happened?"
Katie's mother knelt in front of Zo?, holding her hand.
"It was Daniel, Mrs Hawthorn." Zo? whispered.
Katie's mother glanced uneasily at her husband, who stood motionless
in the living room doorway.
"Well, I don't want you going back there tonight. You're to stay here,
and you can sleep in Katie's room. And don't call me Mrs Hawthorn. Call
me Diane, okay?" She patted Zo?'s hand then added, "Don't worry about
your mother. She'll be fine. She's strong, don't worry."
Mrs Hawthorn smiled at Zo? and motioned to Katie to take her to bed.
Rather unfortunately, Diane Hawthorn had bumped into Daniel
occasionally and she felt physically sick when she looked at Zo?. Her
husband took her into the kitchen and made her a strong cup of coffee.
They both knew what would happen if Zo? went back to soon.
As Zo? climbed into bed a little while later, Katie went back
downstairs to discuss the situation with her parents. Their voices
drifted through the open door and Zo? cried silently. She felt so tired
and so uneasy. She wanted to scream, pull her hair out, and bite her
fingernails.
The quilt, which comforted her, was warm and thick and she settled
down, despite what had happened. Soon she fell asleep.
She had a dreamless sleep, and didn't wake when Katie's brother Luke
awoke, crying due to a nightmare. Her body was totally relaxed and for
once, she wasn't worried. Her mind was blissfully blank and her breath
was short and sweet.
When Zo? did open her eyes, the sun was shining, the birds were
twittering and for once in Zo?'s life she could actually say Good
Morning and mean it. But then she remembered why she was here in this
bed, Katie's bed, in Katie's house.
She stretched out her arms, and yawned.
Turning on her side, Zo? looked over to where Katie lay asleep,
snoring gently. Her cherry red hair splayed across the soft white
pillow, and her eyelids fluttering lightly.
Without waking her, Zo? crept over to the bedroom door and slowly
pulled it open. She then tiptoed down the stairs and walked into the
kitchen where Mrs Hawthorn was reading a newspaper and sipping
coffee.
"Morning Zo?," she said, folding up her newspaper and putting it on
the table. "Er, Sam has already left for work and Luke's gone to
school, so there won't be any uneasy greetings or awkward silences,
okay?"
Zo? smiled gratefully and settled down on a stool opposite Katie's
mum.
"Help yourself to some coffee dear, here's a mug."
She passed Zo? a white coffee mug and Zo? set about pouring the brown
liquid slowly, letting the seductive smell envelope her. She dropped
two sugar lumps in and stirred it around.
"Is Katie still asleep?" Diane asked as she started buttering some
toast.
Zo? nodded, rubbed her eyes and gave a small gasp of pain.
"Is your face still hurting?" she asked, peering at Zo?.
Again, Zo? nodded.
"Oh, I have some cream what we can put on that, don't you worry. Would
you like some breakfast Zo?? We have toast, cereal, croissants, eggs,
bacon, whatever you want."
"Toast would be fine, thank you."
"Are you sure?" Zo? smiled. "Well, in that case what would you like on
it? You see I have 15 sorts of jams, not to mention butter, chocolate
spread, peanut butter."
Zo? laughed.
"Just butter, thanks."
Diane turned her back to get the toast, and then laid the plate on the
table, the golden butter oozing on the ceramic.
"So how's that coffee? Is it good? It's a new kind that was on special
offer at the supermarket so I thought I'd try it. Not to strong, is
it?"
"It's really nice."
"Good, good. Katie! You're up. Nice of you to join us."
Katie dragged herself into the room, still dozy with lack of sleep,
plopped down onto a stool and gulped down Zo?'s mug of coffee.
"Katie!"
"It doesn't matter Diane." Zo? giggled, feeling a little like her old
self but still in pain.
"Um, Zo?," Katie started.
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to go back home today? It's just I want to make sure
your ready, you know."
"Katie!" Diane said again.
"No, Mrs Hawthorn. It's fine. Yeah, you know what, I think I will go
back. They should have sobered up by now, don't you think?" Zo? tried
to make a joke but it failed. Katie and her mother both leant in and
cuddled Zo?, and one by one they all began to cry.
Later, outside the Canterbury residence, Zo? stood looking up at the
modern house with its double-glazed windows and nice modern curtains.
She gingerly touched her face, which was now covered in plasters and
cream (Thanks to Diane), straightened the clothes she borrowed from
Katie and stepped forward.
Diane placed a hand on her arm.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Zo? gulped and nodded.
She pushed open the front door and stepped inside. The house was
deadly quiet and her footsteps echoed around her. It looked normal. The
curtains were drawn, the magazines stacked. But oddly, the kitchen door
was shut. Shaking, Zo? reached out a hand and pushed the door. It
looked like the remains of a gun field. The table was tilted; one leg
broken in two, plates smashed on the floor, food and drink littered
everywhere.
The smell was unbearable. The whole room stank of sour vomit and
urine, with an earthy tinge to it.
Zo? was quick to cover her mouth, and before she called to see if
anyone was there, she ran out of the door and into the arms of her
friends.
"What happened?" Diane asked, stroking Zo?'s head as she wept into her
brown
Suede coat.
Yet no matter how hard she tried to get the words out she couldn't.
Her throat closed up and all her painful memories swirled back into her
head. She started recalling the time when her parents split up. She
herself was only five, and she had arrived home from school to find her
mother and father screaming and yelling and shouting at each
other.
Her father apologised to Zo?, saying it had nothing to do with her and
that they both loved her, but he was going away for a while and would
see her later that week. She didn't see him, and never has. He simply
disappeared, and no matter how many detectives Mrs Canterbury had
hired, they found no trace of him, alive or dead.
Then another reminiscence came into her head, when her mother
remarried. Zo? was seven, and her mother's best friend, Adam, proposed
to her. He was kind, funny and exceedingly blas? towards her. For once
Zo? thought her life was much better. Her mother had given up drinking
and smoking, they moved into Adam's house, which was so big, so clean
and so modern, Zo?'s mother felt uncomfortable living there. Soon,
Zo?'s mother was back on the drink and she lost her job.
From then on, Zo?'s life changed in many ways.

* * *

As she approached the school, her heart beat rose and her breath
quickened. Zo?'s face was still sore from the beating she had been
given, her upper lip was purple and she found it difficult to speak.
Katie gripped Zo?'s arm and led her into the car park where numerous
students were chatting and socializing before heading to class.
Whilst Zo?, with her head down, shuffled past a group of people Katie
hung out with, Katie gave them a look, which said, 'Don't ask or say
anything' so they remained quiet and watched with impatience as she
escorted Zo? into the front doors of the college.
The bell rang, and hundreds of students swarmed through the double
doors into the hall, jostling Katie and Zo?. They finally managed to
squeeze through the doorway into their homeroom, sidestepping out of
the way of the jocks and inching their way to their seats.
Eventually, the noise subsided, and the students sat down to await
their form tutor. Zo? kept her head down and avoided eye contact with
anyone, especially Katie.
"Quiet!" barked Mr Collins, his patent leather shoes clicking on the
floor. He strode past the front row of desks and flicked his spectacles
onto his eyes, peering at the register. He read the names out, and the
pupils answered in turn. Mr Collins perched himself on the edge of the
table, opened a newspaper and proceeded to ignore the class, as this
was the daily routine.
A small blonde haired teen approached Katie and leaned on her
desk.
"Hey Katie, what's up with Zo??" she said, keeping her voice
low.
"Nothing."