I woke up to the sound of Jace screaming my name from downstairs.

"Dakota! Get your ass up!" He screamed as I heard the sound of pans crash onto the kitchen floor.

I groaned as I rubbed my hands over my face, slowly dragging them down. I screamed into the palm of my hands, already wanting to go back to sleep. I groaned and stretched my whole body out as I yanked the blankets off of me.

I am not a morning person.

I slowly got my ass out of bed, slightly wincing in the process, totally forgetting about the bandage wrapped tightly around my stomach.

I trudged my way to the bathroom and brushed my hair, deciding to leave my blonde, naturally wavy hair down. I brushed my teeth and put some makeup on to try and cover what's left of the yellow colored bruise on my face.

I lifted my shirt up to replace the bandage, wincing as I touched a tender part of my abdomen. I slowly peeled a bit of the end off, trying to get a sturdy grip before I peeled the rest. Once I got a good grip, I slowly took the bandage off, taking my time because I didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain.

Once I finally got it off, I looked down and saw a little blood left on the inside of the bandage. I looked in the mirror and glanced down at my abdomen. I took in a sharp breath as my eyes raked over my body.

I hated the way I looked. The way my ribs poked out because I was so thin. The visible scars on my abdomen and chest made it hard for me to look at the reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at me looked so sad, she looked so exhausted, and she truly was.

I rubbed my forehead and sighed, trying to get rid of the negative thoughts that consumed me everyday. I needed a distraction, so I just focused on putting the new bandage on correctly.

My whole stomach was still a mix of blue and purple. While my mother broke a few ribs, she also got a few kicks in under my ribs, explaining the excessive bruising on my lower abdomen.

I couldn't stand looking at the dark blue and purple bruises any longer, so I quickly got a new bandage and wrapped it securely around my waist.

After I finished in the bathroom, I went back into my room to get dressed. I put on some black leggings and an oversized hoodie Jace gave to me a few years ago. I paired this outfit with a plain white pair of converse, not really caring about my appearance.

I walked out of my room and made my way downstairs, towards the kitchen. I noticed Jace making pancakes on the stove as he cut strawberries and placed them into a bowl for extra toppings.

"Good morning."

"Good morning little brother," I grinned as I ruffled the top of his head. He glared at me and raked his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it. I just laughed as he narrowed his eyes at me, pissed that I messed up his hair.

I got my bag ready and cleaned up more empty beer bottles that were scattered around the house. These bottles have been sitting here for a while, but nobody has had time to pick them up with everything that's been going on lately.

After I threw away the last bottle, I slowly made my way up the stairs and trudged towards Olivia's room to wake her up.

I eventually got her up and helped her get ready just like every morning. I packed her lunch, got her backpack ready, and helped put a floral dress on her petite body.

After everyone was ready, we gathered together and scarfed down the pancakes Jace had made. We sat at the dining table, silently eating our pancakes until it was time to leave.

~•~•~

Jace and I dropped Liv off at her elementary school as we waved to her a small goodbye. After I saw her blonde locks disappear into the building, I quickly sped off and drove towards East Lakewood High.

We all haven't been to school in a while due to some 'minor inconveniences', so it was good to finally get back. I have so much shit to catch up on it's not even funny. As much as I was ready to get back, I was definitely not prepared for the shit ton of homework I'd be assigned.

I parked my car in the student parking lot and we both walked towards the large brick building, already wanting to go back home, missing the comfort of my bed.

Jace threw me a goodbye as he ran over to his football friends, just like every morning.

Before I could even step foot into the building, I felt arms wrap around my waist and my feet were no longer touching the ground. I could smell the person's perfume from underneath me and automatically knew it was Nora. What is with this girl and hugs?

Before I knew it, pain immediately shot up from my lower stomach and spread like a wildfire, heading straight towards my ribs. I felt my broken ribs grind against each other as I clenched my jaw, trying not to scream out in pain.

"Jesus Christ!" I struggled, trying to get the words out. The breath was knocked out of me as I wheezed with every breath I took.

I looked below me and saw my best friend clinging on to me for dear life as tears sprung in her eyes.

"I missed you so much Dak. Jace told me everything that happened. How are you feeling?" She asked, finally releasing me as she stepped back.

"I was fine until you squeezed the shit out of me. I can't breathe," I groaned as I bent over, trying to catch my breath. I was only able to inhale little amounts of air, so breathing was painful and I quickly began to feel lightheaded.

My hands were clutching my stomach, clinging onto my shirt, trying to ease the pain somehow. I didn't know how to make it go down. I heaved, trying to throw up but only air came out as my stomach clenched.

Nora gasped as she put her hand over her mouth. "Dakota I am so sorry."

"Oh god, are you okay?" I heard a male voice ask from in front of me. I could hear the concern in his voice as his shadow appeared to be standing only a few feet in front of me.

"Just peachy," I wheezed as I held back the tears I refused to spill. I would not cry in front of them, I was stronger than that.

"Colton, do you see her? Does she look okay to you?" Another guy asked, his strong musky cologne filling my nostrils.

"Obviously not, but I wanted to ask to make sure."

Then it clicked.

These were Karson's friends.

I didn't even look up to see if Karson was there, I was too focused on trying to find a way to ease the burning sensation in my ribs.

Why is all the bad shit happening to me? Why can't I just have one normal day? There hasn't been one day this week where I haven't got hurt. From my mother, to Brody, to my mother again, and now Nora. Will the pain ever end?

"Dak, I-I'm so sorry. I-I totally forgot about your ribs," she whimpered as she bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears.

"It's ok Nora, I'll be fine," I breathed, trying to reassure her. I knew the pain would go down soon, but as of right now, my whole body ached. I figured that the healing process would probably take longer now because of the extra damage caused from the pressure of that hug.

"What happened to your ribs?" Braxton asked curiously. I heard a scoff coming from the person standing next to Braxton.

Ah yes, Karson.

My favorite person.

"Do you guys not see what she's doing? It's so fucking obvious. She's putting up this bullshit act for attention. She's being dramatic," Karson accused, his eyes narrowing into slits as he took a step forward.

I whipped my head up to see Karson, Braxton, and Colton standing in front of me. I stood up too fast and I felt black dots slightly cover my vision. Nora grabbed my arm, helping me stand up straight as the dots slowly faded.

"What the hell is your problem?" I hissed.

"You," he pointed, his voice rising in anger. "I hate people like you, making shit up for attention."

I glared at him. "Are you kidding me? You think I'm making this up?"

"Of course I do princess," He smirked. "Who the fuck almost cries because of a hug? It's bullshit."

"You think you've got me all figured out don't you pretty boy?" I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Oh I do. You're just a white girl who makes shit up for attention because you don't get enough from mommy and daddy at home," Karson snarled.

My whole body stiffened as I felt my nails dig into my palms, drawing blood as my nails dug deeper into my skin. The thought of my dad made my heart clench, I missed him so much.

"Fuck you Karson," I hissed, shaking my head as I gave a dry laugh.

He just smirked, knowing damn well his words affected me. My body gave the answer he needed before any words left my mouth. My parents were a sensitive topic to me and only Nora knows that.

This was only my second time talking to Karson, and I already fucking despised him. How can Colton and Braxton deal with being around him for longer than ten minutes? I don't know how they do it. He's such a dick.

I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my veins and I was trying so hard to refrain myself from punching this asshole in the face. I could feel my head pounding, my body nearly shaking with anger.

Nora slightly nudged my arm, breaking me away from my gaze as she told me the bell was about to ring. I unclenched my hands and took a shaky breath.

The adrenaline made the pain go away for a few seconds before resurfacing only minutes later.

As I took deep breaths, the pain slowly started to go down. As long as I kept taking deep breaths, I would be fine. I needed to calm down.

"We need to go, class is about to start," she whispered. I cannot be late to class. I've only been to school for a few days this year because of all the chaos that's been happening in my life, so I couldn't risk being late.

I slowly nodded my head and glared at Karson before turning around to leave. Nora held onto my arm for extra support as we slowly walked to our first period class.

••••

The school day wasn't very exciting. I just caught up on all of my missing work while I listened to music, just keeping to myself.

I didn't even realize I shared a few classes with the guys until I saw them in my 3rd and 6th period. We never really talked to each other, just spared a few glances here and there.

It was last period and I was just waiting for the bell to ring. My leg was bouncing up and down as I stared at the clock, trying to make the time go faster.

The pain in my abdomen went down after I took some Advil during 4th period. I ended up going to the nurses office and grabbed some pain relievers from Mrs. Smith. Like always, she asked if I was okay and I responded with the same answer every time, I'm fine. I really appreciated how much she truly cared, but I wasn't ready to tell her what happened. I'm not ready to tell anyone besides Nora.

Although the medicine did help, I had to be careful with how fast I moved because if I moved too fast, I would immediately get lightheaded.

The bell broke me away from my thoughts and I quickly started packing up my stuff. I told Jace to wait by the car if he got out of football practice early. He has football last period so he usually just waits by my car until I get there.

I walked out of the school and headed straight towards the student parking lot. It didn't take long for me to see Jace leaning against the car, his head resting against the metal door. He had all of his football equipment and his hair was wet, indicating he just got out of the shower.

I unlocked my door and quickly got into the driver's seat. I watched Jace as he slowly got up from the concrete and plopped down in the passenger's seat.

"I can't move," he mumbled. "So sore."

I laughed at him as I pulled out of my parking spot.

"Maybe joining the football team wasn't a good idea," he huffed. "Coach made Brody take over practice today and he kicked everyone's ass."

I looked over at him and raised my eyebrow.

"Poor you," I pouted sarcastically.

"So sore," he repeated.

I rolled my eyes in amusement as we drove to pick Olivia up. We reached her school ten minutes later and I parked my car while Jace just stayed inside.

I opened the doors to the elementary school, trying to search for a certain 5 year old. It didn't take long for me to spot her light blonde hair moving up and down as she ran towards me.

I smiled as I crouched down, letting her run into my arms.

"Sissy," she giggled. "How is your tummy feeling?"

I smiled, "I'm feeling so much better Liv, your singing really helped me."

"I knew my beautiful voice would work," she beamed.

I slightly laughed to myself, letting Liv imagine that her voice magically healed my stomach. Hey, if it meant that she wouldn't worry about me anymore, I would even let her believe that a unicorn who shit rainbows healed my stomach.

I lightly shook my head, helping Liv carry her school bag as we both headed back to the car. We immediately started driving home so we could rest after a long day of school.

When we got home, everyone went their separate ways right as we stepped into the house. I started on my homework, Liv took a small nap, and of course Jace was playing video games in the living room.

We finally had a good, relaxing night. After everything that's been going on lately, it reminded me to take advantage of the good nights and enjoy it while it lasts, because we all knew it wouldn't last for long.

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