Bang!!! The sound of a door banging echoed from inside the house. Shawn bolted into the house and Jade ran after him. The entrance door was wide open and the sitting room was a mess. Broken glass, clothes - some torn, others intact - and a bunch of books littered the floor and giving Shawn an idea of what was happening.His dad had probably wanted to destroy everything that belonged to him in his rage but his mother had disallowed him. Shawn pressed his lips together, balling his fists as he ran to the kitchen where Sergio was banging against the door.“Leave my mother alone!” He said, earning him a stare and a chuckle from Sergio. “You wanted me. Here I am. Leave mom out of this.” Shawn said again as Sergio turned to face the door again.Sergio glared at him. “She's not your mom! She's my wife and you're not my son. Not anymore. So, she's not your mom.” He turned to face the door. “Rachel, you have five minutes to come out to me. If you don't, I'll break down this

Jade scratched her head as she walked down the stairs. She hadn't looked in a mirror since she woke up but she was sure she looked very untidy. She had overslept and had had a pleasant dream. Her mouth was plastered with dried drool and her hair was in a tangled mess. Her eyes were probably swollen from her very long and peaceful sleep. She knew she was supposed to wash up first but she woke up feeling very thirsty. If she didn't drink water, she reasoned she'd turn to stone. So it didn't matter how heavy her legs were and how messy she looked she trudged towards the kitchen to get a drink.She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and immediately gulped it down. Once she was done, she proceeded to wash her face in the sink."I'll take it that you had a great sleep last night." She heard Lewis's voice and she lifted her head turning it in his direction. He was leaning by the kitchen door eating a bowl of cereal."What time is it?" She asked making a futile

Shawn trudged slowly along the street, his phone in his hand, praying for a call from Jade. He hoped she'd stop being difficult and let him by her side. Even though he knew it would never happen, he still wished she could go back to being the carefree yet lovable girl he used to know. He wished he could reverse time. He would make sure she never got hurt.But these were all wishful thinking. Jade had changed and was never going to call him back and if he doesn't return to his home, he'd have to sleep on the streets. He hated the idea of returning to his home. Being in it made him feel caged up and now that he had tasted freedom, he was reluctant to go back to his cage.He groaned, coming to an abrupt stop. It was the middle of the night and he was stuck outside with no money on him and nowhere to go. Heck, he hadn't stayed up this late intentionally before. Thinking about it made him want to cry, but according to his father, real men don't cry - only sissies do.

7:45 a.m. Shawn sighed with relief as he checked his phone. He was right on time. He knocked on the door of the principal's office feeling somewhat lucky. His father was currently behind bars so his mother was safe. He had found a job and could now support himself and his mother.His suspension had been rescinded and so he was back on track to emerging as the valedictorian. And best of all, his estranged best friend was again warming up to him. Also, even though he had only woken up about thirty minutes ago, he had somehow managed to be on time for his appointment with Principal Dolan. The universe seemed to be working in his favor.He was about to knock again when he heard footsteps and a chuckle from behind him. He turned around and saw Principal Dolan and Jacob Adler - Jade's father - walking toward the office. Immediately, he bowed his head a little, offering a word of appreciation to Jacob but all he did was smile at him.Principal Dolan cleared his throat, stretching out his han