“It was only one cut” Julia screamed to her counselor who never believed anything she said. She got up and slammed the door as she left. Julia was 16 years old, 5 foot 6, had hazel eyes, medium length brown hair, and she always wore converse. Julia’s school counselor found out she was cutting by rumors at school. She hated school. She never wanted to go but it was better than being at home. All her family ever did was fight her dad would hit her mom. Her brothers would hide in her room until she got home. Eric was 4 and Trever was 6. Trever had problems but never got help for them. Her mom was always high. Their family was messed up. Julia had two part time jobs to pay the bills. When she was at school she kept to herself. She despised everything and everyone. She was known as the messed up one.
Julia woke up to the sound of her mom yelling. She went to check everything out. Her dad was on top of her mom both of them naked.
Her mom kept screaming “get off of me”.
She didn’t want to do anything about it but she had had enough.
Julia screamed “get off of her now!”
Julia’s dad looked mad he got up and started yelling at her. She tried to get away but he grabbed her and squeezed her neck as hard as he could. He hit her and started to take her clothes off. Julia hit him and tried to get away but he held her down and forcefully molested her. She kept trying to get away but he would hit her when she moved. Julia’s mom watched the whole thing and did nothing.  Julia finally got away and ran to her room and got dressed and tried to hide the bruises with makeup. She hurried and got on to the bus. She sat in the far back of the bus.

  When she got to school she hurried to her locker and grabbed her books. Of course knowing her luck she ran into someone.  She went to get up and saw a hand reaching out to help her. She looked up it was Justin. He was tall, had blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, and dark brown hair. The typical jock. Julia took his hand and said she was sorry. He looked at her and just stared.
“What are you looking at?” Julia said with a sassy attitude.
He stared for a minute more. “Huh”.
“What are you looking at” she said slower.
Justin looked deep into her eyes “I’m looking at you.”
She gave him a littler smirk “why me, there are more people than just me.” 
Julia grabbed her bag and started to walk away but Justin ran to catch up with her.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT? I CANT HAVE ANOTHER SITUATION ON MY PLATE” She yelled.
She walked faster trying to get away, but Justin just kept following her.
“Meet me in the gym at lunch I want to talk to you.” Justin demanded.
  It was 5 minutes until lunch and she didn’t want to eat so Julia just headed to the gym to meet Justin. When she arrived he wasn’t in the gym and she couldn’t find him. She sat there for about 5 minutes and decided to just go back to lunch. When she was leaving the gym she ran into Justin. He wrapped his arms around her when she fell into him.
“Are you okay?” Justin asked with concern in his voice.
Julia didn’t say anything she just stayed in his warm arms where she felt comfortable. She finally left his arms and walked over to the bleachers with her head hanging low. Justin and Julia sat on the bleachers for about 5 minutes before they said anything to each other.
“May we please talk?” Justin said lifting her chin up.
“Why?” Julia said refusing to look at him.
“I am worried about you.”
“Don’t be, I’m fine.” A tear started to roll down her face.
“You don’t look fine. Talk to me. What is wrong?”
“You don’t need to know it will make things worse.”
“How so?”
“It’s nothing. I really have to go. I have to go home.”
Julia got up and started to walk away ignoring all the pain she had from that morning. Justin started to follow her. She signed out of school like she did every day so she could go home to check on her brothers. Justin signed out about 3 minutes later and followed her in his car. She was walking slower than normal tears running down her face. Justin pulled up beside her and rolled down his window.
“Do you need a ride?”
“No, I’m fine” she said not looking up.
Justin stopped the car and got out.
“Julia please just talk to me. Get in the car it is cold. I’ll take you to where you want to go.”
“I cant you don’t understand.”
Justin couldn’t stand seeing her like this. He picked her up and put her in the car.
“Justin, I really cant let you drive me.”
“Why? You are only going home. What is the big deal? Your parents are going to think we are dating?”
“Yeah that’s exactly it, because you now I am just like every other girl in this stupid world. No you don’t understand and never will so why do you even care?”
“Julia just tell me I promise I won’t judge. I really do care. I see you in the hall way all the time. You are so beautiful. I remember in fifth grade we were playing in the playground and you told me you liked me, but I never said it back. You never talked to me after that and I have never forgave myself because I have always liked you.”
The tears just kept running down Julia’s face as he talked. Justin pulled into an empty parking lot.
“Julia talk to me please.”
“Justin, I didn’t stop talking to you because I was mad. I stopped talking to you because my brother Trever was born. I needed to watch over him. Everything changed that year.”
“Julia what do you mean you had to watch over him and everything changed?”
“It’s nothing.” Julia said as she started to open the door to the car but Justin grabbed her arm.
“Justin let of me please” Julia said trying to hide the pain. He let go over her.
“Julia are you okay?”
“Yes I am fine I told you this.”
Justin didn’t believe her. He heard the rumors at school and decide to pull her sleeve up. When he did Julia didn’t know what to say she just opened the door and started to run away. Justin was in shock. He started to catch up to her. Which wasn’t too hard sense she was in pain and wasn’t running very fast. When he caught up to her he stopped in front of her, making her stop. She refused to look at him. She was embarrassed.
“Julia sit down please. I just want to talk. I’m not mad,” They both sat down “what do you mean things changed?”
“Justin, please don’t ask.” She looked into his eyes and saw the worry.
Justin didn’t say anything. He got up and helped her up, but instead of him just walking back to the car he gave her a hug as tight as he could. Julia started to cry.
“I really need to get home.” Julia said whipping her tears away.
“Okay tell me where you live and I will take you.”
  They both walk back to the car. They pulled up to Julia’s house. She tells Justin to stay in the car. She goes into the house. Her mom snorting crack and her dad watching TV. She goes into her room to find Eric and Trever crying by the bed.
“What’s wrong guys?” Julia asks.
“Dad said if we talk he will hit us again.” Trever said.
Julia went into the living room.
“Really now you are going to punish them, what did they do to you? Oh wait nothing you just think it is funny.” Julia started to yell at her dad.
“Don’t talk to me like that.” Her dad got up and hit her a crossed the face.
“You think hitting is going to help in this situation for real, and to think I would call you dad.” Julia kept yelling as tears ran down her face.
Her dad hit her again in the ribs. She fell to the floor. She ignored the pain and went back to get Trever and Eric ready for school.
“Are you guys ready for school?”
“Yes we are.” They both said and grabbed their book bags.
“Alright let’s go.”
They all went out to the living room and started to head to the door. Their dad hit Julia in the ribs again.
“You better not tell that boy outside anything that happened.” Her dad yelled.
“Okay.” She said
He hit her one last time. She finally left the house she told her brothers to go get in the car and that everything is going to be okay. Julia’s face was red and puffy. She didn’t say anything to Justin.
“How old are you two little cuties?” Justin asked.
“I’m 6 and Eric is 4” Trever said “Are you dating Julia?”
“Trever no we are not dating, and what happened stays with us.”  Julia said bluntly.
“You mean how dad hit you before we left and said not to tell the boy outside what happened.” Trever said sadly.
“Shut up nothing happened. Dad did not hit me. I fell onto your toys.”
Justin pulled into a gas station. He gave the boys ten dollars to go get a snack and a drink.
“Julia what aren’t you telling me.” Justin said.
“Justin like I said I fell on toys in the boys’ room.”
“Julia you are lying to me. Why aren’t you telling me the truth?”
“My dad told me not to tell you,” Justin looked at the bruise forming on her face and whipped the tears from her face. “It is really nothing I am fine.”
Justin was speechless. He leaned in and gave her a hug. The boys came back out with their snack and drink and we stared to head to the school. Well that’s what Julia, Eric and Trever thought. Justin pulled into a police station.
“Why are we here Justin?” Julia said.
“Let’s go I have to get my license renewed.”
They all went into the police station and Justin went back to the desk while Julia and her brothers sat in the waiting room. A police man came out and asked for Trever and Eric to come back. Julia looked at Justin and started to cry.
“Why Justin they are going to separate us and put us in foster care.” Julia said with tears running down her face.
“No they aren’t. That is my dad I told him and he is going to let you guys stay with us until you are able to get a house and raise them” Justin looked deep into her eyes.
Julia didn’t have anything to say she stared into his eye and smiled. They both started to lean in and started to kiss. Julia pushed Justin away.
“We can’t do this I don’t want your dad to change his mind.” Julia said as she gave him a hug.
Justin was worried about Julia and her brothers. He didn’t really know what to do. His dad came out and said to take us all back to the house and he will be home in an hour. Justin’s dad called the school and explained things. Julia was scared her mom and dad would try to look for them. They all got back to Justin’s house. They didn’t know how to act in his huge house they all lived in a small house their whole life.