I

Maxine sat alone under the bridge, her face wet with tears, her heart aching with pain. Her mother had hurt her again, leaving new bruises on her skin. The late-night air seemed to calm Maxine.

She had never had a good relationship with her mother, who drank too much and became aggressive often, which was one of the reasons her father had left. Although Maxine didn't blame him for running, she blamed him for leaving her behind to deal with her mother by herself.

She sat there for a while, her red hair swaying in the wind. Suddenly, she heard a cracking noise. She looked around, her heart racing, wondering if her mother had found her, or if it was the sheriff on his patrol maybe if she was lucky enough it would be vanji her brother. She panicked and picked up her bag, ready to run, but just as she was about to move, she heard a voice.

A small figure popped up from the entrance of the tunnel, She stepped closer, and Maxine moved back, her heart still beating fast.

"Hello?" A voice said in a soft, soothing voice. "Did I scare you? I'm not trying to hurt you."

She knew it was a girl by her voice and her figure, Maxine could tell guess that she was perhaps the same age as her.

Maxine was silent, taking a deep breath to calm down. She didn't trust many people, especially not strangers, but for some reason, she felt less worried because it was a girl, girls were easy to beat.

"If you're not trying to hurt me, why are you here?" Maxine asked, still suspicious.

"I saw you run in here crying" she spoke again,"i'm really not trying to hurt you".

The girl smiled and moved closer to the wall, producing a cassette player from her bag and putting the right earpiece in her ear. She stretched out her arm to give the other earpiece to Maxine, "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to listen to music, a friend of mine says music cures sadness." Maxine paused for a while then reluctantly took it and put it in her ear.

For a while, they sat in silence, just listening to the sound of the Maxine humming "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. It was quiet, and neither girl could see herself clearly in the dark, but the girl managed to catch a glimpse of Maxine's freckled cheeks and dark green eyes.

"my name's Alaine What's yours?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Maxine," Maxine replied. "And why were you out by this time?"

"I snuck out of a party to get drinks but i saw you run here" Alaine chuckled awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head. "Do you mind telling me why you were alone crying?"

Maxine leaned back on the wall, "just came to town and got hit by my shitty mother" she simply replied, Alaine groaned,"I swear parents are the worse, you know, I have a shitty father maybe your mom and my dad are destined to be"

Maxine laughed "two crazy parents I don't think I'd survive alone"

"you wouldn't and I wouldn't either" Alaine agreed. "I just hope the sheriff doesn't catch us here"

"me neither" Maxine whispered "my mother would skin me like a cow"

They both laughed. Maxine's sadness seemed to fade and her hidden bruises didn't seem to hurt anymore.

"Do you wanna meet my friends" Alaine asked. Maxine thought about it, her expression suggesting otherwise.

"i just think it would be nice to meet a few people before school starts, its going to be boring without anyone"

Maxine had thought about it for a while before nodding and almost immediately a flashlight pointed towards them,

"sheriff" Alaine whispered before pulling Maxine and running away, they both let out a laugh as the sheriff chased them, his body was quite plumpy and this slowed him down.

Alaine took a turn to the woods, "follow me"

Maxine won't lie, she was terrified but trilled. Alaine led her through the woods and soon the glimpse of light from fire burning could be seen. They both stopped running and began walking towards the lights.