I stared down at the little plastic stick in my hand, my stomach churning at what it said. Positive. I was pregnant.

I looked down at my belly, which was almost completely flat. There was a human being in there. My son or daughter.

"Angel, why are you taking so long, dammit?!" My boyfriend, Dustin yelled from outside the bathroom.

I realized then and there that I have to go. I can't stay here; it's not safe. Dustin could hurt my baby like he hurts me. What if he kicked me in the stomach again? I could lose the baby, and I didn't want that.

"I... I feel sick!" I called to Dustin. "I'm sorry, love. You'll have to go without me."

"Dumb bitch." Dustin mumbled, but I still hear him. He stomped downstairs, then out the door. We were supposed to go to a party tonight, but now he was going alone.

I waited a full three minutes to make sure he was really gone, then ran out of the bathroom. I ran to the bedroom, where I got my suitcase and opened it up on the bed. I started running around the room in a frenzy, shoving everything I might need into the case. After all, there was no way I could come back if I forgot something.

After about forty minutes, I was sure that I had packed everything. I had two bulging suitcases, and a backpack. I picked up all my stuff, and carried it out to my car, a black Volks Wagon beetle. I put my bags in the front passenger seat, then went back inside.

I went to the kitchen, going to the back of the pantry, where Dustin hides the jar with all of our extra money in it. I opened the jar and took out all the money inside. $640 dollars total. I stuffed it into my purse. I would stop at a bank once I had put several hundred miles between me and my now-ex-boyfriend.

I walked out to the car, taking a deep breath. I was really doing this.

I had made it out of the driveway, across town, and onto the highway before I realized something.

I have absolutely no idea where I'm going.

***

I woke up with a gasp. I dream about that night often, even though it was almost a year-and-a-half ago now.

I sat up, running a hand over my black ponytail, which was messy from sleeping on it. I threw the covers back, shivering in my black Hello Kitty pajamas. I stood up, glancing at the clock. 7:40 am.

I walked slowly over to the crib in a corner of my room. My little princess, Juliet Lucinda Rivers, was sleeping peacefully. I smiled at the sight of her angelic face. When I was pregnant with Juliet, I felt like there was no way that I was ready to be a mom. But now, I love my little girl more than anything. She's literally the most important thing in my life.

I kissed my fingers, then gently pressed them to her forehead, before quietly exiting the room. I left the door open, though. That way, I could hear her when she woke up.

Liv was sitting on the couch in her Batman pajamas, sipping coffee. Sadie was literally running out the door, keys jangling in one hand. She has to open her store in a little over half an hour, so she was in a hurry.

Sadie shot me a quick smile. "Good morning, Angel."

I grinned. "'Morning, Sadie."

Sadie leaned down and hugged Liv, before quickly pecking her lips. "Bye, beautiful."

Liv smiled. "I'll text you, okay?"

Sadie smiled and nodded, then waved at me before rushing out the door. I went to sit down next to Liv on the couch.

She smiled at me. "Sleep well?"

I shrugged. "I dreamed about the night I left Dustin again."

"Oh, baby." Liv scooted over and hugged me. "You poor thing. C'mon, let's get you some cocoa. I promise, it'll make you feel better." I smiled as I followed her into the kitchen.

Liv is my step-sister, but we're closer than most "real" sisters. Her dad married my mom when I was three and she was seven. Before that, we were both an only child, so we were both really excited to have a sister. We've been best friends for practically our whole lives.

When Liv was fifteen (meaning I was eleven), she started to realize that she was attracted to girls. She started dating her first girlfriend two years later. Our parents took it surprisingly well, and of course, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. You love who you love, right? Anyway, Liv and her girlfriend broke up after three years of being together, and Liv was heartbroken. I helped her through it; I even convinced my family to let me temporarily move in with her so that I could be there for her. She was in a deep depression for six months, but I was there with her through it all.

Liv didn't really start acting happy and normal again until she met Liv. They started dating five years ago, and they are quite possibly the cutest couple I've ever seen. They're so happy together, and I'm happy for them. Sadie's really cool; she's become one of my best friends. They were sweet enough to offer me a place with them after I left Dustin.

"Milk's done." Liv pulled me out of my thoughts as she poured the steamy milk into a mug. She ripped open the packet of hot chocolate mix, dumping it's contents into the mug. While she stirred it, I walked over to the spice cabinet, pulling out the vanilla and the cinnamon. I came over and added a little of each to my cocoa.

Liv rolled her eyes. "You and your fancy hot chocolate." I just smiled and stuck my tongue out at her.

Liv refilled her coffee (I don't drink coffee), and we went back to the living room, where we sat on the couch. We spent the next hour or so watching Pretty Litttle Liars (I will never understand Liv's obsession with that show. I don't like it) and talking. At about 9:00, I heard Juliet calling me from our room. I smiled and stood up. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally woke up."

I walked slowly into the bedroom. Juliet was sitting up in her crib, looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes. She smiled when she saw me, holding out her hands towards me. "Ma-ma."

"Hi, Princess." I lifted her out of the crib, kissing her forehead. "Let's get you cleaned up, baby."

I changed Juliet's diaper (yes, it's gross, but you get used to it). Once I had cleaned her up and buttoned up her pink onesie, I kissed her cheek and carried her out to the lving room. I sat down next to Liv, who immediately held out her arms. Juliet giggled, then crawled over to Liv. I picked up the remote and put on Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's one of Juliet's favorite shows, and (yes, I'm so mature) one of mine.

At about 10:00, Liv had to go get ready for work. She's a waitress at the karaoke bar down the street, and she was working the lunch shift today. She ran around, changing into her uniform (high-waisted black pants, a white blouse, and a black vest), doing her hair, and putting on makeup. When she was done, she came over and hugged me goodbye.

"Bye bye, Juli." Liv smiled and waved at my little girl.

Juliet giggled. "Bah-bye." I smiled and hugged her as Liv left.

Sadie, Liv, and I try to work it out so that one of us is always home to watch Juliet. I work at Sadie's shop (I insist on only getting payed half, though), so it's not that hard. At 3:30, I would take Juliet to the shop, where I'd trade off with Sadie. This way, we don't have to pay for child care, and we know that Juliet is being taken care off.

I was reading a book to Juliet when my laptop started ringing. Someone had sent a Skype request. I grabbed the laptop, pulling it into my lap, then smiled. The request was from my big brother, Kellin.

Kellin and I didn't really see each other much when we were kids. We shared a dad, but we both lived with our moms. We usually saw each other maybe two or three times a year. It wasn't until I was in high school that we started to get close. Now, we're almost as close as me and Liv.

I answered his call, smiling as his face appeared on the screen. "Hi, Kellin."

"Hey, Angel. How's life?"

"Same as always. Pretty good, I guess. Hold on, let me get Juliet." I set the laptop up on the table next to the couch, then leaned down to pick Juliet up from her blanket on the floor. I set her in my lap, wrapping my arms around her and holding her little hands. "Look, Juliet. It's Uncle Kellin. Can you say 'hi'?"

Juliet giggled as I waved one of her little hands at the camera. She's never actually met Kellin, but she's seen him on Skype and heard him talk over the phone.

"Hey, Juliet." Kellin smiled. Juliet's not much younger than his daughter, Copeland. I hope that the two of them will be able to be close. I would like that a lot.

We talked for a while. Kellin told me about his band, Sleeping With Sirens, and I told him about my life. Juliet would occasionally add to the conversation, babbling little nonsense words. When that happened, Kellin and I would pretend to understand, and would have a conversation with her for a few minutes.

"So, Angel." Kellin suddenly turned serious. "I have something I need to ask you."

"What's up?" I asked, hugging Juliet.

"Well, the band is going to Warped soon, and our merch person just quit. So..." He grinned at me. "You wanna come to Warped with us?"

"Whoa. This is... Wow." I took a deep breath. "But... I don't really think Warped Tour is a good place for Juliet. I mean, she could get hurt, and I don't want her around all those crazy band parties when she's this young..."

"That's the thing." Kellin said. "Jules would have to stay with Liv and Sadie. But, it's only for a couple months, and the pay is really good."

"I-I don't know. I'll have to think about it."

"Okay. I need your answer by the end of the week."

Notes

This is just a random idea I had. Please tell me if it's any good. :/