http://slow.writerscafe.org/lissadances The original writings of author Melissa en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1776202486 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 An hour later, Melody has to leave for work. She promises thatshe’ll tell me more about her when she gets home, and I’m welcome to stay untilthen. In fact, I’m more than welcome. Melody told me if I left she’d “track medown and drag me back, kicking and screaming... http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/1130468/  The girl who saved me from David sat on the couch in the livingroom we’d entered when stepping inside the house. She waved me over, and Iwillingly sat next to her. Her long blond hair falls over her shoulders easily,almost reaching the couch we’re sitting on. Her long leg.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/1117605/ I practically jumped out of my skin, but I tried to keep myattitude calm. I wasn’t going to let him scare me this time. I can take care ofmyself, and this is when I prove it. “David,” I said calmly. “What are you doing here?” I’m proud ofthe way I keep m.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/1097220/ Back to the present…I left the house, carrying only my suitcase. I barely hadanything in it, and I didn’t have any money. Natalie didn’t offer to give meany to take, which I’m glad for, because I wouldn’t have accepted it. I don’t need her help. I don.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/1096803/ A few days earlier…It’s 4:30 in the morning. I exit my room slowly, silently,trying not to wake anyone. I shut my door soundlessly and turn to thestaircase. I descend the stairs, on my way to the pool. I approach the kitchendoor that I am forced to pass through. There are voic.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/1096587/ I didn’t leave my room that day. I didn’t leave my room the nextday either, forcing Natalie to call me in sick at school. On the third dayNatalie knocked on my door at four in the morning. That’s even earlier than Iwould normally be up for swimming.“Please open it,&.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/1095941/ “Hayley? Hayley, what’s wrong?” Katy’s voice is clear outside mydoor. My body has been racking with sobs for the past three hours. They’ve beensad tears, desperate tears, angry tears, and disappointed tears. I pretend toignore Katy, not wanting to see anyone. &ldq.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/1008155/  When I awake in the morning, I find myself on a chair withblankets cuddled around me. My brain freaks out for a second, unable torecognize where I am. Once I realize I’m in Katy’s room, where I slept lastnight to avoid David, I calm down. I look over to her bed to see her.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/991215/ “Hayley! Do you even know how to use a cell phone?” Katy yells,grabbing my hand and dragging me upstairs as soon as Jason and I get home fromour meeting with Blake.  “Sorry! I’ll come talk to you later, okay?” I call to Jason. Helaughs and nods as I&rsquo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/973173/ “So,” Jason’ssaying. “Blake wants to hang out with you and I today. You know… to get to knowyou better.I nod my head. It’sbeen two weeks since the day in the music room. Jason doesn’t know about thenote that David left Katy. “When?&rdq.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/962834/ “Bye guys!” Jasoncalls from the front door before shutting it.“Well,” Katy saysfrom beside me, “I’ll give the two of you some alone time!” she turns on hertoes and heads upstairs, most likely to change and go dance.“So,” Jason says.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/962520/ “He just keptstaring at you?” Katy asks as I slide into the pool water.“Yeah,” I say. Ihad just finished explaining the whole story to her. “It’s so like Blaketo wolf-whistle…” Katy giggles, getting a little side-tracked.I roll my ey.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/960721/ The next day afterschool Jason says that his friends are coming to visit. Katy rolls her eyes andmutters, “Great.”Jason rolls hiseyes back at her before leaving to go up to his room.“Do you not likehim friends?” I question her once he’s gone.Katy sig.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/960005/ The ride home is alittle awkward, as Katy is unaware of the dramatic shift in my relationshipwith Jason. As soon as we walk inside the house, Jason mouths for me to followhim, so I do. As I follow him up the stairs, I tell Katy to meet in me in thepool in twenty minutes. Jason leads me into .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957584/ My strategy to avoidJason goes well until we go back to school on Monday. I manage to avoid him inIntro to Psych. I even manage to avoid him at lunch, when Katy sits between usand talks continuously; making it so I don’t have to talk to him at all.The walk to Spanish3 is longer tha.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957583/ “You did what?”Katy demands. It’s the next morning and Katy had entered my room to find melying in bed. She knows that I’m an early riser and this is unusual for me, soshe immediately begins questioning me. It didn’t take long for me to spill thewhole story... http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957582/ “I have a feelingI’m going to love that class,” I smile. We’ve already returned from lunch andfinished the block. Now it’s time to go to the last class of the day.Katy laughs andsays, “I have to go back to B2… what about you guys?”&ldquo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957580/ “So, that wasboring,” I say as I leave the classroom.“My class was wayahead so… yeah.”“Mine too,” Irespond.“Where are youheaded now?”“Uh… English. It’sin B3, I guess,” I respond after glancing a.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957578/ “Hayley? It’s Katy…open the door.”It’s been abouttwenty minutes since the fight, and I haven’t left the room. Everything finallyhit me. My mom’s gone, and this is where I’m living now…“Hayley…” there’s a.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957577/  “Jason told meabout the incident last night,” Katy says as she walks into the pool room.“Really?” I ask,feigning innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”“Oh nothing,” shesays, walking to the edge of the pool and sitting down, letting .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957574/ We spend a while inthe pool before leaving. A lot of time was spent talking. I found that I likedKaty. She was pretty shy at first, but she quickly became very talkative. Sheand I have quite a bit in common. We’re both afraid of dogs and we both playedinstruments. Katy had played the c.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957573/ The next day isMonday, but it’s April vacation, so there’s no school. When I wake up, I’mcompletely disoriented by the purple walls and comfortable bed. After a fewmoments, I remember the events of the previous day, and I immediately feeluncomfortable. I don’t like ch.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957571/ “This may be thelast time I come visit you for a while. I know I’ve practically lived here forthe past few days but they’re sending me to live with Natalie. I haven’t seenher since she abandoned us. I’m sorry, Mom. I miss you.”The flowers I heldin my h.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957570/ http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/lissadances/957569/