G8+Group+3



**__Remembering the Golden Rule__** By Preston Bethea, Sydney Kalin, Jackson Williams  “ No! Please! Don’t do it! I’m so sorry!” sobbed Kristin.  “No, little girl! You call me daddy right now, or I will hit you so hard your father will feel it!” boomed Rick. “Wherever he is,” whispered Kristin. “All right, that’s it!” said Rick. “No!" said Kristin.  But it was too late. A loud slap ricocheted around the room, leaving a little trickle of blood coming out of her bottom lip. Immediately afterwards a back hand came across her face, leaving her crying with a black eye and fat lip. After that he kicked her mercilessly. Kristin gasped for air on the floor trying to pick herself up.  “Don’t even think about telling your mother, or you know what will happen next,” threatened Rick.  Then he stomped angrily out of the room beer in hand, and started to watch television in the living room. Kristin sat in her room in the back corner near the window. She looked out and saw the neighbors, a little girl playing with her dad. She began to cry. Although her mom would only be at work for another twenty or thirty minutes, she felt completely alone. She started to daydream, and found herself back when she was much younger. //She remembered being in her favorite park before she moved to Crenshaw Heights. She and her mother are walking through the park and she asks her mom a question. //  //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">“What happened to my daddy?” //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">“This is something a kid your age wouldn’t understand. I don’t even think you need to hear about it at all. I'll let you know when you get older. I love you Kristin, and we don’t need him. We are fine as we are,” her mother replies. //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">Kirstin came back to reality crying longer and harder than she had ever cried before. She thought about how her mother said they were fine how they were. We aren’t fine anymore, Kirstin thought bitterly. Kristin wailed and wailed until her stepfather came in and told her to ‘shut up before I teach you a lesson again’. Kristin shut her mouth immediately and waited for him to leave. He left and she sat there in the dark. All of the sudden she heard a noise from the heavens. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">“I’m home, Kristin!” said Kristin’s mom. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> Kristin ran down the stairs to the kitchen where her mom stood unpacking the groceries she picked up after her day at work. “How was your day, Kristin?” asked her mom. Kristin looked at Rick, who gave her a warning glance. She was sure that he would try to kill her if she told her mom about the beating he gave her just twenty minutes earlier. She looked away quickly and said, “My day was good.” She had never been much of a liar and her voice squeaked a little bit, but her mom didn’t seem to notice. “That’s good; I’ll go start dinner now.” She walked into the kitchen. Kristin hurried after her; she didn’t want to be with Rick alone. Kristin stood awkwardly in the kitchen doorway, well aware of Rick’s eyes watching her every move and said, “Mom, could you help me with something in my room?” Her mom, without looking up, said,” Of course, Kristin, I’ll be right up.” Kristin sprinted past the living room where Rick still stood, up the stairs, and slammed the door to her room. A few seconds later Kristin heard footsteps, then a knock at the door. She hoped it wasn’t Rick coming to hurt her again. It was her mom. Kristin sighed with relief as she opened the door. Her mom walked in with a smile. “What do you need help with?” Kristin looked down at her bruises and took a deep breath. “Mom, Rick is beating me.” Her mom looked at Kristin like she was crazy. Finally she managed to say with a laugh, “What do you mean, Kristin? Rick wouldn’t do a thing like that!” Kristin glared angrily and pronounced, “It’s not funny, Mom! He hurt me! Look!” Kristin pulled up her long sleeve shirt and she showed her mom her arms that were covered in bruises and starting to swell. Her legs were more or less the same. Her mom’s mouth opened with surprise. “Kristin, how can you expect me to believe that Rick did this? I know that you don’t like him, and I know that you have tried to bring us apart before, but this is an all time low!” Kristin looked at her mom with shock. “You think that I would make something like this up?” she half screamed. Her mom shrugged. “I know that you don’t like Rick, and I know that you never got over the fact that you never saw your dad before he left, but I love Rick and we are going to be together for a long time." Kristin stared at her mom and turned away, getting out her homework. She heard her mother’s retreating footsteps as she left her room, went down the stairs and continued to make dinner. The rest of the night seemed to drag on for Kristin, but eventually the clock rang nine. Kristin brushed her teeth, turned off the lights, and went to bed. On Saturday, Kristin completed the last of her math and sprinted out the back door to join Marcell and Crystal at the neighborhood basketball court. Marcell and Crystal were already there. As Kristin walked up she looked at the short skinny figure of Crystal trying to get around Marcell, who was almost six feet tall. Crystal's forehead had beads of sweat, with rivers running down the side of her face, and her short brown hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. Marcell was barely breaking a sweat and easily got the ball away from Crystal. "Hey guys!” Kristin said. Crystal and Marcell greeted her and they started playing again. "I'm going to sit this game out," announced Crystal. "It's just you and me then, Parks," said Marcell. Kristin laughed and the game began. The orange ball thudded as it collided with the concrete. Kristin shot a three pointer. “A perfect shot by Kristin!” Crystal announced, as Marcell checked his watch. The game between Kirstin and Marcell ended promptly at nine. The friends started heading home, with Kirstin often slowing their progress. She delayed in this manner because she was reluctant to return to the house of her torment, ruled by an abusive demon. At the intersection where the friends were going to separate, Crystal turned to Kristin and snapped, “What’s wrong with you?” Startled out of her reverie, Kristin jumped and turned to Crystal. “Nothing,” Kirstin said, “I was just thinking.” “What about?” Crystal asked, suddenly very curious. “Well,” Kirstin replied, “I’ve been having trouble at home. My stepdad is so cruel, but my mom doesn’t believe me.” Marcell and Crystal exchanged glances and announced as one, “Can we help?” Marcell asked. The friends talked and planned, finally coming to a conclusion. They walked down the road towards Kristin’s house, determined to solve the problem. After creeping in through the back door and sneaking past Rick (quite pointless due to Rick’s drunken stupor), Marcell and Crystal set up the video camera in Kristin’s closet, aiming it through the seam in the door. They were all set, and it was time to go through with their plan. "Go drown in a pool, Rick!" yelled Kristin. Kristin then raced up to her room and told Marcell and Crystal in the closet that he was coming. Marcell then turned on the camera and waited for Rick to come. Crystal said, “I can't watch." She started to cry. Marcell hushed her and Kristin waited for Rick to show up. Rick burst through the door. “What is wrong with you little girl?” asked Rick."You’re just asking for pain. Unfortunately for you, your Mom can't protect you now.". "Do you even care about what happens to me, or how you hurting me will hurt your relationship with my mom?" Kristin asked. Rick laughed. "I don't care about you or your mom. I just needed a place to stay for a while." Kristin looked him in the eye and said, "You are nothing but a jerk." Rick roared with anger. "You’ve just crossed the line, little girl. Now, call me Daddy!" Rick yelled angrily. Then, without any warning, he picked her up with one hand and put her over his head then dropped her onto the wood floor. Then, when she was trying to get back up, Rick threw a back hand across her face. This time not one, but two punches in the stomach. Kristin crumpled to the floor and didn’t move. Marcell was worried. He wanted to go out and help, but Crystal held him back. He quietly went back to making sure the camera was on Kristin and Rick. By the time he was finished, Kristin's face, arms, and torso were black and blue. Rick staggered drunkenly out of the room, beer in hand. Kristen waved to Marcell and Crystal to tell them to come out of the closet. They quickly came out, helped her to her feet, and talked quietly about an escape route. They tied some ropes together and attached them to a pole next to the bed. They shimmied down the rope onto the side street next to the apartment building. Then Crystal and Marcell, carrying Kristin, ran down to her mom’s workplace. They were hoping for the best. Marcell and Crystal burst through the door of the insurance company that Kristin's mom worked at with Kristin in Marcell's arms. They ran past the receptionist, who was busy with a phone call, down to the office where Kristin's mom worked. The three friends hurried into the office and shut the door behind them. Kristin's mom looked up. "Hello Crystal, Marcell and..." she looked at Kristin in Marcell’s arms. Her face went white. "What happened to her?" she asked, as she looked over the bruises covering her daughter’s body. Marcell cleared his throat. "Kristin has been abused by Rick again," said Marcell. Kristin's mother looked from Marcell to Kristin then back again. She was about to speak when Crystal interrupted her. "We have proof! Before you say anything please just watch this video," requested Crystal. Kristin's mom sighed. Finally she said, "Alright, let me see it." Crystal pushed play and they put it on the stand, but they didn't want to watch it again so they turned away. When they heard the clip stop they turned around and looked at Kristin's mother. Her face was even paler than it was before. Her eyes were opened wide, her mouth ajar looking with horror at her daughter who was slumped in the chair next to her. She finally seemed to get out of her trance and gently she got up and hugged Kristin. "I'm so sorry Kristin," said her mom. "I should have listened to you." "Its ok, Mom, but we need to get home and call the police," said Kristin weakly. "We don't have to wait until we get home. We are going to call them now." "Well, ok," said Kristin. "Marcell, Crystal, and I will go to the house." After a few minutes, Marcell, Crystal, and Kirstin all dashed out the door. They got to the house and went up to Kristin's room. Marcell got Kristin on her bed then went downstairs to get her something to drink. Meanwhile, Crystal went to go get a heating pad out of the closet in the hallway. Then Kristin heard the heavy footsteps of a man running up the stairs. Kristin opened her eyes just in time to see Rick come in with a dagger in his fist and a demented, ferocious look in his eyes. He slammed the door, locked it and then barricaded it with her desk. Slowly, Rick turned around. "Kristin, Kristin, Kristin. I am disappointed; I would have thought that a smart girl like you would have known not to notify the police about me," Rick said in a soft, terrifying voice. "How did you find about that?" Kristin finally sputtered. Then she heard the sirens in the background. Within seconds they could be heard everywhere, and a man stepped out of his car in a police suit with a bullhorn while the other police men were trying to get into the house. Rick opened Kristin's window and hollered, "If you come any closer, little Kristin will be leaving this room in a body bag!" But then, all of a sudden, there was a huge commotion from the door. Rick turned around and as he did he was given a fist to his stomach that brought him to his knees. One of the police officers picked up Kristin and sent for an ambulance, while the other subdued rick and put him in handcuffs. After that it seemed as though their lives were finally going to calm down.