I Have Problems, but So Do You

~Raven's P.O.V.~

After the amazing afternoon with the band and Josh, I found out that Jade moved out. I have to admit, even though I was mad at her, I never meant to have her move out. Never, ever would I want to hurt anyone like that. But, I didn't want to text in fear of being rejected horribly. So, I just left it alone, but felt horrible inside.

The next morning, I woke up and literally dragged myself out of bed. I went into my bathroom and took a quick shower. When I was done, I pulled on my Andy Sixx shirt, stormy grey skinny jeans, My Chemical Romance hoodie, and my black Converse that had Sharpie all over them. When I first got them about three months ago, Jade and I had decided that they were too boring, so we drew on the white parts. I drew the MCR spider symbol on the toe parts and she wrote random band names on the sides. That was a great day.
I did my make up and put my hair in a high pony tail. I pinned in a grey bow and went downstairs. Skylar was already down there and was eating a bowl of cereal. I greeted him with a hug and remembered that I had left my phone in the basement. I went down the stairs and turned on the light. I just about screamed when I saw movement on the couch.
"Mmm.... Five more minutes mom..." I heard a voice groan.
"Josh? Hon, what are you doing here?" I asked as I quietly walked over to him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked up at my shocked expression and broke down crying. My eyes grew as I took in his petite, shaking frame. "Oh my God, Josh! Are you okay?" I threw myself down onto the couch next to him and threw my arms around his shoulders. He turned to me and put his head on my shoulder. I rubbed his back and muttered soothing words to calm him down. Eventually, he did.
"Josh, what are you doing here?" I asked quietly and gently. He took a shaky breath and pulled away to look at me.
"M-my dad is t-the one who a-abuses m-me. H-he thinks I'm g-gay, but I'm n-not. He says that i-it's against n-nature and b-beats me." Fresh tears started falling down his cheeks and I pulled him into another tight hug.
"Shh, it's okay, Josh. It's going to be okay." I whispered as I rubbed his back. I pulled away and looked deep into his eyes, brushing a few strands of hair away from his face and wiping his tears. "You can stay with us. We have plenty of room. You can take Jade's old room, okay?" I said. His eyes grew tremendously bigger with shock.
"Really? You mean that?" He asked with hope and surprise. I nodded and smiled. He sniffled and smiled back.
"Alright, come on," I said as I got up, pulling Josh with me. "Let's get you changed. I bet you can fit into most of Skylar's stuff." He nodded and followed me upstairs. Skylar's eyes widened when he saw Josh.
"I'll tell you later." I said to him. He nodded in understanding. "Now, can he borrow a shirt and some jeans?" I asked. Skylar nodded and I went up the stairs to his room with Josh following close behind. We walked into his room and I went into his closet, looking through his stuff. I pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and tossed them to Josh. He caught them easily. I then proceeded to grab a Green Day shirt and tossed that to him, too.
"Come on, I'll show you to your room and you can change there, okay?" I asked as I walked out of the closet. Josh nodded and I walked into Jade's old room. It looked like she was never there. The walls were plain white, as well as the blankets on the bed. I showed him the bathroom and the closet, both of which were pretty big. I then left so he could get dressed after I showed him where to put his dirty clothes. I went downstairs and grabbed a banana and sat down at the table with Skylar, who gave me a questioning look. I sighed, and told him the whole thing. Skylar just simply nodded. He understood.
Five minutes later, Josh came downstairs with much, much more happiness than he had before. I smiled at him and told him that there was breakfast in the kitchen. He nodded and disappeared behind the door. Seconds later, he came back with an apple in hand. We both ate fast and then we all grabbed our bags. We piled into the car and were off.
We got to school sort of early-ish. I got out and looked around until I spotted Bryan and the rest of the band. My face broke into a smile as I walked over to them with Josh and Skylar trailing close behind.
"Hey, there, Mister." I said with a smile. Bryan turned around and gave me a huge smile and pulled me into a tight and loving embrace. Our lips met and I smiled into the kiss. We pulled away and he took my hand, letting our fingers intertwine.
Just then, I heard the roar of a car and turned around to see who it was. A shiny, black Mustang pulled into a parking space and I looked at it wide-eyed. Sure, we have a Mustang, too, but this was a new Mustang. And it was beautiful. Judging from the guys' reactions, they were thinking the same thing.
I was about to turn away, thinking that it was some snobby new rich kid, when out came none other than Jade. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. How in the world was she able to afford that car? She looked over at us and gave us a smug smile.
Macey walked over to her and she shut the door and locked the car. Then, with one last smug glance our way, her and Macey walked into the school. I turned back to the boys.
"Well... That was..." I trailed off and Skylar finished my sentence for me.
"Odd. That was most definantly odd." We all nodded in agreement. Then, the bell rang and we all walked to class. Bryan, Larson and I had classes near each other, so we were all walking together, when Larson spotted Jade.
"Hey Jade!" He said as he walked over to her. I felt my face scrunch up in confusion. She looked up with a shocked expression.
"Yes Larson?" She asked with a shocked tone.
"Nothing. Just wanted to see what was up. Sooooo what's up?" He asked.
"Um, nothing really... Uh I thought you hated me?"
"Oh, well not really. I mean Raven is being a bit harsh. But she does have a point." I felt my face tense a little when he said that. Harsh? Well, maybe.
"Yeah, I know. I just want all this fighting to end. I miss her always being around. I miss you guys. Hell, I felt like I couldn't even be around Skylar because I was hated by you guys." I felt my heart soften a little. She missed me? She opened her mouth to say something else, but Macey cut her off.
"Jade, please tell me your not going back to being friends with the... Slut your boyfriend has for a sister." I felt my mouth drop open at that. Okay, hold up. Slut? Since when am I a slut? I felt Bryan tense up next to me and I squeezed his hand.
"You know what Macey!? I am! RAVEN," She put an emphasis on my name to show that I had one. "Is not a slut! If anyone is a slut it's you!! You and your stupid friends are THE sluts of the school! There is waaay more I could call you but that would take all year! Raven is my best friend! You DO NOT ever talk about her like that. If you wanna mess with her you mess with me first! Oh, and the next time you mess with her or flirt with SKYLAR," She put an emphasis on his name, too. "I will permenatly put you in the hospital! GOT IT!?" I was shocked. No had ever stood up for me like that before. Macey's face was filled with shock.
I let go of Bryan's hand to walk over to her.
"... Jade..." I said hesitantly, afraid that she was going to take her anger out on me, too. She looked up with shock. We looked at each others for what seemed like hours, until my eyes brimmed with tears and we rushed into a tight hug.
"No one has ever stood up for me like that. Ever. Now I know why I call you my best friend. I'm so sorry Jade." I said, about to cry. She looked at me.
"No, Raven, I'm sorry. For everything. I don't even know what was running through my head. I have know idea why I was acting so conceded and acting like a bitch. I'm the worst best friend ever." She said, about to cry like me. I shook my head.
"No Jade your not. You just stood up to Macey for me. That's what a good friend would do." I said and she smiled.
"Just know, no matter how many fights we get in, our friendship will never end." She said. I smiled.
"Promise." I said. Suddenly, the whole band was giving us a group hug. Where the heck did they come from? Oh well. It doesn't matter.

At lunch, Skylar had the best idea ever. We were going to start a food fight. He told us the plan and we all agreed on it. Our plan went through without a hitch and it was the most fun I had in a very long time.

"Oh my gosh, did you see the look on Macey and Sabrina's face when they both got hit with mashed patatoes!?" I asked as we were on our way to the principle's office. We had anticipated this, so none of us were mad.
"Yeah, but did you see Mr. Brown's face!? Holy crap if steam could come out of ears." Jade said. We were all laughing hysterically the whole time.
I suppose we were let off easy with only a month's worth of detention. Well, it was definantly worth it. The rest of the day was spent being jittery and happy and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

After me, Josh, and Skylar got home, we all went into the basement still high off of happiness. I had to go upstairs to get my iPod and they told me to hurry back. I smiled and ran upstairs. I walked into my room and started looking for it. I knew that it was in there somewhere.
Just then, I heard the creaking of footsteps on the wooden floors. I ignored it, thinking that it was either Josh or Skylar. Suddenly, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder and spun me around harshly. I was looking into the eyes of my drunken father.
"What do you think you're doing?" He slurred, the smell of alcohol clearly on his breath. I swallowed hard.
"I'm looking for my iPod." I said with more confidence then I felt.
"That's not what I meant, bitch." He said as he slapped me across the face. I put my hand up to my cheek in pain. Tears filled my eyes, but I pushed them back. "I meant, what do you think you're doing, bringing friends home and letting them stay here? This ain't no half way house, you little slut." His words cut through me.
"I-I'm sorry, dad." I stuttered. He sneered.
"Sorry doesn't cut it. You're a little slut, you know? Letting your little boyfriend stay here. I found his clothes in one of the rooms." I blinked back more tears.
"He's not my boyfriend." I said.
"Don't talk back to me, whore!" He yelled and punched me in the stomach, right where the previous bruise he gave me had just started healing. I doubled over in pain and he laughed. "Go cut yourself, bitch." He said and left the room. I managed to stand up straight, but it was painful. I took several deep breaths and I was finally able to breath regularly. I took a step and winced. I walked around my room until I could walk normally and then proceeded to look for my iPod. I finally found it and went back to the basement. I put on a fake smile and went to sit down with the boys.
We had a good time and they never suspected a thing. I ignored what my dad had said and told Josh that we could go to his house to get some things. He agreed and we all left for his house.
We pulled up and he ran to the door, pulling out a key. He ran inside and was back five minutes later with a bag in hand. He jumped in and we drove back to our house. The rest of the day went by quickly and before I knew it, we were all saying good night. I changed into my pajamas and went to go tell the boys good night. Josh was already asleep when I walked in, so I just kissed him lightly on the forehead and whispered good night. He smiled a little in his sleep and I left.
Skylar was still awake, so I walked over to him and gave him a big hug.
"Good night, Raven. Love you." He said.
"Night, Skylar. Love you, too." He kissed my forehead and I walked back into my room. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.