Nothings Gunna Change My World

Raven's Point of View;

Flashback;
"Michelle! Get the fuck out of bed?" My mom pounded on my bedroom door and I sat straight up, "I'm up! I'm up!" I said and shuffled out of bed over to my dresser. I turned on my stereo, playing my favorite mix CD and grabbing half of a cigarette from the ashtray on top of the speaker, "Do it again... and I'll see you tomorrow... I wanna get it, you've got something to borrow..." I sang quietly before lighting up and dancing across the room, "I... I see you fade, I... I see you fade away," I opened my closet and looked at my clothes, god why am I even awake right now? "What is it you got I don't get? I watch you fumble it again," I was pulling my shirt off as my door burst open, "Can you turn that goddamn noise off, Michelle?!" My mom's boyfriend was standing there, a beer bottle in his hand, wearing nothing but boxer shorts. "Joe! Get the fuck out of here I'm getting dressed!" I screamed and threw a bottle of hairspray at him. "Oh, I see that little missus," He grinned and walked over to me, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me into him, "Get off!" I screamed and burned him with my cigarette.
"You fucking little whore!" He shouted and threw me against the wall, "You're going to pay for that," He said and tried to stick his hand down my panties. I kicked him in the groan and he fell over, I grabbed a blue dress and my socks and shoes and jumped over him and ran into the living room. "Mom," I said, trying to get her attention, she was ignoring me, "Mom!" I yelled and she sighed, "What, Michelle?" She asked, looking at me with a bored expression on her face. I pulled my dress on and told her, "You're fucking skeezy boyfriend is touching me again."
"How can you expect him not to when you walk around the house practically naked?" She asked me while burning down heroin in a spoon in front of me. "Is Christina at her friend's house?" I asked, eying her while she got her syringe ready. "She came this morning to get clean clothes." My mom told me and I sighed thankfully, she didn't need to be around this. "And I wasn't walking around the house naked, he came into my room and assaulted me!" I tried to her explain to her, but as she wrapped her arm with a belt and tried to find a vein to stick her poison into I could see she didn't give a shit. Joe stumbled into the living room and pushed me out of his way, "She burned me with a fucking cigarette," He told my mom as she stuck the needle into her skin and released the plunger. "You burned my Joey?" She asked me and I squealed in frustration, "You both are fucking idiots," I said and grabbed my bag, my mom's cigarettes off of the counter, I knew she had a bag of coke inside of there and I wanted it. So I took it. And left.

"Good morning, Bennett!" I said as I entered his house, Bennett was my drug dealer, and a very good friend. He was 23, but he liked me, and I loved him. When shit got too... shitty at my house he never minded letting me stay here. "Good morning, gorgeous," He said, walking down the stairs. "How are you?" I asked, giving him a hug and kissing his cheek, "I'm alright, sweet thang," He winked at me and I giggled. "Are you hanging out here today?" He asked and I shook my head, "I have to go to school, but I thought I would bring you some breakfast and see if I could get some shit," I shook the bakery bag with the bacon egg and cheese bagel I had gotten for him. He smiled at me and took the bag, "Of course I can hook up my favorite girl, come in here," He led me into the living room where a very tall boy was sleeping on the couch. "Jason, man, yo' get up." Bennett kicked the guy and he sat up, "Fuck, what time is it," He asked, running his hand through his hair. "This is Michelle," Bennett said, sitting on the floor behind the coffee table and pulling out a small secret-like drawer where he kept his stash. "Hi Michelle, I'm Jason," He held out his hand to me and I took it, "It's great to meet you, Jason," I smiled and shook his hand, he smiled back, "Likewise, cutie."
He was tall, dark and handsome... I just didn't want to stop looking at him. "Jason, don't you have... like... a job or somewhere to be?" Bennett looked up from what he was doing (loading an oil burner with speed). "Oh... uh, yeah, yeah, I have to get going." He stood up and smiled at me again. He had this half-crooked grin that made me... melt, "Maybe I'll see you around," He said and started going towards the door, "Yeah, yeah I'll definitely see you around," I said and watched him leave.
"Where do you know him from?" I asked Bennett as he passed me his pipe and a lighter, "Jason? Oh well, I've been friends with his brother forever and he has a band and I met up with him at a show last night and he came over with a bunch of other people, why?" I took a hit off of the pipe and passed it to him, "I don't know... he seems, like, interesting, I guess." Bennett shrugged, "He's kind of bad news, Michelle," Bennett said, passing the pipe back to me. I left a few minutes later and went to school, I met up with my best friend Massie on the steps to our school and gave her a huge hug, "Massie! Good morning sexy," I said and kissed both of her cheeks, "Michelle, darling! How are you this fine morning?" Massie asked me, weaving her arm through mine and leading me up the steps and into school. "I'm pretty great, actually... I met the cutest boy at Bennett's house this morning," I told her and she gave me an odd look, "What?" I asked and she sighed, "Why do you hang out with that scumbag? He's like seven years older than you. That's like almost a decade." I shrugged, "First of all, I'm mature for my age, second of all, I like him, and lastly... you KNOW why I hang out with him. And every time either of us brings this up we get into a huge fight so can we just drop it?" I asked and she shrugged, "I guess so... I'm sorry, I know why but I don't understand... anyways, cute boy?" She asked and I nodded enthusiastically, "The cutest boy in the world!" I exclaimed and continued to describe Jason to her. "Do you have his phone number or something?" She asked when I finished my story, "No... he had to leave too quickly... maybe I'll see him around, though," I said and crossed my fingers mentally. I was in major crucsh mode.

After school I went home to find my little sister, Christina, home, watching cartoons and eating dry cereal in front of my mom, who was passed out on the couch. I grabbed my mom's arm and dragged her into her bedroom, Joe was nowhere to be found. "Hey stranger," I said, leaning over an easy chair, trying to get my breath back, Christina looked up at me, "Hey," She said quietly and looked back at the TV. I tried to get places for her stay all the time, I loved her so much and no one here was suitable to take care of her. Not even me, no matter how much I loved her. "What are you doing home?" I asked her, sitting down on the couch and watching Spongebob behind her. I've never understood why this show is as popular as it is... Rugrats, great cartoon--hell, great television, Doug, fucking Ginger's World or whatever the fuck--all twenty millions times better than the sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea... but I digress.
"I couldn't go to Kimmy's house, her dog got out on the fire escape and fell," Christina told me, not bothering to tear her eyes from the screen, "Okay, um, what about Glenda?" I asked, leaning over and looking through the phone book on our coffee table, buried under my mom's and her boyfriend's drugs and drug paraphernalia. "Fucking awesome..." I muttered, finding it and searching through to Glenda's home phone number, there was a post-it attached to it that said 'Out of town' in my own handwriting, "Brilliant." I said and searched through the rest of the book, she'd spent the night too many places too often, there was nowhere for her to go tonight.
"Alright, sweat pea, get your stuff and let's go," I told her and switched the TV off and went to my room to get some of my own stuff, "Where are we going?" She asked and I shrugged, "We'll figure it out," I said and I heard my mom moving around in her room, "Hurry up, I don't want mom to see you." Five minutes later we left, just as I heard my mom come out of her bedroom and scream, "What the fuck!?" And we went to Bennett's house.

"Hey Christina!" Bennett said after we got inside, "Hey Ben," She said and went upstairs to the room we always shared, it had a television and some toys for her, it was our last resort because Bennett's house was barely better than our own house, the only difference here was that no one touched her here, she didn't have to be worried about anything and she didn't have to scared. I went into the living room and sat down and sighed, "Long day, hun?" Bennett asked me and I shrugged, "I guess, can I have some?" I indicated to the joint in his hand, he passed it me and I started smoking it gratefully. "So... I've been thinking..." Bennett started and I looked at him, "Yeah?" I asked and he stared at me, strangely for him because he wasn't often serious and I don't mean not serious with me I mean not serious with anyone, ever.
"Maybe, if you wanted to, you and Christina could move into here," I looked around and frowned slightly, "I don't know Bennett... I mean, I love you, you know that I love you and... if it was just me I would move here in a second but this place isn't good for Christina, I mean no one's going to abuse her here but there's still, like, scummy people here day and night, drugs everywhere, I don't want her around that." I took a big hit and Bennett sat there for a minute. "What if I only sold while she was at school, and we kept everything in my bedroom, and we'll clean this place up--it's a nice place, come on, I don't like you being over there with your moms," He was looking at me like he meant it and I have to admit... it sounded great. It sounded doable and great. "Are you fucking serious, Bennett?" I asked and he smiled, "Do I look serious to you?" He asked and I shrugged, "I don't know, yeah, but you could change your mind and my mom won't like us leaving and coming back." Bennett smiled even bigger, "I could never, ever possibly change my mind about you or Christina, you know I love you both too," He said and I smiled, "Okay, let's do it," I said and and he lit up. "Great, great, let's celebrate!" He said and got up, he came back with beer and his phone, "Yeah, yeah man, come over, bring Gracie," He said and hung up, hanging me a beer, "Was that Adam?" I asked and he nodded, Adam was Bennett's best friend, Gracie was his cougar girlfriend, she was crazy old, like 36 or some shit.

"This is going to be great," Bennett said, squeezing my knee, I smiled and kissed him softly, "I know, right?" I asked. I felt reassured, safe, and good about finding somewhere where Christina and I could be together, safe and taken care of.