It stands to reason that if you wait for a problem to sort itself out, one of two things can happen: 1) the problem will eventually sort itself out or; 2) the problem will grow 1000x times worse. Also, according to some wise ass named Murphy, ‘whatever can go wrong will go wrong’. Nicole realized all of these facts as she watched events unfold with a feeling of complete and utter horror.

The morning had started innocently enough. She and Lily had gone for a walk at a nearby park not far from Terri’s house. Despite her ‘bitch’ image, Nic really was a quiet and romantic person. She loved to take quiet walks with Lily and just hold her hand, talking about nothing and everything and passing the time feeling loved and accepted. It was something she never got at home, unconditional love, but it was something Lily gave her without reservation. Nicole still wondered what she did to deserve someone as special and wonderful as Lily.

They walked all that morning talking about what they wanted to do after high school. Nicole was relieved to hear that all of Lily’s plans included her in some way. Lily wanted Nic in her life for the foreseeable future and for the first time in her life Nicole felt like she really belonged with and to someone. She never wanted that whole and complete feeling to end. And Nicole had shared Lily’s sentiment about sharing a life together. Over all, they were both very happy when they’d arrived back at Terri’s.

That was until they saw the strange car in the driveway. The black sedan sent chills down Nicole’s spine and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She didn’t know how she knew but she just knew that that car meant trouble. Her suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later by loud angry shouts coming from the house.

"Stop it! You can’t do this, Dad! I won’t let you!" It was clearly Brooke in near hysterics. The mention of the word ‘Dad’ brought Lily and Nicole running to the door.

"Shit, Mike," Nicole swore. They opened the door to a scene that would haunt them both. Mike stood in the middle of the room with an almost wild look in his eyes. Brooke was standing in front of Sam who was sprawled on the floor at her mother’s feet with Terri and Jane checking on her. It was obvious that Mike’s anger had gotten the better of him and he’d taken it out on Sam. She was staring back up at him with a look of complete terror on her face that neither Lily or Nicole could remember seeing before. It was shocking to see the normally calm Sam looking so scared.