———

FALLON PETERS was insane just like her mother. She grew up wanting to be just like her mother, she wanted to do everything that she did. Her father was an abusive asshole who hated his wife so he took his anger out on his children. Growing up, Fallon was told that her beatings were some sort of discipline but now that she was older, she wondered what she did at seven years old that earned her a punch to the chest or a slap across her face. Her father was a cop so he got away with most of his abusive tendencies, especially when it came to her mother. Whenever he beat them, he would pull them out of school for a while until their marks cleared up or until he could convince them not to speak up.

Once they got older, he realized that he couldn't control them. Fallon grew up to be a hothead, with a very addictive personality just like her mother. Her younger sister, Grace grew up seeing the worst in people. She didn't have many friends because she believed that everyone she met would turn out to be just like her father. Their adopted brother, Christopher followed after his father. He was an asshole and he treated his girlfriend Mariah like complete shit. No wonder Nate Jacobs liked him so much.

Once their father realized that they were too old to convince, he distanced himself. He focused his anger on his wife while becoming emotionally unavailable to his children. Grace was terrified of her father. Fallon on the other hand could see right through his bullshit. That's why she hated him.

———

As she threw her feet over the side of the bed, Fallon let out an obnoxious yawn. She tired her hair back into a ponytail as she lazily shuffled her feet towards the bathroom. She sat down on the toilet and sighed with a relieved smile on her face. There was a knock on the door as she reached for some tissue, Grace peeked her head in slowly and slightly smiled in the direction of her sister. "Can you give me a ride to school today?" She asked with a hopeful look on her face.

"It's your lucky day, I'm going!" Fallon playfully shot finger guns at her sister while cackling. Grace rolled her eyes and shut the door.

Once Fallon was done on the toilet, she began her morning routine. When she finished, she threw on a pair of shorts with a simple nirvana t-shirt that she cut. She plopped on her bed and eyed a joint that had been sitting in the ashtray since the night before, she hummed to herself as she grabbed it and lit it up, taking a few hits.

She put it out when her mom called her from the bottom of the stairs. "What!" She yelled, hoping her mom would just say what she wanted. There was a moment of silence, Fallon groaned as she made her way to the top of the stairs to see what she wanted.

Her mother stood there with a lit cigarette hanging between her fingers. She took a hit and let out a small cough before speaking. "That's what you're wearing to school? You know, if your father was here he would make you change." She raised a brow at her daughter while taking another hit.

Fallon sarcastically smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "We both know I wouldn't listen to him anyway." She went to turn around and bumped into her brother. The two of them shared an annoyed look before pushing past each other.

"Grace, I'm ready whenever you are!" She yelled outside of her sister's room. Grace pulled the door open and followed behind Fallon as she walked down the stairs. Fallon rushed out to the car while her sister took her time to say her goodbyes. While she was waiting, a phone call came through from her best friend, Maddy. She answered with a cheesy grin on her face.

"Bitch, are you going to show your face today? Kat is starting to get on my nerves." She playfully rolled her eyes while Kat popped her face up in the background.

"Of course, I'm coming. I know how much you miss me. Besides, if I stay home I'll just have to listen to my parents arguing and I don't have time for that shit." The mention of her parents made her want to scream. They made her so angry. All they did was argue, Fallon mostly ended her nights at Maddy's house or chillin with Rue but she was in rehab.

"I've got to go. Grace is coming out." Fallon blew Maddy a kiss through the screen before hanging up. Grace climbed in the car and buckled up before gently setting her bag onto the floor. As they drove, Fallon turned up the radio and sang her heart out to most of the songs that played. Grace simply watched as her sister's hair blew around due to the breeze that came in through the window. Sometimes, Grace wished that she could switch places with her sister. She was so fearless and she didn't have a care in the world, that's why people liked her more. She was fun to be around.

The two sisters had a bittersweet relationship that was mostly bitter. Fallon couldn't trust her younger sister. She was so scared of upsetting their father that she would tell him anything that Fallon did just to keep his anger away from her.

The ride to school was short. Maddy was standing by the doors waiting as Fallon parked. Grace hopped out without saying a word, her sister didn't care at all. She climbed out of the car as well before running up to Maddy and embracing her in a hug. Maddy wrapped her arms around Fallon's neck and pulled herself closer to her best friend. A warm feeling took over Fallon's body, this happened whenever Maddy was around. It always felt like Fallon was a block of ice until Maddy came around and melted all of her negative thoughts away. "I've missed you so much!" Maddy spoke through a smile which her best friend reciprocated.

Maddy gripped Fallon's hand while leading her to the bathroom where Cassie, Kat, and BB were waiting. BB jumped from the sink and hurried over to Fallon with her arms open. "Bitch, where have you been? It's the first week of school and you've missed it all." She playfully slapped Fallon's arm causing her to laugh.

"So are we going to Mckay's party? Cassie sat up from the sink and looked towards Maddy who looked over at Fallon. She wouldn't go if Fallon wasn't going. A smirk spread across her face as she looked between her friends.

"Cass, let's be real. You only want to go so you can catch a dick." Fallon playfully poked at Cassie as a blush covered her cheeks. She nodded her head towards BB who threw her hands up in excitement.

"We getting fucked up tonight!" The two girls cheered while the others laughed. Their moment was ruined when Grace pushed the bathroom door open with a nervous look on her face. Fallon glared at her sister with a warning look, knowing what she was thinking. Maddy picked up on the stare-off between the two of them, she wrapped her hand around Fallon's wrist and led her out of the bathroom with the rest of their crew following behind.

"Why is your sister such a fucking party pooper?" Kat hissed as they walked down the hallway with linked arms. Fallon shrugged her shoulders, it annoyed her that Grace was always trying to suck the fun out of everything. She knew the moment they got home, Grace would run off and tell their dad hoping that he would stop Fallon but she always found a way.

As the girls got closer to their classes, they said their goodbyes and split up. Fallon made her way towards her first class which was health, she was planning to sleep her way through it. As she turned the nearest corner, she bumped into a slim figure. She opened her mouth to speak but when she realized who it was, she froze. "Rue?" She asked, confusion lacing her voice. "I thought you were in rehab."

A smile spread across Rue's face as she pulled Fallon into her embrace. "I was in rehab, I'm back home now."

"Are you sober?" Fallon asked with a raised brow. Rue let out a slight chuckled before shaking her head.

"As far as my mom knows, yeah. But technically, no." The two girls shared a laugh before Rue spoke up once more. "How are you? How's your family?"

Fallon scoffed as she spoke. "Still fucked up." She stated simply. Rue let her gaze trail down Fallon's body as she continued to speak, she was zoning her out but Fallon didn't seem to notice. The first bell rang, distracting them from their conversation. Fallon pulled Rue into one last hug before heading off towards her first class.

———

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I tried to make the beginning an intro of the characters through Rue's point of view. Anyways, thanks for the read <3