Her gut-wrenching scream jolts me out of my dreams. I sit up and run my hands through my hair. My parents are sleeping in their room downstairs; they're on the other side of the house, so they probably can't hear her very well. I, on the other hand, am situated in an empty room on a cot. The room's right next to my room. It used to my older brother's, but he moved out, and my parents let him take the furniture he'd bought with him. That included the bed.

My dad was going to put her in here on the cot, but my mom and I convinced him that she needed a real bed. She's sick. By the time I got her here and brought her inside, she was delirious and raving. I'm not sure if I can believe half of what she's said, but with the way she's screaming and her response to me when I met her at school, I bet most of it is true.

She's definitely being abused. I knew she was lying about that. But now I have to figure out how to help. Right now, I can help by trying to calm her down. Her screams have died down to muffled sobs and wails. They're forlorn instead of terrified.

Sighing, I get up and pad across the carpeted hall to my room. The door is slightly ajar, and the nightlight illuminates most of the room. She's sitting up in the middle of the round bed, staring blankly at the wall and clutching the hem of the comforter in her shaking hands. Her whole body is shaking as she cries.

"Meri?" I whisper, slipping across the room to where the bed is situated. I step onto the low platform the bed's sitting on and settle onto the mattress beside her. Tentatively, I reach out and touch her arm.

My mom put Meri into one of her silk nightgowns. Her skin is warm to the touch in comparison to the icy quality it had when I touched her hands earlier tonight. "Meri?"

When she doesn't respond, I slip my hand up to her shoulder, trying to reassure her.

"Why am I here?" Her dry whisper startles me. "Where am I?"

When she turns to look at me, her eyes are shiny with unwept tears, and I can feel her shoulders shaking under my touch. I wipe away a tear, not missing the way she flinches at my touch. Then, I move a little further away, thinking maybe she wants some space.

To my surprise, she shakes her head. "D-don't go. I don't know why I'm here, but please... Please don't leave me alone."

I nod with a soft smile and move closer.

She shocks me yet again when she wraps her arms tentatively around my waist, hugging me as tightly as she can. Her body is thin and frail. Not surprising. She wasn't cooking enough dinner for two. Just enough for her mom. I wonder how often she's even able to eat. "Thank you," she whispers.

I wrap my arms around her, resting my chin on her head. "You're welcome. What was the dream about?" It's obvious that she's not ready to talk about her home life or whoever's abusing her.

"I... It..." She inhales sharply and buries her face in my shoulder. Through my shirt, I hear her sleep-laden response. "My tenth birthday."

"Why did you wake up screaming, then?" Perplexed, I try to move away.

She trembles and clutches onto me, refusing to let go. It's like holding a frightened child. The feeling of protection she incites is strange. I've never felt it before. It's an unusual, but not uncomfortable, feeling.

"That's the day everything went wrong."

We stay silent. I wait for her to say something more, but she doesn't. Instead, she just hugs me and rests her head on my shoulder. Her clinginess is still shocking, but the surprise is fading. It's obvious that she hasn't had anyone play the role of protector in her entire life. Or if she has, it was such a long time ago that she doesn't remember.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" she mumbles, sighing.

"Because I don't like seeing other people get hurt. And even though I don't know you very well, I hate seeing you get hurt even more," I admit. "I don't have ulterior motives, Meri. I just want you to trust me."

She finally pulls back, wiping her eyes and cheeks. "I'm sorry... I don't know what's wrong with me. If I was the one who woke you up, I'm really sorry. But I'm okay now. I promise."

Just like that, the mask is back. What did I do wrong? I stare at her, feeling a lump rising in my throat. I just want to help her. Why doesn't she see that? "Meri?"

"I'm fine. You can go back to sleep."

"You're sure you'll be okay? I can bring the cot in here if it would help you sleep."

Her whole body tenses. I watch as her eyes dart from me to the door, and her hands clench on the covers again. She bites her lip as she looks back at me, then to the exit. Even her jaw tightens as she starts to tremble again.

"Or I could go back to the spare room..." I say slowly, alarmed by her panicked behavior. Careful not to frighten her more, I get off the bed and move toward the door to the hallway, hands out, palms up. "Just call if you need anything."

The tension seeps away, and I see her shoulders sag a bit as she lets out a soft sigh and smiles at me. "Thank you," she whispers.

I nod. "Of course. Any time."

In reality, I was more than a little shaken up by her display of anxiety at my suggestion. What did she think I was going to do to her? Hit her? Yell or turn her out of the house? What kind of monster does she think I am? Maybe she's had worse than a minor beating... Maybe she's afraid of more than just violence in the form of yelling, starvation, or beatings. I shudder.

The idea that anyone could subject such a sweet, kind girl like her to that kind of ill treatment makes me sick. If I ever find out someone's used her like that, I'll make them pay. No one, no matter who they are, should ever be hurt like that. The cruelty she endures at home is enough without adding further mental and physical abuse to the tally.

Sickened, I crawl back onto my cot and close my eyes. I can't get her terrified expression out of my head though. She's terrified of me. I just want to help, but she keeps pushing me out. What has she gone through to view me as such a threat to her? What is she going through now to be desperate enough to call me when she doesn't know or trust me? Whatever it is, I have no doubt it's horrible.

***

"I need to go home," Meri says softly as we sit next to each other at the breakfast table.

"Nonsense. You're eating with us." My mom sets a big plate of eggs, bacon, and hash browns in front of her.

Meri eyes it like it makes her ill, but she smiles at my mom weakly despite her nauseated look.

As usual, my mom doesn't notice the queasy expression on Meri's face. "Mom, seriously... Back off a little, maybe?" I suggest in a quiet voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Meri start at the sound of my voice. She seems to startle at every tiny sound. That scares me a little. She shouldn't have to be afraid of everything around her. She shouldn't feel like everything is a threat.

My mom turns and regards the two of us with a thoughtful expression as she sets my plate in front of me. "Why don't you take her to school today, Milan? Put that new driver's license to use, why don't you?"

I clear my throat and glance over at Meri, who is staring at the food with an overwhelmed expression now. She acts like she's never seen this much food in front of her in her whole life. Maybe she hasn't. If last night's supper was any indication of the norm around her house, she barely eats enough to survive. No wonder she always wears baggy clothes. She's probably way too thin underneath all of the layers.

This thought makes me sad, and I stare at my food, pushing it around on the plate. Suddenly, my appetite is gone. I feel queasy right along with Meri, but I force myself to put salt and pepper on my hash browns like I always do. Putting a bite into my mouth, I smile wanly at Meri.

She smiles back and picks up the salt and pepper shakers hesitantly. Copying my movements, she sprinkles salt and pepper onto everything but the bacon. Then she takes a bite of the hash brown. The sickened look fades, and it's replaced with a shy smile. "This is nice. Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. You're always free to come over and hang out here if you want." My mom looks like she wants to mention last night and the abuse Meri's been enduring, so I shake my head at her. She nods and gives Meri a warm grin. "Milan never brings friends over. I'd love to see you come a little more often. Do you like to skate?"

Meri glances at me and shrugs. "I never learned," she whispers, staring down at her food and pushing it about on the plate.

Never learned to skate? It's a really good thing we've got a rink in the back lawn for the winter. She's got to learn to skate. It's one of the best things ever. "I'll teach you. We have a spot out back for it."

Her eyes light up as she meets my gaze. "You will?" She's still mumbling and quiet, but her voice is just a tad louder and excited.

I nod. "Of course. You'll like it, I bet. How about after school?"

Her shoulders slump. "I can't."

"Why not?" I ask. "Is it because of dinner?"

By the look in her eyes, I can tell she knows I'm talking about her mom. A grateful smile finds its way onto her lips. "Yeah, kind of."

"I'll help you with that."

"Oh, I couldn't accept that..." Meri pushes the food away with a longing look and gets up. "I have to go."

My mom takes one look at the threadbare jeans and matching baggy sweater and shakes her head. "I have some things that might fit you upstairs."

Meri's eyes widen, and she shakes her head vehemently. "I can't."

I knew this would be her response. She put my jacket over the back of my chair, and when I asked her about it this morning before my mom got up, she refused to accept it. I even showed her that I had another one that was newer, nicer, but she refused. Flat out refused.

It's her mom. I'm certain of it. After what she told me last night, I bet her mom won't let her take anything from anyone else. I feel bad because the logical conclusion from this is that my attempt to help got her turned out in the cold. I honestly thought I was being helpful, but I guess not.

At least I had the foresight to leave the phone. I figured she'd find both items and try to call me or return it herself. That would mean she'd be forced to talk to me. I figured it'd give me a chance to get her to open up. Maybe even become her friend. From the looks of it, if I do become her friend, I'll be the only one.

"C'mon, Meri. I'll drive you to school. Mom, can you pack her leftovers and mine? We'll take them to school for lunch." I pull Meri back upstairs to get her bag.

Once we're up there, I stop her, taking her shoulders gently. When she tries to pull away, I take a firmer, but still gentle, hold. "Meri, stop..."

She looks at me with uncertainty in her big, hazel eyes. I notice that her lower lip is trembling like she's trying to resist the urge to bite it or holding back tears. This sparks a guilty feeling in me, and I let go.

"Meri, I want to help. But I can't if you won't let me."

"You want to help?" she asks softly.

I nod.

"Then help me by being a friend from a distance. You can't say anything to the cops, and neither can your parents. No one else can know what's going on, and you can't keep giving me things. You're obviously rich or at least well off," she says, waving to the luxury of the house. "And it isn't that you couldn't afford it. But I can't take it. I feel bad saying yes anyway, and there's always heck to pay if my mom finds out. I appreciate your concern, but she can't ever find out about you. Last time I had a friend, it made her worse. I'm trying to help her, not make her even more crazy. So you have to stay away."

I stare at her, astonished that she's trying to reason for her mom and rationalize the horrible treatment she's been receiving. "But... How can I just stand aside when she hits you? And... And..." Finally, I just blurt out what I've been wondering since last night. "Meri, why are you so terrified of me? Is it just because she's been hurting you? Or is it because she's let other guys hurt you worse than she does?"

Meri stares back at me, tears filling her eyes. Turning away, she whispers, "She never let them go that far. They just knock me around. Make dirty jokes. Sometimes, if they're really drunk, they'll start to touch me. It never goes too far though. I hide when they're around. It keeps me safe."

"I'm not like that, Meri. I'm not..." My voice breaks.

"I know." She wraps her arms around herself as she turns back toward me. "I know that logically... But my heart's not accepting it. Just... I need time."

"I understand," I whisper. And I do. But it doesn't mean that this is hurting me any less. I have a feeling that the pain I've already experienced is nothing in comparison to what I'm going to experience because of her. Somehow, though, that's okay with me.