My home away from home

“I’m not scared of it, I'm not.” I hear I sound down in the basement, I slowly walk to the basement door and open it.I tiptoe down the stairs trying not to make a sound and all I see is a tiny mouse that knocked over a metal bucket. “Ha ha ha! You're scared of a little mouse Lily!” Josh laughed Josh is my older brother. He makes the place I live awful. My mom works all day so she never has time to take care or be there for me.Josh is always bullying me or out with his friends, my dad died 2 years ago.He died saving someone that was in a burning building I think he died a hero, being the best dad out there.But my brother took my dad's death as him leaving us.So when he died Josh started bullying me and hanging out with his gangster friends.When mom gets home she makes dinner does work on the computer then sleeps not telling me she loves me or helping me with school work she is like a robot.So you see the house I’m living in doesn't feel like home. “Wake up loser, it’s time for school!” Josh scawaled “I’m coming...jeez.” Lily whispers to herself After I ate breakfast and got on the bus I noticed that when we were on the bus Josh sat with his gangster friends but he looked uncomfortable. I also noticed one of the girls that bullied me,Becky, sitting alone on the bus. I kept that in mind for a while. When we got to my school it looked very nice, a fresh smelling garden with a clean pool at the back but on the inside it’s awful! “Oh look, it's a detention girl!” Becky and Chloe giggled I never mean to get detention but I just can’t watch Becky and Chloe bully people so I stand up for people even if that gets me in trouble. At lunch I sit with my one other friend River, River is very quiet and keeps to himself often but he is kind and gentle and easy to talk to. “H-hey Lily d-do you want t-to c-come over to m-my t-tree-house t-today?” Wow,I hardly hear River talk so when he does it can be surprising because he has a disorder that causes him to stutter. “You have a tree-house!?” Lily asked surprised “W-well kinda I-I found it y-yesterday i-it looks abandoned b-but I t-think i-if we decorate i-it, it m-might look n-nicer.” River grinned “Sure I'll come over!” Lily smiled back at him After school on my way to River’s new tree house I noticed Becky being slapped by her mother.After her mother walked away I walked up to Becky. “Hey are you okay?” Lily asked calmly “G-get away from me you freak!” Becky said as tears ran down her face “H-hey Becky, do you want to come over to River’s treehouse with me?” “Why would I want to go with you? I'm not even invited!” Becky scawaled “Please will you just come Becky?” I pleaded “F-FINE!” Becky huffed On our way to River’s treehouse a question kept playing in my mind… “Hey,I hope it isn’t too touchy but...why did your mom slap you?” Lily asked concerned “Oh...mommy she just got mad at me.” Becky said as she turned away from Lily “You can tell me Becky.” Lily said reassuringly “Well...my parents have high expectations of me...too high expectations, I have to be perfect! But that isn't easy. I just want to be myself! I want to be a photographer when I grow up but my mom wants me to become a model.” Becky sighed “Your mom isn’t making you do anything, you're just letting her control you. Parents do what's best for us but they shouldn’t control us.” Lily said pitifully “You're probably right.” Becky whispered “H-hey g-guys!” River waved up from his tall treehouse “W-what i-is she doing h-here!?” River scawled “Hey River I’m here to apologize to everything I've done to you like teasing you for your stutter or laughing at you. I'm just...sorry.” That was shocking. I never thought Becky would apologize! Lily thought to herself “I-it’s f-fine you can c-come into m-my treehouse t-too.” River smiled Becky,River and I spent hours talking and laughing as we fixed River’s old treehouse that smells musty and dirty but...it has a homey feel to it.After we spent hours fixing the treehouse and making it nice I heard an awful,piercing voice. “What are you doing!?” Josh scawaled “I-I’m in a treehouse with Becky and Rivier.” Lily said worried “Tree houses are for BABIES!” Josh screached *Crash* Josh picked up a glass sculpture we put in the tree house and slammed it on the floor; it shattered into hundreds of jagged pieces. “STOP IT JOSH!” Lily screamed as Becky and River picked up the broken shards of glass behind her Josh’s eyes widened. He didn't think his little sister could yell so loud. “Why are you breaking stuff you used to LOVE tree houses!” “You used to love me…” Lily mumbled “I do love you, I just….miss dad and I just can’t stand how mom is like a robot she doesn't even talk to us anymore.” Josh said while tears formed in his eyes “I miss dad too and I also miss the old mom but I didn’t act out and become a bully.” Lily snorted “C-can y-you g-guys just make u-up now.” River pleaded “It’s not that easy stutter boy.” Josh huffed “Okay one don’t call River that two it can be easy if you try hard enough.Look at me I used to be a bully but Lily just talked to me and allowed me to get all my emotions out and I feel better.” Becky explained “I just don’t want to talk about it.” Josh mumbled “Fine, you don’t have to talk about but why don’t you just spend time with us in a treehouse that is for babies?” Lily said jokingly For the rest of the night everyone talked and watched movies in River’s treehouse that became everyone’s treehouse. The next morning at school I watched my brother walk over to his “friends” and he did something I never saw coming. “Hey dude want to beat up some 6th graders?” One of Josh’s gangster friends laughed “No I don’t want to and I don’t think I want to spend time with you guys anymore especially if you are gonna be bullies bye bye.” Josh said in such a tone it left his friends blank faced. “Yeah Josh!” Becky cheered “Y-you d-did it.” River smiled “You did it big bro! Now we need to go have a chat with Chloe.” Lily said looking right at Becky “Okay I got this.” Becky said confidently “Hey Chloe i-if your gonna keep bullying people I don’t want to be your friend anymore Becky explained “B-but you're the only friend I have.” Chloe cried “W-what do y-you m-mean?” River said curiously “Well my father is a drunk abusive person and my mom is always working so I'm constantly looking after my father so I never get time to make friends. I guess I let my anger out on other people. I'm so sorry…” Chloe sniffed “It’s fine Chloe we could give you a second chance.” Lily offered “R-really thank you!” Chloe said joyfully “Hey guys~do you want to go, you know where after school?” Josh said secretly acting like the treehouse was some secret base “Go where?” Chloe asked “We have a treehouse!You are going to l.O.V.E it!” Becky said excitedly “A treehouse!? Cool! I think it would be nice to get away from my house for a bit.” Chloe grinned “W-well c-come on t-then!” River said tugging at Chloe’s arm Wow, Lily thought to herself a house is a place where someone can live...but I home is where someone feels happy or comfortable,like with good friends, your family or maybe just yourself as long as you're happy it can be a home...and I think that old treehouse is where me and all my friends (and brother) call home.