Graffiti Girl // Michael Clifford

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Every day's the same. She fights to find her way. She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray. She wonders why, does anyone ever hear her when she cries?

«When She Cries» Britt Nicole

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"Hey, Big Stuff," Dad greets, unexpectedly, walking through the front door. I put down my colored pencil and look up to him.

"Hi, Daddy," I say and walk to give him a hug. He kisses my head and I snuggle against his shirt.

"Where's your mom?" he asks as he pulls away, much too quickly for my liking, but he seems to be a little jumpy and I don't want to make him upset if I ask. It's okay, though.

"Um, she's with Hayden and Jax in the backyard. Mommy got a big pool that you pump up with air and you can swim in it!" I tell him excitedly.

"Oh, that's cool! But, hey, while they're out there, do you wanna go to the diner for a bit of dinner? We'll come right back, afterwards."

I smile big, seeing as Daddy has hardly gone with me to the dinner since he moved out last year. I'm there a lot, but he usually just drops me off to do homework and talk to Becca. It's fun, but it's even better when he's with me.

"Yes!" I squeal. "I'll go tell Mom we're leaving." I turn around to the back of the house, when Dad pulls my shoulder towards him, again.

"No, don't bother her. We'll be back before she notices, anyway," he insists, hurriedly.

"Oh," I respond, feeling weird about leaving when Mom doesn't know where I am. But, I am just going to dinner with my dad, and if we're back soon enough, she probably won't realize I ever left. They'll be out in the pool for at least another hour, anyways. "Okay."

"Great! Do you have your shoes?" he asks, obviously in a rush of some sort. He probably just wants to make sure we get back in time.

"Uh, yeah," I say, grabbing them by the front door and putting them on. As soon as I've tied my laces, my dad grabs my hand and helps me up. We walk out to his new van he got for his new job. I like it, but it's annoying when we have Jax with us, because there are only two seats, so I have to sit in the back and use one of the stretchy ropes to keep me from falling. Dad tells me about how crazy one of the guys in his office is. He said he got so drunk the other day, that he peed on the wall. At work! I laugh along at all his funny jokes.

When we get there we immediately take our usual seats, politely greeting the new waitress they just hired a few weeks ago. The rest of them know us, but she's only seen me here after school a couple of times.

"What are you gonna get, hun?" Dad asks, ignoring the menus the new lady came by to give us. We both already have everything memorized.

"I think I want a hamunger," I answer. "But with carrots, not french fries."

"Do you want a soda or anything?" he asks.

"Mom doesn't like us drinking soda," I point out.

"But Mom isn't here, right?" he whispers conspiratorially.

It makes me giggle and tell him I'll get a Sprite, then. Dad laughs and tells the waitress our orders when she comes back.

I tell him all about the art project we did in school, right before break. We learned all about a man named Manet, and Dad seems excited about that part. He says I've seen some of his paintings in the museums we've gone to.