[center][color=FF7F50][h3]Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Jones[/h3][/color]
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Lizzy [i]knew[/i] this was coming. Of course, not in such a manner but, still, she knew. She heard the blue BMW before she saw it and gut knotted almost as much as her best friend. Almost. She should have been more forceful on Ariel. She should've known she would tell him and gotten on top of her weeks ago, she thought of it but didn't. 

Lizzy had a bit of an idea of Ariel's father mistreating her, sure. Ariel would confide in her sometimes. Of course Ariel would only tell her the lighter stuff like 'daddy yelled at me' or 'daddy hit me!' Nothing beyond that, though, Lizzy had her suspicions. The extended sleepovers at her house, the bruises that were present on her skin from time to time. Lizzy didn't prompt her too hard and instead stayed protective of her friend, ready to be a shoulder to cry on. She never thought it to be terrible enough to be child abuse but that one line said it all; "What, dad? That you won't beat me in broad daylight?" Why did it never hit Lizzy that Ariel's father was so terrible to her? She should've called a corrective service or talked to [i]someone[/i]. Gosh, she was a terrible friend.

Her mind was quickly snagged by the scene before her. Each friend had their own way of protecting Ariel and Lizzy was grateful for it. The thing is none of them were really approaching this the right way. Ariel's dad was a jerk, true. What Liz would give to hurt him, make him feel what his daughter was forced to feel, however, that wasn't Liz. She wasn't violent. She knew how to deal with this, how did none of her friends? After all she was the youngest. Then again, she'd often been told she was too grown up for her age.

[color=FF7F50]"Guys, guys!"[/color] she calls after her friends, intercepting. [color=FF7F50]"Allow me,"[/color] she breaks through the wall of her friends protecting her sister from another mister to get to that other mister. [color=FF7F50]"Mr Gray!"[/color] she greets Ariel's father cheerily, [color=FF7F50]"It's been a while. Look, sir, we're not running away, we're going away for a bit. We'll be back before the school year starts. Ariel did try and tell you of the trip once, I'm told, I know she should've told you more about before now, instead of running off but she'll be in capable hands! Some of us are technically adults, and there's me. I'll make sure she keeps in touch with you. Anyway, she is technically old enough to live by herself without your permission, it's not gonna come to that though. We're just gonna spread our wings a bit. It won't be long before she's leaving for college anyway, this'll be good practice for her. Besides, you might like the quiet and not having to check up on her instead of working on your work. She'll be quite alright and the rest of us have our parent's permission or are old enough to make our own. So what do you think?"[/color]