Getting ready for school, Ava pulled at the sleeves of her only dress. It was white with faded blue flowers on it. She loves that dress with all her heart, for it was given to her by her mother before she started taking drugs and abusing her. Grabbing her brown paper bag lunch off the counter, she walks out her grey house. The paint was chipping, and the windows were full of grime and mold. Ava opens the rusting gate and makes her way to school.
She walks into Lakeview’s public elementary school and into her first grade class. After putting her backpack in her cubby hole, she takes her spiral, book, and pencil, and sits down at her desk. Having not slept well last night, due to her pounding headache and the burning pain going up and down her arms, Ava puts her head down and rests her eyes. The teacher starts passing out papers and notices the bruises on Ava’s arm that she was unable to hide. Not knowing what to do, the teacher gives her a paper and moves on.
After completing the worksheet, it’s time for recess. Standing up slowly so the pain doesn’t come back, Ava follows her class outside. She then proceeds to sit down on the bench like she does every day. She knows she’s an outcast. She’s the girl who “sleeps” during class; the girl who rarely ever talks; the girl who wears the same thing every day; the girl whose mom never comes to pick her up. Resting her head on her hands, she hears someone sitting down next to her. Looking up to see who it is, she realizes that it is Tommy, the only one of her peers who ever talks to her. Right as she starts to talk, the teacher blows the whistle; and it’s time to go inside.

As Ava walks home, she thinks about what she might find. Will it be her mother passed out on a chair? Or will she be yelling at some guy whom Ava has never seen? Or maybe, just maybe, her mom will be waiting at the door to give her a hug and ask how school went. Ava knows that the last choice was just wishful thinking, but she can’t help herself. Can you blame her? She had an awesome mom two years ago; but after her dad died in a car accident, her mother became an alcoholic, trying to get rid of her pain by beating Ava. But no matter what happens Ava would still listen to her mom, go to school, and come back home. There wasn’t another choice because Ava didn’t know any of her relatives, and she had nowhere else to go.
Ava walks through the filthy door and finds her mom passed out. Thankful that her mom is out, she walks up the stairs and into her pink, butterfly theme room. She turns around and silently closes the door, for she wants to prolong the beatings her mother will surely have in store for her when she wakes up. All of a sudden, Ava hears the stairs creak; signaling that her mom was up and coming up to Ava’s room to see what she was doing. The squeak of the door makes Ava turn around. There, stands her mom; and she’s slowly advancing on her. Grabbing Ava by her arm, her mom starts to hit and beat her. Even though this happens almost every night, Ava stills screams and cries. Tonight happens to be worse than the other nights. Suddenly, Ava sees black, only black.

Tommy sits on his window seat. He is Ava’s neighbor and hears her strangled cries every night. He tries telling his parents but they say it’s none of their business and to just forget about it. Tommy watches and listens when all of a sudden he sees Ava fall to the ground. Thinking she’s unconscious, he picks up a phone and dials 9-1-1. A few minutes later, he hears the sirens of the ambulances and police cars coming down the street. He throws on his jacket and shoes and runs outside.
Standing in front of Ava’s house, he sees Ava’s mother getting arrested. Anxiously rocking back and forth on his feet, he sees Ava being carried on a stretcher. Sprinting over to the ambulance, Tommy finds Ava being attached to needles and monitors. Before they close the doors, Tommy looks at the heart monitor, the line is flat.

Tommy stands in his black suit in front of Ava’s grave. The head stone reads, “Here lies a friend and daughter, Ava Emily Williams. 1996-2002.” The tears are running down his face as the ceremony goes on. He never wanted this to happen. It wasn’t right. I mean, she was only 6 years old.