"I don't know Jes, I don't know what to do with her... I haven't heard from her since last week!" Leigh sighed as she sipped at her glass of wine, Harvey her pug on her slipper boot cladded feet as she gazed more or less through the television on the cold, drizzly December evening. Her house was neatly organised and decorated with red, gold and green a Christmas decorations, however none of the decorations that kept catching her eye throughout her phone conversation could pull her from her current worried mood.

"It fucking infuriates me Lee! She's been completely ground down to a hollow shell of the Jade we know. He threw out her Disney collection!"

"Jes please tell me you salvaged them?!"

"It was the day after Danielle moved out... She'd gone back to get her mattress and found them in the bin when she was tossing something... She dropped them at mine before she left for Cornwall. I hate that he is living there... I hate not visiting her..."

Leigh could hear the tears coming on on the other side of the phone line, prompting her tear ducts to become wet too as concern set in heavier than it has before.

"Oh Jes, please don't cry..."

"I'm sorry Lee... I know I'm meant to be the strong one between us but I see you two as my babies... It's like a dagger in the heart knowing she's in pain and she doesn't have the fight left to listen to us..."

___________________________________________________________________

*Boxing Day (Two Weeks Later)*

"Leigh-Ann! I know it's Boxing Day and you're at your Mum's but you need to call me ASAP. It's Jade!" Jest hung up and let out a shaky breath as she pulled into the car park of the apartment complex that Jade resided in. An old family friend of hers lived two floors below Jade and had rang her to inform her that all the others at home for Christmas in the complex had become increasingly worried about Jade's safety after hearing shouting and crashing, followed by crying this early afternoon. It was nearly 4pm and her friend had text at 3pm to inform her that Jed, Jade's supposed boyfriend had finally left the building.

She raced up the four flights of stairs, taking the spare key she owned from her pocket as she reached Jade's door. She opened it with caution, hearing sniffles coming from the sofa.

"Jade? Sweetie it's Jesy..." She gasped slightly as she took in the sight before her. There was a thinner looking Jade hunched on the floor of her living room, holding kitchen cloth to her face as she silently weeped. Jesy was straight down in seconds, carefully reaching out for Jade, only to stop when she flinched away almost as if she expected Jesy to be aggressive toward her.

"Oh sweetie... Was this Jed? Did he do this to you? It's me, Jesy, you can trust me... I won't hurt you I promise..." Jesy tried to think of some kind of way she could catch Jade's attention and trust. She smiled a sad smile as she remembered Jade's childhood nickname that Lee and herself had stamped her with back when Jade was only five years old.

"Poopey...?" Jade suddenly lifted her eyes to look into Jesy's, feeling tears coming on as finally she felt a little safer.

"Jesy... You... You shouldn't be here... He'll-" Jesy cut off Jade's words and placed her hand out for her to take it.

"Don't you go worrying about me, babe... We need to get you away from this place... Do you want to stay here whilst I pack you some things?" Jade winced as she frowned and chewed at her lip, unsure on what was safer right now for her to do.

"Jade, I'm not leaving you here again... This is the final straw. You're coming with me okay? You'll be so much safer with Jake and I."

"I wanted to run today... That's why he... Again... It's packed, under the false bottom of the wardrobe in Dani's old room... Everything important is there... I got him to believe I wasn't running, just having a sort out with my clothes... He didn't know I'd hidden a bag ready to go..."

Jesy felt her heart ache for her best friend as she stood up, helping Jade up along the way. She rubbed her arm gently and sighed.

"We're getting you out of here, Poopey..."

Ten minutes later saw them in the car, driving back to Jesy's as her phone buzzed.

"Leigh!"

"Jesy what's happened?! I'm so sorry! I didn't have service until I went outside."

Jesy smiled slightly and then realised Leigh couldn't see her smile through the phone.

"Just meet me at mine, Lee, asap."

Leigh agreed quickly and shut off the call between them, allowing Jesy to look over at Jade, a sad smile playing on her lips as she found her to be sleeping against the window of the passenger seat door. She pulled her eyes away from the cuts on the side of her face and back to the road, gasping as she realised it was Boxing Day. Jade's Birthday.