The Tattered Gloves

Head down. Don't look up. Never make eye contact.

Those were the words I lived by growing up, the words that protected me in an unsafe home. But words are only letters, and eventually even they couldn't keep his hands off me.

Hoping to leave behind the shattered life of my past, I find myself in a boring, small town, with an aunt I've never met, and at a school I loathe.

But soon I learn that not everything in this world is as black and white as I've determined. Sometimes those we are so quick to judge often need a second, third, or even fourth time to make a first impression.

And often, there are friendships and even love waiting just around the corner, if we are brave enough to take the first step.

Am I brave?

Or will I hide behind these tattered gloves of mine forever?