"You're my best friend, Zac."

"You're mine too, Ellie."

"Thanks for coming up here with me. You have no idea how much your friendship means to me. If it wasn't for you… I would have runaway a long time ago. I wanted you to come up here because, well... I wanted you to know how much I appreciate what you've done for me, but I need your help now."

Zac had gotten a call from Ellie earlier that afternoon, she said needed to talk to him so he had met her on top of the Helena Hotel, their usual meeting spot. "What do you need my help with?"

"Tell me where to go."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't take it anymore. I want to be anywhere but where my parents are. They fight all the time, they fight so, so much. I can't handle it, and I need to get away. Please, I need a hideout, tell me where to go."

"You can't run away. You just told me that if it wasn't for me, you would have ran way... you WOULD have, what are you talking about, run away, now?"

"I meant that I would of a long time ago, but your friendship has kept me around longer, but now... I have to get away. Please Zac, will you help me?"

"Help you run away? No! Do you realize how much your family would miss you? How much our friends would miss you, how much I would miss you? You can't leave us. You can live with your grandparents, or aunt uncle, or us!"

"I can't do that Zac, no one in my family cares about me, and I will not intrude on your family. I just need a place, a place that you will know about, so you can visit me anytime you want. I was thinking about Texas..."

"I've always wanted to go there, you know? I could go there and when I get old enough.. I'll work at Six Flags, wouldn't that be great? I could ride any ride that I wanted too, and see all the people as they get off and on the rides, with a big smile on their face." Ellie closed her eyes and smiled at the thought.

"You can't go to Texas, it's too far. You just have to go back home. Maybe we could talk to your parents, and... and maybe they will listen to us, and realize how much they hurt you when they fight.

"I've tried that Zac, remember?" Ellie pointed to the scar that ran along her forehead.

Zac shook his head. "We could call the police, and they could put you under the care of someone who would take such good care of you, and you could still live near here, and you wouldn't have to runaway somewhere no one knows about."

"But someone would know about it, both of us would know."

"I won't let you run away."

"Then come with me."

"I can't do that."

Ellie stood up and paced back and forth in anger.

"Then what in the hell can I do? Huh? I can't go back home, we all know what happens there, I can't go to the cops... because... if... if they do stick me with a family, it will be a family I won't like, and no one else loves me. I hate my life, I just want to get away from all of it."

"Ellie, you can't run away, you're my best friend, and I don't know what I would do without you. You can stay with us… until things work out."

"NO, Zac." Ellie started backing towards the edge of the hotel roof, without realizing it.

"Ellie, be careful... you're close to the edge." Zac warned.

"Zac, what am I going to do? I have nowhere to go." Ellie cried, getting closer and closer to the edge.

Zac began to stand up. "Be careful, Ellie."

"Where do I go?" Ellie broke down and started crying and collapsed on her knees, her shins hit the edge of the hotel ceiling and she began to fall. She screamed and Zac leaped to catch her arm. "HELP ME!"

"I've got you."

"Help me please, Zac. I'm so scared, I don't want to die. Help me, please!" She was becoming frantic.

"You have to help me help you up, ok? I won't let you fall, I swear." Zac tried lifting her, but it was becoming almost impossible.

"Ellie, you have to help me! Try to climb the wall." He could feel himself slowly slipping.

"I can't."

"Look at me!" Zac commanded.

Ellie looked up at him and he held her gaze. "You have to help me, slowly climb the wall. Don't look down, keep your eyes on mine, and I'll help you, I swear I will."

She nodded and rested her feet on the wall of the hotel and began to slowly climb her way. Zac adjusted his grasp and pulled her up with all of his might. She finally was at the top and she scrambled as far away from the edge as possible.

Zac crawled over to her and embraced her in a relieved hug. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me." He panted.

"Thank you so much, I was so scared."

"It's ok now, your ok." Zac rocked her, trying to calm her.

"I love you Zac, just like a brother, more than my own brother actually."

Zac just held her and didn't say a word.

"Tomorrow... I'll go to the police."

He nodded in agreement and they sat atop of the hotel until the sun went down.