"Back! Ah! No! Stop it! Now or else I'll... I'll.." screamed Harry desperately.
Catherine laughed with obvious enjoyment. "You are pathetic, give me your phone, unless, you want me to continue." Laughing again she untangled a stick from a bush. "We could have a serious debate about it."
In a desperate attempt to escape Harry ran at Catherine but she caught him across the chest with the stick and he fell to the ground with a loud crunch. Catherine's life had gone bad, big time, her parents were divorced and didn't want her around. She lived in a foster home which had no legal rights for her to be adopted, she was hooked on cigarettes and she beat people up to get the money for them. Harry was her prime target though and here he was, sprawled on the ground, wet, dirty and a girl he had once considered pretty had reduced him to a miserable wreck. "I take your silence as yes," she said raising the stick. Harry was gripped by fear and lashed out with his foot. Catherine screamed clutching her side, but he was already on his feet and side stepping her. When Harry conveyed what had happened to his friend Jack he just grimaced and said, "Next time you see her just run in the opposite direction."
"You know," Harry said hesitating, "I reckon, if we well.... you know, sort of destruct Catherine's life as much as possible, we could... sort of... maybe have a slim chance of..." "Get to the point some time this decade," Jack snapped irritably. Harry scowled then said,
"Well you know she's got that diary?"
"Yeah the one she's so secretive about."
"Well what if we went up to the foster home when Catherine is out buying her cigarettes and we said we had something of hers to put in her room, we could snatch it!"
When Harry finished Jack just sat there open mouthed. "You know there are about a million things that can go wrong and that's stealing."
"But we'll give it back once she promises not to beat me up again." They were silent for several minutes. Harry realised how strong his and Jack's friendship was, Jack was the cautious, scared of getting trouble sort of person, yet he was prepared to help him. The next day Harry was feeling nervous, the fact that he was planning on stealing, actually stealing! Though to his surprise Stage One went exactly as planned, the woman who opened the door of the foster home swallowed all of his stories of Catherine leaving her bag at school and him and Jack being asked to give it back.
"...first door on the right dears, third floor, oh and mind your step there", said the woman in a squeaky voice.
"Thanks" replied Harry feeling the guilt on Jack's face. Catherine's room was plain, the paper was supposedly white but had patches of grey in it. On the windowsill stood several lines of air fresheners though the room still had a faint stench of cigarettes in it. The bed that stood in the corner was also plain and dull.
"Right you search those drawers,鈥 coughed Harry at the mix of smells, eager to get out of the room. In the space of about five minutes Jack and Harry had found the diary. As they were leaving the foster home they bumped straight into Catherine who stood rooted to the spot staring at the diary in Jack's hand. "Give it to me鈥 Catherine shouted, Stage Two was going as planned too.
"Promise you won't beat Harry up for money," said Jack with a scared but defiant expression on his face.
"Give it to me or I will make you re-"
"Did you hear me?鈥 his voice became louder. "Promise!"
"I need that money!" Catherine said.
"Only to fill your face with stuff that kills you!!" Harry shouted.
"How do you expect me to stop?"
Harry was startled to see that she was crying, he didn't know what to do he just stared then he said.
"I will give you back the diary just promise not to hurt me again and give me the cigarettes" Harry told her. After a very long pause she muttered one word.
"Yes"
Then after an even longer pause she pulled out two packs of cigarettes. Harry pulled听 one out and snapped it in two.
"Come on, help me" he said placing one of the packets in her hand. "That's how you stop," then he smiled "and I'll help you." | 
