But, Baby

It started in high school. Girl meets boy and girl likes boy. Typical, I know. He was younger than her but she didn’t care. They would flirt in the hallways and on their way to classes until he finally asked for her number. When he asked her to be his girlfriend, she said yes, of course. Shouldn’t that be the happiest moment of her life? She thought so.

Throughout the beginning of their relationship, it was perfect. Young love. What’s more adorable than that? They spent all weekend together along with after school and in between classes. After a year, that’s when it started to fall apart.

Every night, he would fight with her. He told her she was worthless, too fat, too ugly, too much for him to handle. “But, baby, I love you,” she told him every night while he would talk down on her. She took it. She could handle it.

Later, he would push her out of his way to anything. Push her into lockers, door, chair, anything just to make his friends laugh. She took it. She could handle the teasing.

Then, he would hit her. He would tell her she was crazy and she deserved him. He treated her the way he did to punish her. Punish her for what? Loving him? Respecting him? He slapped her and said, “Go home and leave me alone.” So she took it. She deserved to be hit.

She graduated after he told her she was too stupid to graduate high school. She went to college even though he said she was never get accepted. She got an apartment even though he said she couldn’t afford it. She did it, but she was still with him.

She got into drugs and alcohol. She felt trapped and couldn’t leave him. She wanted to but she knew she couldn’t. He was 52 miles away from her yet, she couldn’t leave.

She had a few friends over. She had a few drinks, had a beers. They heard a knock on the door thinking the pizza guy was there. Her guy friend opened the door to find her boyfriend on the other side.

“This is who you’ve been cheating on me with? This thing?” He yelled at her. Everyone looked around the room and made their way to her. She was motionless. She couldn’t talk nor move. She was frozen.

Everyone thought she was lying about her boyfriend being mean to her, but they never expected this.

“Go to your room!”

“No,” she whispered.

“What did you say to me?”

“No,” she said firmly. “I’m tired of you treating me like shit. You can leave.”

He laughed and grabbed a drink from the fridge. He was laughing while he took a sip. “Don’t talk to me like that. Do you hear me?” He told her. She was still. She didn’t make a sound.

“Go. Home. And leave me alone,” she told him.

He went after he and grabbed her. She fought back but was too weak compared to him. Her friends tried to get him off of her but they couldn’t. He threw her into her room and locked the door.

She laid there on the floor, struggling to get up. She heard her friends banging on the door calling for her to see if she’s okay.

“Who do you think you are talking to me like that in front of people?” he said as he slapped her.

“Who do you think you are having people over at your house without my permission?” he said as he pushed her to her bed. He pinned her down and got on top of her.

He put his hand on her neck. “Who do you think you are disrespecting me?” He squeezed harder and harder and harder.

“Please. Stop... please,” she said struggling for a breathe. His eye widened and saw they way she was. Tears came to his eye and he let go.

She gasp for air and coughed until she could breathe. She looked up and saw him run outside. She followed him.

She found him sitting on the porch with tears in his eyes. She sat down next to him and gave him back his ring.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t do this no more.”

“But, baby, I love you,” he said to her.

She walked away.

“Fine. Have it your way!” She turned around and saw him running to the back yard. She chased after him.

They kept running and she stopped.

He didn’t. He jumped off the cliff that led to the ocean. She saw him jump.

Everything was slow motion. She fell to the ground and started to cry. Her friends saw it all and was already there to hold her. The police and ambulance were already working on the scene. They picked her out and then him.

He was okay.

Was she okay?