Somebody That I Used To Know

Breaking News

Intense language and discussion about topics. (Not like swearing, but there's a news report with official language that can be triggering)

Molly turns on the morning news. She's wrapped in a fuzzy blanket and starts lays against their headboard. Tom is in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and styling his hair.

"The temperature for today is a high of 67° and a low of 52°. Peak temperature will be at 12 o'clock with 67°, decrease to about 65°, and stay there until it drops at dusk."

Molly sits and watches, taking note of the temperature to plant her and Lily's activities for the day.

"Breaking news," a voice says. "Matthew West, known for-"

"Tom?" Molly exclaims. "Tom, come here."

Tom quickly runs out of the bathroom, worries that Molly was hurt. "What do you need so urgently?"

"Look,"

"Is being put on parole due to good behavior, despite having charges of kidnapping in the first degree, sexual assult, and human trafficking in the 2nd degree." The reporter says. "Here's what Mr. West has to say."

Someone hands the microphone to Matt. Tom watches intently as walks down the stairs of the courthouse. He looks exactly the same as he did 5 years ago.

"I'm so thankful for this. I'm not a bad person by any means, I was having a really hard time and I took it out on someone, which wasn't right. I want to make a formal apology to Tom and his family for the pain that I caused. I'm excited to start my life again and start new."

"Turn it off," Tom blandly says.

Molly searches for the remote, it was lost in the blankets.

"Turn it off," he snaps, his voice shaking.

"I'm trying, baby, I'm trying," Molly urgently says, finally finding the remote. They look at each other in silence before Molly says, "Honey,"

"I'm going to get ready for yoga."

"No, Tom, wait,"

"I don't want to talk about this, I have somewhere I need to be."

"Thomas," Molly says. "We need to talk. You need to get to court and we'll fight this."

"What's to fight, Molly?" Tom sighs. "There's nothing we can do."

"It's dangerous."

"No, it's not. He'd be stupid to try and hurt me again, then he'd have to go back to jail."

"You need to get a restraining order."

"Molly, if he wanted to, he'd just break it and hurt me anyway so what does it matter? And he'd probably kill me this time if he did try so it's not like I'd be living with what I did before."

"Thomas, don't say that."

"It's true. Why would he just hurt me again and go? That wouldn't be smart, he knows that anything he does, he'll be punished for. Why not just get the job done?"

"He didn't want to kill you before, you wouldn't be..." Molly felt sick as the next word left her mouth. "Valuable."

"Yes, I would." Tom sighs. "It doesn't matter, Molly, they'd pay the same. It would just be different kind of sick people."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Molly says, bile rising in her throat. "I don't want to think about... that happening to you."

"Of course you don't, I certainly don't but it's true."