My Best Friend

Chapter 3

It's funny how a best friend can act as if she's your mother or sister on day then your knight in shining armor the next. But Glen, Glen was all three in one hour!

Glen was that type of girl who was sweet to everyone, even if you had wronged her. But if you had wronged me, that was a whole other story...

Back in the middle of senior year Peter and I were going through a rough patch. Like, a really rough patch... To the point he had hit me several times and tried to force himself on me...

He wasn't always like this. But he would act this way after several drinks. He'd go out partying with the guys and drink. Of course I would be a drag along for him. He liked to show me off. Especially when he was drunk.

The beating first started at the Halloween party. He had a couple drinks and was staggering upstairs with his hand tightly around my wrist. I didn't mind his grabbing my wrist so hard, at first. But when he had swung me into a room hard, thats when I spoke up.

"Hey, hun, can you go a little easy please." I say loud enough to be heard over the loud music that was playing down stairs.

He ignored me and moved forward, shoving me up against the wall and moving in to kiss me. I winced as I hit my head against the wall hard and was about to speak up but his lips on mine muffled my words. I pushed him back gently.

"Peter-" I started
"Shut up." He snapped, forcing his lips on mine again but I shoved him off with more force.
"Peter. Stop. You've had to much to drink tonight. You should-" and that's when he raised a fist. Connecting is my cheek and knocking my down flat.

I gasped, slowly processing the pain that spread across the left side of my face. Tears because to gather in my eyes as I looked up at him, him starring down at me with a wobbling stance. I scooted backwards but he only came closer.

I don't remember much from that night, just that I wished I was strong. Strong enough to defend myself then because maybe I would have had the guts to leave him sooner, before all the forced sex and black eyes began.

I didn't tell Glen about Peter hitting me until much later. I had stayed home from school one week because he had bruised me so bad couldn't even walk.

I bet you are wondering why I didn't tell my parents or why my parents never asked how I got these bruises. My father was a religious drunk, believe men could put woman in their place and same sex marriage was Satan worshipping. My mother died when I was in the 6th grade, from cancer. May she rest in peace.

That week I was home from school I had ignored Glen's calls and text, feeling guilty. I knew if she saw me in this state she would be beyond pissed. And worse of all, disappointed. And just as I was thinking of her and what she would think, she came knocking on my door.

My father let her in and told her I was upstairs before leaving for work. She came upstairs, knocking before entering. Thinking it was my father, I said "come in."

I had my eyes closed as I laid there on my bed with my legs up on a pillow with ice, my head back on a pillow with an ice pack also to my black eyes. I heard the door open but nothing else, making me wonder who was standing in my room. I removed the ice pack from my face and looked up, seeing a silently crying Glen.

She stood at the door way, looking at my body with tears running down her face, a hand covering her mouth as she sobbed.

"Who did this to you Claire Bear." Her silence finally broke and she moved forward, still sobbing.
"I-" I couldn't speak, I hated seeing her like this...
"Did you father hit you? Did Peter..?" I didn't speak, my own tears running down my face.

She came to my bed side and grabbed my hand in hers.
"It was Peter, wasn't it." She didn't even have to ask, it all became to clear to her. "That asshole... He's going to be sorry." Her tone darkened, scarring me.
"He didn't mean it..."
"Bullshit Claire! When I asked you before how you got those bruises, you lied. He had been hitting you even three months ago!"
"Glen, it was-"
"Don't you dare say it was an accident. You're smart enough to know it wasn't. You have to stand up for yourself Claire. You either fight or die. And I will not have my best friend become another broken, abused girl in the world with an asshole of a boyfriend, likely to get pregnant and watch that child get abused by the same man!" She yelled, making me jump.

As much as I had dreaded meeting face to face with her that day, I was glad I did. She snapped me back into reality, the reality of knowing things will never change with Peter. He will always be that boyfriend who hit his girlfriend.

And to this day, I still consider Glen my savior. If it wasn't for her, I would not have left Peter the next week. And if it wasn't for her, I would have not made it through what I still consider the worse break up I had ever faced.