You + Me

Chapter 1:

"I don't care it was a Friday night, you left without my permission!" My boyfriend's voice boomed across the flat.
"L-look Chris, I'm sorry. But I'm not a baby, I'm 24 now and-" my shaken voice was interrupted by a hard smack to my face. I fell backwards, tumbling onto the bed. I held my jaw, I could almost feel it beginning to bruise against my palm.

Chris leaned and roughly grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. "No matter what you do I don't ever want you to leave this house again without me, do you understand?" I nod frantically, waiting for him to release me from his grip.
Once he finally did, he stormed out of the bedroom, probably to the kitchen to get another beer.
I laid back against the headboard and pulled my knees to my chest. I could feel the flow of tears trickling my eyes as I made a horrible attempt to calm myself. I rocked myself back and forth, like a baby in its comforting cradle.

I was suddenly jolted to attention as I heard my phone ring. I took a quick look at the Caller ID to see it was my best friend, Dodie. I answered the call to hear the laughter of a man and a woman.

"Hello?" I croaked.
"Oh, hey Max! I'm just hanging with Evan and we wanted to see if you could hang out?" Dodie asked, you could hear the obvious grin that was spread across her cheeks. I internally smiled at the thought of freedom, even for a couple hours. "I wou-" I froze, the pain on my face reminding me of my situation. "I want to, but I can't."
"Oh, okay. Why not?" "I uhm. I'm not allowed to leave the flat." Even through the phone you could feel Dodie's tone drop. "I'm sorry, what?" "I uh," I panicked. "I gotta go, bye," I hung up, leaving her on edge.

I new I probably should've answered that call as now Dodie is probably very concerned. Knowing her, she'll just show up here. Oh no. Chris. He wouldn't be happy if Dodie showed up. I didn't know if I cared or not, but he does scare me to death.

I laid back down onto the pillow and closed my eyes. One memory flashing through my head;

I shoved the last box into the trunk, letting the warm sun radiate over my pale skin.
I felt hands creep around my hips and hug me close. Chris nuzzled his nose into my neck, making me giggle.
"Alright, lovebirds. Get a room!" Dodie laughed as she walked out of the house with Evan.
Chris looked at me, shaking his head and smiling. I remember how he was so innocent that he couldn't even hurt a flie, even if he wanted to.

"Okay. Well, we better get going, we got a lot of unpacking to do," Chris suggested, unlocking his car. "Fine. But listen up," Dodie exclaimed, turning Chris around to look at her. "Max is my best friend in the whole world. You hurt her and you will never see the light of day again. Are we clear?" Dodie smirked. Chris nodded, swallowing nervously. She backed away from him and Chris and I made our way into the car. "And!" Evan shouted, jogging to the car door. "Treat her right, she deserves it."

It's only been a year and Chris has already broken all the rules my friends set. Sometimes I don't know what to do. He makes me feel worthless, and I can't take it anymore.

I lift my head and reached for my phone.

To: Dodie Clark
From: Maxine Gray

I'm on my way. See you in 10 minutes.