My New Family (A Haters Back Off Fanfic)

Bethany

Colleen's POV
"Now tell me, what's the matter?"
"Well, it's my boyfriend you see. He is very... controlling. He makes me do everything for him, and everything has to be just so. And if it isn't..." I began to cry. Before now I'd never thought about my situation too much. I just got on with my life. But now that I'm telling someone else about it, I'm realising that this is my story, no one else's. I never thought about it properly. Now I'm realising that what Aaron did to me was completely out of order. I should have ended things when I had the chance. I should have ended things before it was too late. My divorce from Josh hurt me so much. It changed me as a person. I'd failed. I was desperate for a fresh start, a new love where everything would be perfect. Only now am I realising that I failed even worse than the first time. I was so desperate to love again that I was blind to what Aaron was doing to me. He was slowly breaking me. Now is the time that I fall under the cracks. All I need is someone to help me get back up again. I looked at Bethany. She grabbed my hand and looked at me with genuine love in her eyes.

"... if it isn't just so, the consequences vary. I'm lucky if I escape with a black eye and more than a few swear words in my face. He's beat me more times than you could imagine."
"He beat you?" I nodded, tears running down my cheeks. "Oh honey, that isn't right! That's not fair!" I noticed tears forming in her eyes, too.
"A-Are you okay?" I asked. She nodded.
"I'm fine. I just..." she sighed. "I was married once. I loved him more than anyone has ever loved anyone before. For a little while I think he felt the same way. But then things began to change..." she paused to wipe a tear from her eye. I felt even more tears streaming down my own cheeks. "But the worst thing is... right when he left me... was when I found out I was pregnant."
"Oh, that's awful!"
"I love my daughter. I went on to have another one too, but that's an even longer story. I don't regret anything. It would just be nice if it had been a bit easier." I nodded.

"Haven't you got the police involved with your boyfriend? He is completely out of order." I shook my head. "Oh honey, you can't just let him hurt you like this forever! You have to do something!"
"Well actually, I ran away just this morning." I said, gesturing towards my suitcase.
"Where are you going to go?"
"I-I don't know."
Bethany paused for a second. "Why don't you come and stay with me?"
"R-Really?"
Bethany nodded. "I mean, if you'd rather not, that's fine, i-it was just a suggestion."
"I-I'd like that very much. Thank you." I said.

    ***

"Now I'll have to warn you, my family isn't the most normal family you'll ever meet. In fact we're quite the opposite." Bethany said as we sat in her car. "You'll learn to get used to it... Maybe."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with your arm?" I asked, referencing the wrist brace that she was wearing on her right arm.
"Oh, this? I'm fine. Well, I'm not fine, I have Undiagnosed Fibromyalgia, but it's fine. You get used to it."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's honestly fine."

I felt so happy. I finally found a friend who I trust and who listens. That's so hard to come by these days: a friend who's good at listening. People don't seem to understand how much it helps to just have someone listen to your problems. That's why my therapist is my only friend. She's the only one to talk to who cares about me. Now I have Bethany, and I'm so excited for my new life to begin.