The Schuyler Scandal || Modern Meggy

Chapter 10 (Edited)

Maria POV

"It was halfway through freshman year," I exclaimed. "My life was a mess. On top of that, I was struggling with accepting the fact that I was gay. I was scared I'd lose everyone I cared about if I came out. That's when James crashed into my life. He was a sophomore, popular, and known for his smooth flirting skills. The first moment he talked to me, I felt like I was drowning in butter. I wasn't in love with him though. I just pretended I loved him. In fact, I faked it for so long that I couldn't tell the difference between what feelings were real and what feelings were not. Skip ahead a few years, he proposed to me three weeks after we graduated. Guess who was gullible enough to except? Me. After we were married, he started to change. Well, he actually was just melting away his shell of false kindness. He became more cross and cruel. That's when he-" I began before my voice cracked.

"It's alright Mar. We're all here for you," Laf reassured me while rubbing my back. I took a shaky breath in before continuing.

"That's when he started hitting me. Abusing me. He did this constantly. What's even worse, he forced me to be be his whore. He'd make me sleep with a certain person for a little while, then he would swoop in and threaten them to pass over their money or else he'd tell their spouse. I hated every bit of it. Also, if I refused to sleep with someone, he'd smash one of his many beer bottles over my head and start punching me. I wanted to make it all go away, but I was too scared to turn him in to the cops or to file for a divorce. But one day, he left on a trip for a week, so I took this opportunity to go and get divorce papers from Human Resources. The day James came back, I presented the papers to him with a straight face. He beat me worse than he ever had that night. But, surprisingly, the next morning, I came downstairs to get pain meds and saw that he had filled out the paperwork and left it on the counter. Overjoyed, I moved to downtown New Jersey to start my new life. James moved to California. I haven't seen him since."

The whole room went silent at the end of my story. Then, Angelica wrapped her arms around me in a protective hug before she said, "We're all here for you Mar."

"We'll always be here for you. It's what best friends are for," John added in a warm tone. I smiled up at my friends. It was then that I felt fresh tears slip down my face.

Peggy POV

"Rachel?" I asked while laying on the nonexistent ground.

"Hmm?" Rachel hummed in response.

"Do you know when I'll wake up?" I inquired anxiously.

"I can't tell you," Rachel replied.

"Whhhhhyyyyy?" I questioned.

"Because you already know the answer," Rachel said.

"What?" I whined.

"Only you know the answer to that question. You will wake up when your ready," Rachel restated.

I have no idea what the heck that's supposed to mean. I don't want to be trapped in this prison anymore. I just want to wake up. I just want to see everyone again. I want to see Maria again. I want life to go back to the way it was before.

"Well, maybe not completely," I accidentally said out loud.

"What?" Rachel inquires with puzzlement.

"Oh, nothing! Just thinking out loud!" I tell her, mentally face palming.

Eliza POV