"Broken"

One

DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY IS IN NO WAY GLAMORIZING VIOLENCE OR ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS. IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO SUCH TOPICS, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

Alexa's POV:

I lifted up my shirt to look at the bruise on my hip. It was big, purple, and it took up the entire side of my stomach.
How did I get this bruise?
The answer is, in a fight with Damien last night.
Damien has always been a good boyfriend to me, but every once in a while he will lose his temper, lash out and hit me or something.

That's what I would've said last year, when it was only a monthly-yearly occurrence. Now, he injures me at least once a week.

Last night, he was mad that I was hanging out with Shawn instead of going to his basketball game. When I got back to my house, he was waiting on my front porch. He yelled at me, then pushed me down the front steps. He left me crying on the curb before getting in his car and leaving.

Shawn is my best friend. He and I have been on the same hockey team for almost 3 years. He moved across the street from me that same year. I remember meeting him for the first time officially at tryouts in freshman year, and in that moment, he instantly went from being the new, mysterious boy next door, to my very best friend.

Since I am the only girl on the team, he has always been very protective of me, and always made sure that none of the guys were rude about me "not acting like a girl" when I am playing. They don't anyway. I'm sure they had their doubts on letting a girl join the team in the beginning, but once we all met, and they actually saw me play, they were cool-and seemed pretty impressed if I do say so myself.

I gently rubbed my hand over the bruise, and flinched with every touch. I pulled my shirt back down before going to bed.
I have a big Hockey game tomorrow morning that I need to be well rested for.