Caitlin slowly put away her make-up, turned on the faucet, and washed off what she had been trying to hide for months. She then briskly walked out of the bathroom with fierce determination written on her face. As she continued her journey, she could feel the eyes drawn to her but she refused to stop until she reached her destination. She slowly knocked on the wooden door while opening it, coming face to face with her English teacher.

20 minutes earlier


The fist came in contact with her face for the second time that day. This had become a part of Caitlin’s daily routine, but it hadn’t always been like this. Just a few months ago, she was just a normal teenage girl with normal friends and hobbies. That was until she met Shaun. Now her friends had dwindled down to none and her activities pretty much included finding ways to cover the latest bruises. He didn’t always use to be like this though; at the beginning he was sweet and caring. It was their one month anniversary when he first grabbed her hard enough to leave a mark. He didn’t like the way she was dressed.

“You look like a s***. Go change,” he demanded.

Those words had echoed through her head for that next week. She had been so angry with him, vowing to never see him again after that, she deserved so much better. But when he came back holding yellow lilies and murmuring sweet promises that he’d never do it again, she accepted his apology.

For the next two weeks, Shaun was completely attentive, so Caitlin figured it was a one-time thing. She went on living her life as she normally did, even though her friends would complain about Shaun; they didn’t like him. They could see how dangerously possessive Shaun had become, acting as if he owned Caitlin. He demanded her undivided attention. Her friends tried to warn her but Caitlin refused to listen, she refused to see what they saw. She believed Shaun’s sweet lies, even began to blame herself for what he did to her. But now Caitlin could see how much this was destroying her. She knew if she didn’t do something now, she might never have the chance to see another day.

Shaun glared at Caitlin but as she stared back with broken eyes, his own softened. He suddenly grabbed and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered softly in her ear.

Sorry; she had heard that word flow out of his mouth so often, it had lost all meaning to her.

“You just…You do something to me Cait,” Shaun explained, refusing to accept any responsibility for his actions.

Caitlin nodded mechanically because she knew if she didn’t, their current situation could and would get a lot worse. She then muttered a quick excuse about needing to leave and made a run for the bathroom, heaving into the nearest toilet. She felt so completely and utterly disgusted with herself. Caitlin used to be such an independent girl, who would never let anyone tell her what to do and now…. Now she’s a girl afraid of her own shadow, always watching what she says. She’s not suppose to live her life this way. Caitlin got up and turned around and gazed at her face in the mirror; another black eye to add to the assortment of other scars and bruises that marred her body. She quickly took out her cover-up and began to apply it to her face, but stopped mid-application.

Caitlin once again took a look at her reflection. Her eyes, now a dull brown, no longer sparkled with happiness and she couldn’t remember the last time she smiled. She was forced to wear long sleeves shirts to cover up what he had so conveniently gifted her with. Her emotional scars were displayed blatantly upon her face.

As Caitlin continued to stare at herself, she caught a glimpse of her future, her future as Shaun’s punching bag. She pictured herself lying on the floor, as she had done for weeks now, too sore to move. Although she might not die by his hands, she could see it getting so terrible she would rather be dead. She couldn’t take this anymore.

Caitlin slowly put away her make-up, turned on the faucet, and washed off what she had been trying to hide for months. She then briskly walked out of the bathroom with fierce determination written on her face. As she continued her journey, she could feel the eyes drawn to her but she refused to stop until she reached her destination. She slowly knocked on the wooden door while opening it, coming face to face with her English teacher.

“I need help,” Caitlin whispered, before softly closing the door behind her.