Trigger Warning
This chapter includes mention of domestic abuse
If this topic makes you uncomfortable, please proceed with caution.

Kris

To my surprise, Noelle whipped around and started walking slowly up to Susie.

"You what?" she spat. Susie shrank away from her, eyes filled with panic.

"I-I didn't mean to, please don't be mad at me, it was an accident, I swear!" Susie flinched and flicked her eyes towards Noelle's hands. They were clenched in tight fists.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood. You'll get yours later." She turned to me. "And you. I gave you one rule. ONE RULE. And of course, you have to go and break it." She glared intensely at me. "You disgust me. Watch your back. If you had any chance of me trusting you before, it's gone now. Don't let me catch you near her again." She shoved my to the ground for good measure.

After she left, Susie looked at me, still shaken.

"I was sure she was gonna- why didn't she- I thought-" Her eyes were clouded and preoccupied.

"Are you okay? She didn't actually do anything to you, did she?!"

Susie shook her head. "No," she said. "That's what confuses me."

"Why does that confuse you?" Something wasn't right about this.

"Because," she began. "I did something bad. I deserve to be punished." She said it calmly, as if it were something completely normal to say, and like it should be obvious.

"What!? What do you mean you "deserve to be punished"?!" My heartbeat sped up.

"When I do bad things, she punishes me, just like she's supposed to." She paused. "She is supposed to, right?" She looked anxious. My stomach felt like it was tying itself into knots.

"No, she isn't. That isn't right. You- have you told anyone about this?!" Horror crept up my spine as she shook her head again. "Susie, how long has this been happening!?"

"I... I don't know..." She looked down at her feet.

"We need to talk about this. What she's doing is not okay, whatsoever. You shouldn't have to go through that."

Susie hesitated. "...is she gonna get hurt?" Her voice broke and I noticed tears streaming from her eyes.

That's when I realized...

Susie loved her, even knowing that she was being mistreated.

~~~~~~~~~~

I feel like this chapter is really bad and forced

Oh well

At least I'm updating more often now