Page 4 of Finding Gwen

Matt: I’m going to let you throw your little tantrum tonight, but if you aren’t home by the morning, I’m coming to get you.

Matt: Since you’re still ignoring me, I guess I have to come get your ungrateful ass.

Those were just from when I left last night. Presumably, if I listened to the voicemails that followed his visit this morning, they would all be along the same line. Hands shaking, I put my phone down next to my mug, deciding I needed something a little stronger. Grabbing Ivy’s trusty bottle of tequila from the liquor cabinet, I poured myself a shot. Letting the liquor flood my senses, I put the bottle back and decided it was time to take that shower. Hopefully, after the shower, I would have a better idea of what I should do about Matt.

I wanted to scream out my frustrations. Everything was happening too fast. Instead of letting the anxiety win, I turned on the shower, letting the water warm up while I queued some of my favorite angry songs. I had never understood people who took showers without music. Even in college, I had a portable speaker so I could jam out. Something about the hot water paired with a good playlist could make even the worst days better.

The mix of water and music worked its magic. By the time I got out of the shower, the water had started running cold. Wiping the fog away from the mirror, I scrunched my hair to keep the curls decent as I sang along to Charlie Daniels Band. I was a country girl at heart, growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania before heading off to Pittsburgh for college, so there were still a few things here and there that brought me back to my roots.

Just as I finished my impromptu karaoke session, I heard the front door open and close. Assuming Ivy had gotten home, I wrapped my towel around me before popping my head out of the bathroom. “Hey, Ivy, what are your thoughts on pasta for dinner?” My stomach had started growling while I was in the shower, and all I could think about was spaghetti and meatballs from the family-owned Italian place down the road. Hearing a chair scrap from the kitchen, I stepped out of the bathroom, thinking maybe she hadn’t heard me. Walking down the small hall, I called out to Ivy again. “Ivy, wanna go to—” I froze in my tracks. Matt was standing by the front door, turning the deadbolt. “Matthew, what the hell?”

He turned toward me, and I could feel his eyes roam up and down my body. Suddenly, I became very self-conscious, the tiny towel no longer covering enough as I attempted to wrap it around my body tighter. He smiled, the kind that made your skin crawl, and I took a step backwards, hoping maybe I could make it to the bedroom. As I turned to run, his hand on my upper arm gripped me tight enough to leave a bruise, and he pulled me toward him until my back slammed against his chest. “Now, now, Gwen. There’s no reason we can’t have a little fun before I take you home.”

Chapter Three

Gwen

“Matt, please.” My words came out in a sob as one of his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping me flush against him as he walked us to the middle of the living room. Stopping next to the couch, he pressed his dick into my back, making bile rise up the back of my throat. “Please, I don’t want this.”

His hand covered my mouth, using it as leverage to pull my head to the side. “Don’t lie to me, Gwen. We both know you love this.” I shook my head against his hand, the motion making him hold on tighter, forcing my neck backwards into a painful position. “Stop playing hard to get, baby. We both know you’re going to forgive me, like you always do. You’re nothing without me.”

Matt’s arm on my waist loosened as he snaked his hand down my body to the bottom of my towel. What should I do? His hands on my body felt wrong. That submissive part of my brain wanted my body to give in so everything could be over.

No, Matt would never stop hurting me. I needed to fight.

Suddenly, I remembered the one self-defense class Ivy had dragged me to one weekend. The instructor’s words blaring in my mind. “Women have a lower center of gravity. If you’re pressed against someone, your back to their front, drop your body weight and lean forward. Easiest way to use the attacker’s own weight against them. Throw them off balance first if you can. Remember to sing. Solar plexus, instep, nose, and groin.”

If I could get Matt on his back, I probably had a chance of getting away. The bedroom locked from the inside and was closer than the front door. Praying Ivy would be home soon, I made my choice. Picking up my foot, I stomped down hard on top of Matt’s as my fist made contact with the sensitive spot between his legs.

“Fuck!” he yelled, his grip on me loosening. I grabbed his forearm with mine, mimicking Ivy’s stance from this morning, and leaned forward. Matt’s feet left the floor, his body weight on mine for a split second, before I bent forward completely and threw him over my shoulder. Matt landed with a thud in front of me, and a small smile formed on my lips at the sight of him lying flat on his back for the second time today.

He groaned as he curled into the fetal position, cradling his bruised manhood in his hand. I took the opportunity to run past him to the bedroom, just barely missing his outstretched arm as he attempted to grab my ankle, snagging the edge of the towel instead. Letting the towel go, I looked over my shoulder once I reached the door. Seeing Matt getting to his feet, I quickly shut and locked the door as he lunged toward me.

“You stupid fucking bitch!” The banging of his fists on the door had me looking around the room for something heavy I could put in front of it. Matt was a big man. He would be able to get through soon. Seeing nothing that I could easily move in front of the door, my mind started racing through the worst-case scenarios. If Matt got ahold of me now, there would be no escaping.

From outside the door, I heard a loud thud that had the bedroom door rattling, and I sank to my knees in panic. Forcing air into my lungs, I watched the door shake as someone tried to desperately get through. It was silent for a moment, and I made myself smaller just as the door swung open. I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my face down.

“Oh, sweet pea…” That’s not Matt. Looking up, I saw Ivy crouching before me, her hands settling on top of mine. A small flat-head screwdriver stuck out from underneath her fingers, presumably what she had used to unlock the door. I looked around her to see Matt lying face down on the floor with my dad’s baseball bat next to him. My attention went back to Ivy, my brain registering her saying my name. “Gwen? Are you okay?”

I nodded my head and watched as she rose, grabbing her robe from inside her closet before she wrapped it around my shoulder. My legs shook as I stood, and Ivy helped me put my arms through the sleeves of the robe, securing the tie around my waist. I barely had a chance to glance at Ivy before she was pulling me against her for a hug. The panic that had been coursing through my veins melted away, my heartbeat slowly returning to normal.

A knock coming from the front of the apartment had us pulling apart. We sidestepped Matt’s unconscious body and made our way into the open living area. Two uniformed police officers with confused looks on their faces stood in the doorway, the front door wide open. Taking in the scene around me, I could only imagine what they must be thinking. Looking back at Ivy, we exchanged a look before we both simultaneously burst into laughter.

Several hours later, Ivy and I were seated in front of the coffee table with to-go containers of spaghetti and meatballs. Somehow, Ivy had convinced the owners of the Italian restaurant to deliver dinner to us, and I swear I saw her slip the delivery person a $50 bill. Honestly, she could have flashed her boobs and I wouldn’t have questioned it. The fact that I was eating my favorite pasta in the comfort of Ivy’s home was all I needed.

After the officers had called for an ambulance, one of them put Matt in handcuffs while the other took mine and Ivy’s statements. I learned she had checked her security camera after a dozen unanswered phone calls and saw Matt in the apartment. She had called 9-1-1, but was already on her way home. I recounted everything that had happened after I had gotten out of the shower while Ivy downloaded some of the images from her camera to send to the officer, corroborating my side of the story. There wouldn’t be any way for Matt to twist this story in his favor.

The officer assured me that Matt wouldn’t be getting out on bail anytime soon, as all but one of the judges were taking vacations. With the backlog of cases, he would be lucky to see the inside of a courtroom in the next month. That information should bring me a sense of relief. Instead, as I sat here with a mouthful of spaghetti, I was dreading what would come next.

“Alright, babes, before we watch our favorite morally gray man, we gotta talk about next steps.” Ivy took a large drink of her wine before sitting it down next to her food. “I told you my couch is always yours, and that hasn’t changed. But I also know you, and you’re already stressing about what to do next.” I had hoped we would be able to avoid any sort of conversation involving the shit show that was my life, but as Ivy sat there waiting for my response, I knew I was just delaying the inevitable.

“Well, I guess, first of all, I should decide what I want to do with his ring.” Looking down at my hand, I yanked it off before setting it down on the table between us. Why had I still been wearing the thing? Ivy picked it up, examining it closely.

“Let’s pawn it.” Shrugging, she placed the ring back down on the table.

“I can’t do that, Ivy!”

“And why not?” Wait, why couldn’t I? It wasn’t a family heirloom or anything. It was simply a piece of gaudy jewelry that Matt had probably put minimum effort into picking out for me. “You could use the money to start fresh somewhere.” The money would be nice. I didn’t have much saved up, and if I wanted to be able to get an apartment soon, I would need money for a deposit. Sighing, I resigned to the fact that my best friend was right.

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