This Chapter was written by Ashley. The next one is written by me.

Chapter 2

Gwen sat in the small room half listening to the doctor half-day dreaming.

Gwen wished she could be thinking of happy times…but those were few and far between; so instead her mind shifted to that day…the day she wished for the pain to stop once and for all.

She didn’t plan on it…it wasn’t something on her to do list, it wasn’t as if she had it printed in her day planner: At 8:07 tonight I will slit my wrists.

Gwen sat at her dinner table watching her mother and step father of the month picking through their dinner.

“For heaven sakes Gwen this chicken is disgusting…is it too much too ask for you to actually do something useful in the house!” Iris Dumbrowski snarled as she threw her chicken at Gwen face drunkenly

Gwen just sat there and took it as tears swelled in her eyes…but she wouldn’t cry not in front of them not ever…instead she starred blankly ahead not even wiping off the grease from the chicken off her face.

Both Iris and the boyfriend laughed drunkenly.

“Oh Gwen your such a waste of skin and space,” the boyfriend laughed and then he noticed her not paying attention to them and stopped laughing…instead his face went cold…

“Are you seriously ignoring us!” he stated angrily dropping his fork and yanking her by the hair off the chair

Gwen screeched in pain as he dragged her across the room and smacked her head against the wall, “when we talk to you…you listen you got that…you’re a useless piece of #$@! You know that!” He yelled pulling her bloody face to meet his while still pulling on her hair

“Gwen…

“Gwen,” called the doctor bringing her out of her past for a quick moment, “Where did you go just now? What’s on your mind?” he tried to pry

Gwen shrugged, “no where…or at least nowhere that important,” she replied under her breath as she looked down to the ground slightly and then back up to her doctor,

“Are we done?” She asked quickly wanting this “appointment” to be over

“Almost, have you been taking your medication regularly…Gwen I want to remind how important both these sessions and medication one without the other won’t help you suffer from a mental illness and it won’t go away maybe ever, but with the proper treatment….” The doctor stressed

“Yeah I get it and got it, I m heavily medicated trust me, so can I go?” she urged gesturing to the door to leave the room

“Yeah you can go…tomorrow same time Gwen,” he stated as she was already out the door

Gwen walked down the hall slowly looking around the empty hall; she hated it here but hated home even more…

“Gwen we are going out, and I want this place clean when I get back or well…you’ll see,” the boyfriend threatened looking down at Gwen on the floor as he was getting ready to leave

As they walked out the door Gwen slowly got up from the floor and looked around the room…the place was a mess chairs were broken from the fight and food was splattered everywhere. She walked quickly to the table and wiped the blood from her lip as she started picking up plates.

As she picked up the broken glass it hit her, would it really matter to anyone if tomorrow the world woke up and she wasn’t there…she had been living this hell for the past fourteen going on fifteen years. Gwen had lived through the beatings and sexually harassing gestures from her mothers selection of men; she had lived through the ridicule and torment…so was she strong enough or willing enough to go another round. The answer was simple but it was also deadly.

Gwen slowly got up from the floor holding a piece of broken glass and almost robotically made her way pulled up her sleeve…

As Gwen thought again about that night something or someone stopped her min memory. It was one of the boys she saw in the cafeteria earlier that day, she remembered he was the one who made her feel uncomfortable and unwanted but she also remembered how cute he was. She thought that she must look like a real idiot stopped in the middle of the hallway obviously starring at this boy sitting against the wall reading. His legs were stretched out and he was very much focused on the material in which he read silently from.

“Can I help you?” he asked suddenly not looking up from the book

The question made Gwen jumps a bit as she looked around hoping that even in a knowingly empty hallway he was talking to someone else.

When Gwen didn’t answer right away will looked up at her and realized it was the cute girl from the cafeteria. He looked at her oddly waiting for her to answer.

“Sorry…I just…I didn’t see anyone else here and you…why aren’t you reading in your room?” She asked trying to change the subject and put the spotlight on him this time.

Will shrugged, “You sit in that room all day you may go crazy…or crazier so I needed a different sense of scenery a quiet one,” he replied going back to his book

Gwen nodded, “Oh…I don’t think you’re allowed too…” she continued as will looked back up her giving her the look that dared her to finish that sentence.

“Can I sit with you?” she asked walking a bit towards him

“I don’t do people skills and I don’t friendships so if your looking for that you came to the wrong inmate,” Will replied coldly not looking up from his book or looking at her in anyway

Gwen nodded sadly and turned to leave.

“By the way we’re having beef tonight for dinner I would stick to just the potatoes though they don’t screw those up that bad,” he said still not looking up from his book but at the same time stopping Gwen in her steps.

She turned around slightly, “ok,” she replied not really knowing what to make of that advice especially from him.

When she noticed he wasn’t going to say anything further she continued down the hall to her room.

When he was sure she was out eyeshot Will looked back up to watch her walk away in a way knowing that wasn’t going to be the last encounter with, “Gwen,” he whispered approving of the sound of her name; he smiled a little and went back to reading his book.