Over the weekend, Debra rested in her bungalow all by herself while her dad and her brother went out to go to a baseball game. For a moment, she looked at herself in her bedroom mirror to see the bruise by her eye going away. She liked how blessed she was as she didn't bruise easily and when she did, it would immediately fade. Debra was just relieved to meet no disturbance, giving her time to finally find peace again.
While doing yoga in the living room filled with stripped Japanese music, she heard her cell phone vibrate on the coffee table. She walked over and picked it up: it was a call from Travis. She felt her heartbeat increase. Slowly, she answered it.
"Hello?" she said, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice.
"Hey, babe," Travis' voice poked through the phone. "Are you home?"
"N-No. I'm in Albuquerque."
"Then why do I see you through your window?"
Debra slowly turned her head and looked at the clear window sided by red curtains next to the front door. She saw Travis standing outside with his phone, looking right at Debra.
"Crap," she whispered. She then said into the phone, "Oh, I was just joking. You know how I... joke."
"Let me in."
"Okay."
Travis hung up, letting Debra close her phone. She shut her eyes tight before exhaling and walking towards the door to open it. Travis didn't hesitate to enter in the bungalow; he marched right in before Debra closed the door.
"Why joke with me?" he questioned.
"I thought you loved my little jokes," Debra nervously smiled.
"Not when you're seriously, intentionally lying to me."
"Why would I need to lie?"
Travis stared coldly into Debra's eyes, wiping the smile off her face. Seeing Travis' eyes turn black and hard weakened Debra in a wrong way.
"Hey, do you miss me?" he asked.
Debra nodded.
"Say it."
"I missed you."
"You know I'm never going to leave you, right?"
"Yeah."
Travis smiled but his eyes were still cold. He leaned in and pressed his lips on hers. Since it was happening, Debra tried to seem into it so she wouldn't make her boyfriend any more mad. She rested her hands on his chest while kissing him back. For a good while of kissing, Travis moved his hands down Debra's back into the inside of her leggings. When she felt his freezing hands caressing the skin of her buttocks after moving from just the outside of her underwear, Debra stopped kissing back. She just started resisting Travis, moving her head but he just kissed her cheek.
"Stop, Travis," she nicely ordered. Her hands went from just relaxing on his chest to pushing on his chest. "Stop."
But he continued to kiss and fondle her, making Debra more anxious as he felt like a wall going to crush her.
"Travis, I said stop," she said. She used all her energy to push him off.
That angered Travis, encouraging him to push Debra forcefully against the wall. She arched her back on the wall in pain while gaping silently and scrunching her eyebrows.
"You do not push me like that," Travis crowded her. "Okay, you do not want to go down that road with me."
Debra tried to get the right words out. "Travis, I--"
"When are you going to trust me? You act so pathetic around me and it's ridiculous. Stop holding back."
"You want me to stop holding back?"
"I love you and you need to feel comfortable in your skin."
"Oh, says the guy who beats me when I want to be myself."
Travis stepped forward. "What do you mean by that?"
Debra stepped forward, making him step back. "You know exactly what I mean. I can't do yoga, take naps, listen to the Beatles. I got to act like you so you can feel comfortable. But you want me to feel comfortable in my skin, meaning take off my clothes and give myself to you? A generous human being would be able to understand that I am not ready for that."
"So you don't trust me?"
"Boy, I stopped trusting you ever since your fist connected to my face."
"Debra, I'm trying to make you a better person."
"Oh! Well, guess what, buckaroo: hitting someone doesn't make them a better person. If you truly loved me, you wouldn't try to change me. Especially when there is nothing wrong with me."
"Okay, your friends have totally brainwashed you."
"Brainwashed? I've been like this before I even met all of them. And they never tried to change me because they're accepting, good people, unlike you."
"Calm down, Debra."
"No, I'm not going to calm down. I've been patient for too long and it's time for me to be impatient because I'm not going to let you use me like some punching bag. I might as well pull a Tyson and bite your ear off."
"Oh, really?"
"Really. What is wrong with you?"
"Ask yourself that question. I'm trying to help you so we can be together."
"If you didn't like me then, why even make this work?"
"Don't get smart with me, you slave."
"Well, this is the 2000's. And since there is no whip to crack, I can surely whip you, you cracker."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Debra said before attempting to walk away.
Suddenly, Travis grabbed her wrist and turned her around. He swung his arm to strike her but luckily, she ducked and ran under his arm. When Travis turned around, Debra socked him right in the face. The blow distracted him, allowing Debra to sock him one more time across the cheek. The impact made Travis lose his balance. While he was crouched down, Debra bopped him on the back of his head three times. Travis eventually fell down on his side. Still trying to release all of her energy, Debra kicked him in the gut twice. Finally, he felt what it was like to be hurt and vulnerable.
"I wish I had some cheese," Debra stated, "because that is how I put away my crackers."
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