Marie was inside reading her new issue of Seventeen Magazine. She had long brown hair and hazel eyes. Her boyfriend, Michael, had black spiked hair and green eyes. They were both seniors.         All of a sudden Michael busted inside her room yelling at her. “I heard you were drooling over Matt today!” Marie jumped off her bed and said, “What? I didn’t and even if I did you shouldn’t say anything because you flirt with girls even when I’m there!” Michael turned steaming red and punched Marie in her eye. She fell on her bed and started crying. Michael hugged her and said, “Oh, I’m sorry baby, you not to make me mad.” Marie forgave him.        The next day when she woke up her eye was black and swollen. She touched her eye and cried, “ouch.” She tried to put concealer on it but it didn’t help. She gathered her books together and headed downstairs for school. Her mom walked past her and said, “oh my god honey! What happened?” Marie lied and said, “Oh, I accidentally ran into Courtney’s locker.” She tried to laugh after she said that but she couldn’t.          When Marie could finally get past her mother and get to school she ran up to Courtney. Courtney turned around from her locker and saw Marie standing there crying. “Marie what happened?!” Courtney asked while walking with Marie to the bathroom. When they got in there Marie sat there crying and then Courtney knew so she said, “ You can’t let him keep doing this to you! When I, only me, comes over your house and you tell him it’s only me, he has to come over and make sure it is! It looks like he needs you more then you need him!” Marie responded, “ It’s not his fault...I...I make him like that.” Courtney replied angrily, “ Bullshit Marie! I don’t know when your gonna leave him but you better do it soon before something serious happens!” And then she stomped out the bathroom. Marie looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and saw that around her eye had gotten darker. She decided to go to guidance in her school.            “So, what advice do you need?” Mrs. Simons asked. Marie put her hair behind her ear so Mrs. Simons could see her eye. “I guess you could say my boyfriend has been abusing me,” Marie said. “Good Lord child I would say he has!” Mrs. Simons ran to the back of her room and got a plastic bag and filled it with ice. “There,” Mrs. Simons gave her the bag. Marie put it on her eye. Mrs. Simons sat back down and asked, “So Miss Lopez, how long has this been going on?” “For about a year now,” Marie replied. Mrs. Simons calmly said, “ You know you have to leave him sometime.” Marie Jumped up and yelled, “Why does everyone keep telling me that! He loves me!” Marie was about to leave until Mrs. Simons jumped in front of the door and said, “Would someone who loved YOU do this to YOU?!” Marie passed her and went out the door thinking about what Mrs. Simons said.               When Marie was walking home she saw Michael on the front step. “What are you doing here?” She asked smiling. He was frowning so she kept her distance. “I heard you went to guidance today. Why?” He asked. Marie stood there and finally answered, “personal reasons.” She brushed beside him and was going inside until he grabbed her arm. Marie turned around quickly and cried, “Stop your hurting me!” “Good maybe you’ll listen!” He said still holding her arm tightly. He asked again, “Why were you in guidance?!” Marie answered, “Because the teacher was concerned about my eye and sent me there! Now let me go!” He slammed her on the ground and started to walk to his car. She started coughing and stood up. “If you love someone why do you treat them so awful?” She asked. He stopped walking for a second and then continued walking. She started crying and rushed inside.            She woke up the next morning feeling confident. It was Saturday, the day she was going to leave Michael. When she got done getting dressed she heard a knock at her front door thinking it was Michael but when she opened it she saw Matt. “Hi,” Marie said trying to fix her hair. “What are you doing here?” She asked. “I wanted to check on you, to see if your eye was healing well,” He responded. “I...I...I don’t think you should be here,...Michael will get mad if he sees you here!” She stuttered. Matt smiled and said, “Calm down,” while stepping in her house. “Well I guess you could stay for a little while...” She said and then showed him around then they went upstairs to her room. “And here’s my room,” She said and then sat on her bed. Matt looked around and then sat down beside her on the bed. “So what’s the deal with Michael?” Matt asked. Marie wasn’t sure if she should tell him the truth or not but then decided she would, “Oh, well... I guess you could say he’s been abusing me....” Matt leaned forward and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. He could see her black and bruised eye. She looked down feeling ashamed. He softly stroked her cheek with his hand and then kissed her forehead. He softly whispered in her ear, “ If you were my girl I would treat you like the queen you are.” She couldn’t help but smile. He pulled her close and hugged her. That was the first time Marie felt safe.              They stayed in that position until Michael walked in. “Marie!?...What in the hell is he doing here?!” Michael asked. Marie jumped out of Matt’s arms so fast that she almost fell off the bed. “Man calm down and haven’t you ever heard of knocking? I mean it’s not like you live here and you can come in anytime,” Matt said standing up for Marie. Michael shot back and all of a sudden Marie heard them arguing. “Enough!” She yelled. They both stopped yelling and looked at her. She was crying. Matt quickly walked over to her and started to hug her. “Get away from her!” Michael yelled as he pulled Marie away from him. “If she is your girlfriend, you should love her, not abuse her!” Matt yelled. Marie cried, “Your hurting me Michael. Stop!” Michael was gripping on her arm so hard that she couldn’t move it. “See!” Matt said. “Look at her beautiful face! And I’m not talking about the black eye. She’s scared...not of me, but of you!” Matt proved a point. “Shut up she isn’t your girlfriend!” Michael yelled. Marie finally got loose of his grip and ran over to Matt and said, “Well I’m not yours either.” She stood there looking at Matt then Michael watching Michael just to make sure she could try to dodge his hit that he might give her. “Wait what am I saying, Matt’s here, he won’t let Michael hit while he’s around,” She thought to herself. Michael looked at Marie’s face, indeed she looked scared and her beautiful face was bruised, but now she was shaking. Michael turned around and walked out. Marie didn’t know at the time but that was going to be the last time she ever saw Michael.         A lot of people said Matt saved her life because Michael would probably had gotten out of control.        Matt and Marie have been dating for a year now and she recovered amazingly it was probably because of all the love Matt had and always will give her.