"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Caitlin?"

"The one and only."

"Hey, how are you?"

"Um…I'm alright, how about you?"

"Fine." This was the most awkward conversation I'd ever had with Rogerson. He never really was the talking type, but this was beyond odd. "So…um…Do you wanna hang out?"

"No, I mean…I can't." I could hear him let out a sigh on his end.

"Did your parents find out that we're talking?"

"No, no," I insisted, beginning to panic just a little bit. "It's just that I don't think it's what's best for me, you know? After all that's happened, and then it happened the other day-"

"Caitlin, I thought that you were about to die. What was I supposed to do?" he questioned.

"Shake me, certainly not smack me across the face."

"Look, it was instinct. You'd do the same if you thought-"

"No, I wouldn't and you know it. After what you've done to me, I never want to hit another person. Ever. Rogerson, you didn't even hit me for good reason, you just hit me because you could."

"Cate, I've been going to therapy, and the guy says that the reason I hit you to begin with was because my dad hit me, and I was just trying to feel like I had control. Like I had power."

"And what was I, Rogerson? Just some doll that you could smack around."

"No, I didn't realize-"

"No! You didn't! You didn't care that you hit me, smacked me, could've killed me! You didn't care! How am I ever supposed to get over that?"

"I'm not asking you to forgive me-"

"Good. Because I never will." He took a deep breath, becoming irritated.

"All I'm asking is that you don't pass that good thing we had over become of a few slip ups."

"Good thing? You beat me! And it wasn't just a "slip up!" It was you deciding that it was alright to smack me. That it was alright to rough me up."

"Caitlin-"

"I was wrong. I'm not ready to talk to you." I wanted to hang up. I desperately needed to hang up. It was the only way I'd ever be able to get over it. But like all my "should turned back there" moments, I didn't.

"You're wrong. I think you are. I know you are." And that was all it took to persuade me.