"Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes... just be an illusion."

- Javan -

"Baby, can you pass me the remote?" He called from the living room. Dusting her hands on a washcloth, she exited the kitchen and looked at Jake in disbelief. The remote was sitting on the couch opposite of him. Had he already reached the age where he became too lazy to function? Had she already reached the age where she stopped arguing with his demands and just obeyed mindlessly?

Even though her mind was somewhat repulsed by his bossy ways, she crossed the room and handed him the remote. Butterflies filled her stomach when he smiled at her for a few seconds. She'd been missing that smile.

It'd been about a week since the fiasco in the hallway occurred and even though she told him to stop, he just kept apologizing. In reality, it'd only taken the first apology for her to forgive him. It was easier that way and he was a lot happier. If he was happy then she didn't have to worry about him yelling at her or hitting her again. That's how she liked it. It made her think about the early stages of their relationship.

Returning to the kitchen, she smiled when the oven finally dinged, signaling that her pizza had finished cooking. She thanked God that she could finally eat something. Earlier, she woke up too late and had to skip breakfast and they weren't serving anything appetizing at lunch. Ryder, who sat with her at lunch, expressed his concern but she assured him she'd eat as soon as she got home. The only problem with that was Jake had wanted to go biking with her and she didn't want to worry him so she didn't tell him about her empty stomach. She wondered if he would have cared anyway. She knew Ryder would worry if he came over to study later tonight and noticed she still hadn't eaten.

Stop comparing. She repeated in her head until she could focus solely on Jake.

"Pizza ready?" Jake whispered into her ear as he snuck up behind her. The gesture was sweet but she nearly burned herself on the oven door. Scowling, she pushed him back and pulled the pizza the rest of the way out of the oven and placed it on the stove top. "Jesus, babe. Calm down."

"You can't sneak up on me when the oven is open." She muttered harshly as she turned to face him. Instantly, she regretted her tone and fought to figure out ways to take it back. Jake didn't deserve to be treated that way. But he didn't even seem to care. She could have burned her face if she had slipped and he was smirking at her like she was a piece of meat. "Sorry."

"So what do you say we go upstairs and make use of that queen bed of yours?" Jake smirked, raising his eyebrows in a way that made him look like a pedophile. She assumed he was trying to look attractive but at this point, with the amount of air in her stomach and therefore lack of anything of substance, she couldn't really tell.

"Not now." She insisted, pushing him away so she could grab two plates from the cabinet. Upon hearing him groan, she rolled her eyes making sure to place the plates carefully on the counter. "I haven't eaten since yesterday."

"Wait, what?" He asked, suddenly more interested in her health than his sex drive. It made her want to smile but she knew these weren't the right circumstances, now could she concentrate on the butterflies in her stomach fluttering because he cared. That could wait. What she needed now was to finish the pizza so she could eat it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It just-It never came up." As she reached to put the pizza on the plate, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. It wasn't forceful. It didn't hurt. She loved the change and that they were getting better. They could be better.

"Babe, you need to tell me when this happens- when you feel insecure."

Maybe it was the fact that she was embarrassed or maybe she didn't like that he wasn't giving her the benefit of the doubt, but his words didn't comfort her like she knew he meant them to. In fact, they just made her blood boil and she pushed him back slightly. "It doesn't matter, anymore. Besides I told Ry-somebody."

Jake narrowed his eyes and Marley took a few steps back, bumping into the counter with a thud. "You told him?! You felt like shit and you felt fat so you went to him!?"

"N-no!" She stuttered, shaking her head frantically as he approached her, his fists clenched. "It- it wasn't like that, I swear."

"Why are you playing me, Marley?" He demanded, grabbing the back of her head and pulling it towards his. She thought he was going to kiss her, demand her attention and fight for her love. She was wrong. Instead, he gripped onto her hair and quickly threw her to the ground, her knee hitting the wood painfully. But she didn't scream. She didn't want to give him that pleasure. "Are you fucking him? Is that why you won't show me a good time?"

"Why does it always have to come down to that!?" She screamed, standing up and pushing him backwards with all her strength. She was upset when he only took one step back. Smirking, he stepped forwards as he pushed her back until she hit a wall behind her and had nowhere else to go.

"You like it rough?" He asked, his face dangerously close to hers. "We could make it rough."

Biting her lip, she tried to hold her breath so she didn't have to smell his. It smelled like fish or something worse which made her sick. "Get away from me, Jake. I already told you I'm hungry."

"Ryder didn't seem to care. Why should I?" He tested, raising his eyebrows slightly showing off his cocky personality. Maybe she had thought it was sexy when they first met but now she just wanted to slap it off of his pathetic face.

"He does care about me!" She screamed in his face forcing him to step back slightly. "You're pathetic Jake."

Surprisingly, he didn't say anything and she didn't care like she normally would have. She couldn't care less that he seemed hurt. Why should she care? He didn't love her. Sure, he might have but he seemed to hate her now more than anything and she was sick of pretending that he didn't. As if to prove her point, he balled his fist up and in a second it made contact with the side of her face. With a scream, she fell to the floor and covered her now bleeding nose with her hand.

"You think he loves you?" Jake asked as he bent down. She grimaced as his breath his her face. "Bullshit. You're unlovable."

After kicking her twice, he turned and walked away, slamming the front door on the way out. As the bang sounded throughout the house, she broke down. The tears came faster than she ever could have imagined but their reasoning was unknown. Was she crying because she just lost Jake or was it because she was in physical pain? Maybe it was because she had just realized that her boyfriend was more of a monster than she originally thought.

How could she have been this stupid for so long? She had always been the type of girl who watched stories on the news about abusive relationships and known she'd get out of one as soon as he hit her. But now she was one of them. She ignored the signs, ignored the pain. She convinced herself that Jake hit her. She denied everything.

How did she let that happen to her? To them?

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there but it was enough time for the pizza to become too cold to eat. The doorbell rang but she didn't want to answer it. She knew who it was and she knew all the questions he was going to ask, with the answers she didn't even want to give herself. But still, she stood up, gripping onto the counter for dear life as pain ripped through her entire being.

The taste of her own blood filled her mouth, sending her taste buds into a frenzy. She hated the coppery taste it brought, which is why when she was a kid she hated losing her teeth. The quarter she'd find under her pillow the next morning was not worth the nauseous feeling she always got upon tasting the blood.

Fighting through it, she opened the door slowly and backed up until she was leaning against the wall. He didn't walk in at first and she wondered if it was because he was confused but when she slid down the wall and her butt hit the ground, he stepped inside. She looked up at him as his eyes looked over her. He looked absolutely horrified and she wondered if Jake had been right, if Ryder really didn't care.

But those thoughts soon vanished once Ryder bent down next to her and brushed his fingers over her face. "Marls, what happened?"

"It was never real." She whispered as a wave of tears escaped her eyes. Maybe it was her empty stomach or maybe it was because of the blood in her mouth, but without another thought she bent over to the side and threw up. Almost immediately, Ryder sat on the other side of her and pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back and making her feel a little bit better.

But that little bit was almost enough.

X X X

So Marley is finally out of the denial stage! Thank goodness! She was really starting to bother me there. So I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible which is a little hard when you've never been in this type of relationship. BUT I do know someone who has when she was younger so I'm using some of what she told me to write Marley's thoughts and Jake's actions.

Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! You guys are super amazing and I love you more than life. :)

Sorry this wasn't out yesterday. I've been really busy but I think this one is longer than most so there you go :) Sorry again

Please keep reviewing. It makes my day, I swear. :)