Warning: it gets pretty intense in this one. TW for abuse

"Why don't you go take a nap on the couch? You look exhausted." Chloe suggested just as her girlfriend walked back into the room with a plate of eggs. Jaiden's eyes widened a bit in surprise at the fact Chloe was actually helping her to catch a break. Without hesitation, she stood up and brushed past Beca without a word.

"Did she say anything to you? Beca asked quietly as she sat down in the chair Jaiden had been residing in. Chloe shook her head and shook her head at the food she was offering.

"No. But I'm guessing something happened with you two." Chloe responded knowingly.

"Yeah," Beca sighed and let her head drop into her hands. Her fingers ran through her hair and came to rest on the back of her neck as she took a few seconds to breathe. "I…I lost it a little. It's just so frustrating when she blames me for not stopping what happened when I fucking couldn't. I wasn't even 16."

"I know, babe. What did you say to her?" Chloe prompted. Her curiosity was evident even through her exhaustion, though Beca was too absorbed in her own emotions to notice.

"I told her to get over it. Which was shitty and insensitive to begin with, but then it turned out that she doesn't even actually blame me for what happened. She thinks it's her own fault." Beca ranted, wringing the back of her neck.

"She thinks it's her own fault her stepfather beat-"

"Yeah, she does think that because he probably told her that over and over again. She literally said 'because I'm gay'." Beca's voice was filled with rage and she lifted her head again. Chloe reached out and grabbed her girlfriend's hand sympathetically, waiting for her to go on. When Beca fell silent again, Chloe pulled her into bed beside her and wrapped her arms around her.

"What actually happened?" Chloe questioned cautiously. She felt Beca suck in a sharp breath at the inquiry and hoped she hadn't been too intrusive.

"Honestly? I don't even know. My mother called me at 2 am and she was crying, saying that Jaiden was in the hospital and her fucking husband had been arrested. She went to the police station and I stayed with Jaiden. He cracked her ribs and her wrists and she was so bruised I couldn't even tell it was her at first." Beca's voice rose in pitch and Chloe could tell she was biting back tears. The now hungover redhead pulled her closer and nuzzled her face into Beca's neck. The two of them fell into a tired silence and it didn't take long for both of them to drift off.

"You brought that sin into my fucking house!" The sheer volume of his voice was enough to make Jaiden flinch. Though the man standing over her was no doubt her biggest issue at the time, she still listened to the sound of the engine in the driveway, willing Cici to drive away. "Look at me!" Her attention was snapped back to her stepfather as he roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"I'm sorry." She apologized quietly, submissively. Ted turned briefly as he heard the sound of the car outside heading down their short driveway. Knowing that they were now truly alone, he shoved his stepdaughter back against a wall.

"I don't want you ever seeing that whore again-"

"No!" Jaiden panicked; she couldn't lose Cici because of him. Not after she had finally found someone in their judgmental, shitty neighborhood. "Don't call her that." The teenager attempted to slide out away from him, only to have two strong hands tighten around her own arms. The smell of whiskey rolled off of his breath and she gagged at the smell.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do, you disrespectful little bitch." He spat out. Jaiden braced herself just before he pushed her to the floor, knowing that it was going to be an awful night. She should have been more careful, but Cici had been upset and needed to come over. She had thought they'd have enough time before Ted returned from whatever lowly bar he crawled into, but the older man had returned just in time to see her kissing her girlfriend goodbye.

"I guess I'm going to have to teach you your lesson again." Jaiden's eyes widened as he started unbuckling his belt and pulling it out of its loops. She scrambled backwards on the wooden floor of the kitchen, into the hallway.

"Get away from me." She warned. The same smirk as always crossed Ted's face and she knew he had been waiting to catch her in something again. In one quick motion, he reached down and grabbed her leg before yanking her closer to him. Jaiden brought her arms up to cover her face as he raised his belt and brought it down with a harsh 'crack'. A cry of pain escaped her lips at the new stinging welt across her forearms. Before she could defend herself, he brought it down again, this time on her stomach. Before he could get a third hit in, she pulled her leg out of his hand and kicked at him.

"Bitch!" He growled. Jaiden flipped around onto her hands and knees and crawled away as fast as she could, only to be grabbed by the hair. She gritted her teeth in pain as Ted ripped her backwards and her back collided with the floor harshly. Before she knew it, the much larger man was kneeled on top of her, pinning her to the floor.

"Get off!" Jaiden screamed, struggling under his heavy form. Ted, obviously getting angrier by the second, raised a fist and hit his stepdaughter across the face. Jaiden's head snapped to the side and she was too caught off guard to even cry out in pain. Pain radiated across her cheek, which suddenly matched the other side of her face as he landed another blow. "Stop!" She cried. Her struggling grew more and more frantic. Desperate for a chance at escape, Jaiden aimed a hit at the man's crotch and the second he doubled over in pain, she scurried out from under him and bolted towards the stairs. She could hear his thundering footsteps behind her and all she needed was to get to her room and lock the door. At the very top of the stairs, she panicked as she felt Ted grab her arm and suddenly she was tumbling downwards. The sharp edges of the wooden stairs slammed into her body as she fell down them and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her body was wracked with pain and Jaiden felt a trickle of blood streaming down her forehead.

"Please," Jaiden whimpered as she watched Ted slowly walk down the stairs towards her. He remained silent until he reached the bottom, and then landed a strong kick straight to her chest. Jaiden screamed as she felt one of her ribs crack from the force. She rolled over and attempted to curl up in order to protect herself, only to be kicked in the back.

"Your slut of a mother never taught you to listen, did she? Of course not. That's why Ted's gonna do it." Jaiden groaned in pain as Ted grabbed her by the hair again and started dragging her up the stairs. She struggled to support her own body weight feebly, but he was moving far too fast for her to get back onto her feet. Just as they reached the top, Ted lifted her up and kicked her back down again. This time, at the bottom, her head collided with the ground and blackness clouded the edges of her vision.

"Stop. Please." Jaiden begged, tears welling in her eyes. Every part of her body was screaming in pain and she found herself starting to pray that her mother would come home and finally see that it had gone too far. However, the two of them remained alone and Ted came down to sit next to her on the floor, knowing she didn't have the strength to sit up.

"Have you learned your lesson yet?" Ted asked. His voice was laced with mockery and Jaiden hesitated before nodding. "Which means that tramp isn't coming back?"

"Her name is Cici and I love her. You…you can't change that." Jaiden's plan to be obedient and tell the man whatever he wanted to hear disappeared as he insulted her girlfriend again. She could practically feel his anger spike again and braced herself for his next move. Sure enough, he grabbed her by the throat and forced her to stand. Her left ankle protested loudly and Jaiden nearly buckled from putting weight on it.

"When the hell are you going to learn?" Ted shook his head, disgusted by the teenager, and slapped her across the face as hard as he could. Jaiden collapsed in his grip and fought to stay conscious. Her mind wandered as he hit her time and time again, trying to escape her current position. It wasn't until she was slammed back into the hallway wall that she focused back on Ted.

"Now repeat after me if you want this shit to stop." He instructed. His hand came up to wrap around Jaiden's throat in order to strengthen his threat and she waited. "I'm hurt because I am gay."

"I'm hurt because I am gay." Jaiden whimpered.

"Being gay is an abomination." He prompted, leaning in closer to her face. Jaiden blinked away at the tears in her eyes and stifled a sob.

"Being gay is an abomination."

"You're going to Hell, you piece of shit." He growled into her ear. Jaiden's eyes widened as his grip on her throat suddenly tightened and she found herself unable to breathe. Her vision, which had already been dim, started to darken until she couldn't even see the man in front of her. Her lungs screamed for air and she fought feebly against him until finally, his hands released her. Jaiden dropped to the floor, coughing and gasping for breath, and listened over the pounding in her ears to her stepfather walking back into the kitchen, and then out the front door.

Jaiden woke up in a cold sweat and sat up on the couch she had fallen asleep on. Her heart was still pounding from the dream that had turned into more of a flashback. She had known that this would happen eventually. Being around Beca and talking about what she had gone through months of therapy to forget would no doubt bring the memories back. Groaning in frustration, Jaiden looked around the silent dorm before standing. She threw the blanket she had been using back onto the back off the couch and silently walked to the door.

Once Jaiden had successfully escaped her sister's dorm room, she pulled out her phone and found Stacie's name in her contacts. She needed a distraction, and there was no better one than sex. The freshman typed out a quick "DTF?" and watched as the tiny grey bubble popped up on Stacie's side only seconds after she had sent it.

Yep. Come over.

Grinning at the nearly instant reply, the lingering memories of her stepfather disappeared and Jaiden hurried towards the stairwell. Grateful the Stacie lived in the same building as Beca, she made it to the older girl's room in record time and knocked on the door.

"Look who was nearby." Stacie chuckled as she opened the door. Jaiden winked up at the taller girl and stepped inside. Stacie's roommate had demanded a transfer the second night on campus with the girl, after realizing that she wasn't going to get any sleep as long as she was rooming with someone so promiscuous. All of which was fine with Stacie, considering now she had more privacy. The older girl shut the door behind them, a smirk playing on her lips.

I skipped school today, so here's another update already. Now we know what happened to Jaiden (super angsty, I know). Hope you guys liked the chapter!