Forever His

Emma and Jake have been dating since they were in tenth grade. They were inseparable since day one. They live in a small town and go to the same high school. Emma was decently smart and loves her sports. She is in softball and volleyball. Jake on the other hand is extremely smart. He loves football and baseball. Some say they were a perfect match just because Emma is a bubbly person full of energy while Jake is more go with the flow. They balanced each other out perfectly. Jake and Emma are now in their senior year. They are excited about it and can’t wait till they graduate. They both want to attend the same college. If that doesn’t work out they will make their relationship work because they won’t just give up like others.
Everyone could see they had the best relationship. They never really knew Jake controls everything Emma does. If Emma doesn’t listen to what Jake tells her to do, he will verbally abuse her, tell her no one will love her like he does. If she’s smart, she won’t leave him, ever. Emma believes him so she doesn’t try to leave. If he’s the best she’s going to ever get, why would she leave him she must be lucky to have him. Many people wouldn’t believe this because around everyone Jake seems so easy going but that’s not the truth at all. If Emma did something Jake didn’t like during school, she would pay for it later that night or that weekend when they saw each other in private. Since Jake puts this mask on in front of everyone no one suspects how unhealthy this relationship really is, not even Emma's best friend, Beth.
Beth has been best friends with Emma since the sixth grade. They are like sisters. They are that much alike. Beth has spent time with just Emma and Jake separately and together. She doesn’t notice anything going on. One weekend when Emma comes back to school with two big bruises on her arms like someone grabbed her too hard and wouldn't let go. Beth realized the truth. Beth eventually had a class with just Emma. They ask to use the bathroom, and the teacher allows them. When they enter the bathroom Beth checks to make sure no one was in there. She asked Emma the question burning inside her. She blurts out is Jake hitting you or abusing you? Emma was speechless all she could say was no! Even though Emma knew that wasn’t the truth because under her shirt on her stomach was a bigger deeper bruise Beth couldn’t see. Emma lies and says she bruises easily, she was carrying something heavy and it gave her the bruises. Emma knew Beth didn’t believe this by the look she gave Emma. Beth dropped it, and they went back to class. Beth told Emma she dropped it, but Beth asked around to other students. If they saw anything, or heard anything about Jake and Emma fighting. No student claimed to see anything. Beth decided best course of action would be to let it go and keep a watch on Emma and Jake.
As the weeks went by Beth notices Emma getting more bruises. Beth mentioned something to Jake about how Emma bruises so easy. Jake just said, “Yeah Emma is just uncoordinated and falls a lot.” Beth was shocked by how he just lied to her face so easily. This makes her question how long has Emma been covering for him and what else does she do to protect Jake. How many times has Jake lied to her face before? Beth tries to talk to Emma about Jake abusing her; Emma didn’t want to hear any of it. As the months past the bruises get darker and bigger and more start appearing. They become more visible to the public’s eyes.

One night, Jake and Emma were hanging out like normal. Emma gets the courage to ask Jake if he loves her. Jake says, “Of course, I love you what a stupid question.”

Emma ask then, “Why do you hit me so much?” That made Jake angry and he hit her right across the face. He normally would never hit her there. She is beautiful, and he never wanted to take that away from her. Also, hitting her in the face, he learned from his dad, makes it harder to cover up the cuts and bruises that would now start to form. Later that night, Emma went home after spending the whole day with Jake. She looks in the mirror and sees the damage Jake has caused. It puts Emma over the edge. Her normally perfectly round face is now swollen and purple, from the punch Jake threw at her. She swore from that day forward she would stick up for herself. Next time Jake laid a hand on her she would hit him right back. There would be no more, nice sweet Emma. She would defend herself.

Next weekend, after a week of no abuse Emma thought Jake had learned a lesson. Emma was excited to go over to Jake’s this weekend because she thought they would have a good time. When Emma got to Jake’s house, she found Jake in a very bad mood. Jake found out last night he wouldn’t be starting in the next football game. Logically it was Emma’s fault, because Emma distracted him from his true love of football. As he was about to back hand Emma right across the face she ran. Emma went right for the door which was in the kitchen. Jake was swift and fast. He cut off Emma by yanking her hair back. She threw her whole body weight back into Jake. They then go tumbling to the floor. Emma crawls away blindly grasping at the counter for any weapon. Her fingers grasp the handle of a knife. Behind her she hears Jake struggling to get up. Emma grabs the knife and holds it out front of her. Jake lunges and the knife easily and deeply slides between ribs. Horrified Emma looks down. Jake angrily kicks her repeatedly acting as though the knife was no more bothersome than a fly. Emma got up, pain shooting through her, she ran to the phone and called 911.

When the ambulance and cops arrived they took Jake’s vitals and then they took him away in the ambulance. The cops wouldn’t let Emma go with Jake because they needed to talk about what happened. After Emma explains everything, she is then escorted to a hospital room to be treated for her injuries. Emma had a fractured rib and severe contusions from the beating she received from Jake. Jake on the other hand wasn’t as lucky, Emma was told he had passed away. The doctors said she had punctured one of Jake’s lungs. While Emma was being treated, her parents showed up along with Beth. They had been waiting impatiently to be cleared by the watching officer.They consoled Emma after she was given the news about Jake. After Emma was all bandaged up, she was able to go home. She slept for days and just stayed in bed. Beth would come visit her everyday after school and try to get her to leave her house. Beth also tried to catch Emma up in school. But when Beth looked at Emma, she seemed like she wasn’t really there.

Later that week Emma was forced out of her room by the cops arresting her for the murder of Jake. Emma tried to tell them all the terrible things that Jake did to her in the past months, but they wouldn’t listen to her. The cops told her that she pasted a line when she brought a weapon into the fight. She told them it was self-defense, but they didn’t believe her.

Months passed before the trial and the case the cops prepared was ready to convict Emma. Everyone was there to see how the trial went. After the long and lengthy trial the jury came back in and gave their verdict for Emma. Emma already knew the answer without them saying it; she knew she was doomed from the first day of trial. She knew since she didn’t report any abuse; it seemed like she was making it up. That’s what the jury all thought. She really couldn’t blame them. She knew she should have said something, but she was just too scared she might end up where Jake is. Dead. The jury announced their verdict of guilty in the first degree of murder, which means Emma goes from a smart, athletic, and talented woman to wasting all those skills in jail for life. She knew her life was gone for sure. Now she wishes she would have told about all the abuse because now either way her life was over. It’s just now, instead of being dead, she will just rot in jail.
To no ones knowledge Jake really isn’t dead. When he was in the hospital,a accident happened. They got records messed up and Jake was treated and released under Frank Smith. When really the truth is Frank is dead, and Jake is alive. Jake had a plan, he knew his parents wouldn’t I.D. his body. He would slip away from this town and move on to a new girl. That’s what exactly what he did. Jake now abuses another woman in the town over. The whole time Jake is laughing over Emma rotting in jail while he is free to live. That is exactly what that brat deserves, after trying to kill me, thinks Jake she had it coming.