𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍:
Awareness

TW: Mentions of domestic abuse and talking of not consented sex. Skip this chapter if you are uncomfortable with this topic.

THALIA AND CARLISLE HAD AN AMAZING WEEKEND exploring the streets of Manhattan as Carlisle showed her his favorite spots in the city and Thalia being new in the city, listed everything in her mind what places they should go to first, for the first time in a long time, Thalia Elie Bennet, didn't feel alone.

Currently, Thalia is teaching one of her afternoon classes. She was honestly surprised that her students were listening since, at this hour, students were getting sleepy and tired, either from the lack of sleep or just trying to take a 15-minute power nap.

"That sums up The Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck, so you'll be doing a report as usual. However, as usual, you'll be passing it at the end of next week," Thalia announces, again, relieved that none of her students protested. Maybe their agreement really did work out.

As the students exit the room, and Thalia is just cleaning up the whiteboard and arranging her things to start grading, one student is left standing in the middle of the classroom. Thalia looks at her and smiles, and the girl begins to walk towards her, hesitant but giving her a wary smile.

"What can I help you with, Diane?" Thalia asks politely while putting down her bag. Diane looks at her as if she's debating with herself to talk to Thalia.

"I-I need your help," Diane quietly says while fumbling with her fingers and biting the dry skin of her lips. And Thalia recognized these habits, Diane was anxious to talk to her. "You can tell me anything. This is a safe space."

"S-some things are happening at ho-home," Diane tells her nervously, and Thalia slowly walks towards her and gently takes her hand, and says, "Tell me everything that you're comfortable with."

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"I SAID NO, LIAM," a twenty-one-year-old Thalia calmly says as she tries not to lash out at her live-in boyfriend, Liam.

"Babe, we've been together for two years now. Maybe it's time, for you know have sex already," Liam tries to convince her, but Thalia isn't ready, and no, is no, no matter what.

"I'm not ready, Liam. You know this, and you agreed that you'd wait," Thalia says to him while removing his hand from her waist. Thalia honestly doesn't want to be around him. He disgusts her by trying to convince her to have sex.

"And I've been waiting, Thalia. You know I have my own needs," Liam tells her, and that sentence just repulses her even more. She tries to walk away. However, the man grabs Thalia aggressively on the wrist and grabs her face with his hand, and squeezes her face angrily, Thalia is sure that it'll bruise, and that is when she knows enough is enough.

Thalia removes his hands from her face and wrist and slaps his face. A sound of a hand contacting with a skin echoes in their bedroom, "Don't you dare ever lay a hand on me."

She opens her closet and removes her clothes, and packs them in her luggage. "I have enough of this relationship. You demand and demand, "Why don't we do this, and that," You tell me that your friends' relationship is better than ours. I'm tired already, and I can't do this anymore."

"Wait, babe, I'm sorry, alright. It won't happen again," Liam apologizes, and Thalia just wasn't into forgiving his ass anytime soon.

"It wasn't just that, Liam. When you get mad, you get physical, and I have to make a convincing excuse for the bruises. Enough is enough."

"Fine, Queenie does what I want anyway," Liam ignorantly says with a smirk, and Thalia smiles at him, "Then enjoy your pathetic lives together."

"And by the way, the bills and rent aren't paid for the next two months, so good luck with paying that," Thalia says as she exits the house and drives the car that they were supposed to share together, and she doesn't even care, she paid for this car.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"YOU CAN STAY WITH ME UNTIL YOU FIND A NICE PLACE TO LIVE," Thalia proposes to Diane, and the girl smiles at her gratefully. She doesn't even need convincing and immediately agrees to Thalia's idea. Diane couldn't even show how thankful she was for having a kind professor like Thalia.

"Thank you, ma'am, for letting me talk to you and stay at your apartment for a while."

"No need to thank me, Diane. It's the least I can do. We, survivors, stick with each other, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Author's Note:

➵This is one of the contemporary issues that is happening around the world and has gotten a lot worse since the pandemic started, people staying at home for an extended period of time with the people they don't have a good relationship with, I'm not going to make this an essay, but you get my gist, if any one of you is experiencing abuse, no matter what gender or age, call for help, to the police or to your domestic abuse hotline, you can also message me to talk, but I'm across the globe, I can only do so little, but please, do not be hesitant to talk to me.