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“I don’t think I can keep doing this,” Alice cried into the phone.

“Please, just give me one last chance; please,” Jake pleaded back, almost crying.

Alice couldn’t say anything; she didn’t know what to say. All she could do was cry, cry harder than before. At that moment she realized how much Jake meant to her and how terrible she would feel if she were to loose him. But then she also thought about all that he’s done to her, to hurt her and make me feel like she’s not worth even a penny.

“Please don’t cry, Alice,” Jake sighed, as small tear ran down his cheek, “I love you.”

There they were, those three words; those words that drove Alice crazy. She took a deep breath in and tried to hold back the tears for just a second, “I love you too,” she said uneasily as the tears started leaking out once more, “I just don’t know if I can trust you not to hurt me again.”

Jake froze and quickly tried to think of something to say that would sound convincing enough, more convincing that just I love you. He could hear Alice breathing irregularly on the other line; crying. He quickly stuttered, “I can promise you I would never do that again. I only said and did those things because you really pissed me off and hurt me. I’m sorry for over reacting. Please forgive me Alice, please,” he begged.

“Jake…” Alice’s voice faded as she tried to decide what to do, what to say to him. She really wanted to stay with him but she didn’t want to get hurt and get played like some stupid girl, blinded by love, “I forgive you.”

Jake exhaled, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alice said with a small smile, “I think I’m going to go to sleep.”

“Alright,” Jake sighed, “Goodnight, I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alice said before she pressed the end button on her cell phone and set it down beside her on her bed. She turned over onto her side facing the nightstand and picked up a marker and started drawing on her sheets. They were so plain and white so she decided to doodle on them since she wasn’t really tired at all she just didn’t really want to talk to Jake anymore for the night.

After about five minutes of just drawing and thinking Alice slowly got out of bed. While trying to stand up she stumbled a little bit but managed to catch herself before completely falling over onto her nightstand. She slowly stumbled over to her door, stepping on papers, markers, socks, pants everything that was on her floor. Once she reached the door she quietly opened it and went downstairs.

“I know David! I don’t need you telling me how to raise my fucking child!” Alice heard her mom screaming on the phone to Alice’s dad. Her father and mother had been divorced for only two years but it seems like it’s been more than half Alice’s lifetime. “David, just go back to fucking your girlfriend! Goodbye!” Alice’s mother quickly slammed the home phone down.

“Wow…” Alice muttered quietly to herself as she made her way over to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Her mom looked over to Alice and looked down, “Sorry you had to hear that…” She said quietly.

“It’s fine, it’s not like I’ve never heard or seen the both of you fight,” Alice stated and then started going back upstairs with her water, “Goodnight.”

Her mother just sat there with a feeling of guilt overcoming her. She couldn’t help but feel bad for having to make Alice become more and more aware of all the fighting that takes place between her and her ex husband.

Once Alice got to her room, she set down her now almost finished cup of water and let herself fall onto her bed. She got under the blankets she had on her bed and let the warmth comfort her until she slowly fell asleep.