"I'll go back to him." Gwen cried out. "You can't go to jail. Not because of me."
"Screw that, Gwen." Trent told her as he walked towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away. It looked as if it was a reflex, and every time she was touched, she would get hit. It made Trent's veins burn. "Gwen, don't be scared of me."
Gwen looked up at him, wiping her tears away. "Sorry…I'm just…"
"Used to getting hit." Trent finished for her. She shrugged, which made her wince in pain. "Okay…let me think here." Trent began pacing. "You cannot go back to him, that's a given. But we can't do anything because he's friends with almost every policeman on the force. He can convince them that I'M the one who did this to you, and they can arrest me and send my ass to jail for life, while you'd be trapped back in that damned house. OR you can go back to him, and I'd be left alone…" Trent shook his head. "That last one isn't happening."
"Then what can we do?" Gwen asked, her voice sounding broken. "This is my fight, Trent."
"No." Trent stopped pacing and looked to her. "This is OUR fight now."
"You can't do this." Gwen told him, crying again. "You're only going to be in trouble if you hang around with me."
Trent sighed. "Gwen…if I don't have you as a friend…then life has no meaning."
Gwen looked up at him. "You mean that?"
Trent sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "With everything in me, I mean it." Trent released her and stood up. "We have to run."
Gwen's eyes widened. "WHAT?"
Ding, dong
Trent raced from the kitchen to the front door, looking through the peephole, sighing in relief as he swung it open. "Hey, guys."
Mr. and Mrs. Hudson walked in quickly, as Trent locked the door behind him. "Where's Gwen so I can look at her?" Mrs. Hodson asked hastily, showing Trent her medical bag.
"I have her laying down some more in the guest bedroom upstairs." Trent pointed to the stairs, and Mrs. Hodson ran up. Trent looked to a troubled Mr. Hodson. "Mr. Hodson, I'm sorry I had to involve you and your wife in this situation, but we needed help and quickly."
Mr. Hodson sighed deeply and brought out a pair of keys. "Here's the rental that I'd paid cash for." Trent pulled out his wallet, but Mr. Hodson put a hand up to stop him. "Don't. Keep your money. You and Gwen will need it if you're really going to do this."
Trent nodded. "Thanks."
"Of course. Gwen's like another daughter to me, which is why I'm not happy, but I'm glad you are going to take good care of her…right?" Mr. Hodson asked Trent in a serious tone. Trent nodded again. "Here's a pre-paid phone and it's paid-up for a whole year, the number is in settings, and I already put the number in my phone." Mr. Hodson handed Trent a small, cheap cell phone. "I still volunteer at the police station, so I have access to information and records. I'll snoop around and do some detective work on Duncan Matthews. I'll call you if I receive any information, but so I don't draw attention to myself, I'll be calling from a payphone."
Trent stared at the man. "Thank you so much." He took out keys of his pocket. "Here are the keys to my car."
Mr. Hodson nodded. "Okay, I'll take good care of it."
"The story is that I came over in the morning and randomly put the keys in your mailbox after parking my car in your driveway." Trent told him.
"Brilliant."
"I guess." Trent ran his fingers through his hair. "I hope I can keep Gwen safe during this whole thing."
"I believe you will, Trent." Mr. Hodson put a firm hand on Trent's shoulder. "Out of everyone in your group of friends, I truly believe you will be the best one to go with Gwen on this."
Trent gave him a little smile. "Thanks."
They heard two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs and both Mrs. Hodson and Gwen were slowly coming down the stairs, with Gwen leaning against her. Gwen painful bruises and sore muscles took its toll on her fragile body overnight, and she was having a hard time walking and functioning. Trent was worried so much, and that was another reason why he thought to call the Hodson's.
Gwen reached the end of the staircase and gave Mr. Hodson a tight hug. "Thank you for everything, Mr. Hodson."
Mr. Hodson looked teary eyed. "Trent's going to take good care of you, Gwen."
Gwen glanced at Trent with a small smile. "I know he will."
As the two talked, Mrs. Hodson leaned over to Trent. "Gwen was…hurt in more private areas, if you know what I mean." Trent sighed and nodded. "Was she…?"
Trent shrugged and looked to Gwen. "She refuses to tell me, but I'm sure…he did. There was blood in the bed at their house."
Mrs. Hodson frowned. "Poor girl."
"Screw that, Gwen." Trent told her as he walked towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away. It looked as if it was a reflex, and every time she was touched, she would get hit. It made Trent's veins burn. "Gwen, don't be scared of me."
Gwen looked up at him, wiping her tears away. "Sorry…I'm just…"
"Used to getting hit." Trent finished for her. She shrugged, which made her wince in pain. "Okay…let me think here." Trent began pacing. "You cannot go back to him, that's a given. But we can't do anything because he's friends with almost every policeman on the force. He can convince them that I'M the one who did this to you, and they can arrest me and send my ass to jail for life, while you'd be trapped back in that damned house. OR you can go back to him, and I'd be left alone…" Trent shook his head. "That last one isn't happening."
"Then what can we do?" Gwen asked, her voice sounding broken. "This is my fight, Trent."
"No." Trent stopped pacing and looked to her. "This is OUR fight now."
"You can't do this." Gwen told him, crying again. "You're only going to be in trouble if you hang around with me."
Trent sighed. "Gwen…if I don't have you as a friend…then life has no meaning."
Gwen looked up at him. "You mean that?"
Trent sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "With everything in me, I mean it." Trent released her and stood up. "We have to run."
Gwen's eyes widened. "WHAT?"
Ding, dong
Trent raced from the kitchen to the front door, looking through the peephole, sighing in relief as he swung it open. "Hey, guys."
Mr. and Mrs. Hudson walked in quickly, as Trent locked the door behind him. "Where's Gwen so I can look at her?" Mrs. Hodson asked hastily, showing Trent her medical bag.
"I have her laying down some more in the guest bedroom upstairs." Trent pointed to the stairs, and Mrs. Hodson ran up. Trent looked to a troubled Mr. Hodson. "Mr. Hodson, I'm sorry I had to involve you and your wife in this situation, but we needed help and quickly."
Mr. Hodson sighed deeply and brought out a pair of keys. "Here's the rental that I'd paid cash for." Trent pulled out his wallet, but Mr. Hodson put a hand up to stop him. "Don't. Keep your money. You and Gwen will need it if you're really going to do this."
Trent nodded. "Thanks."
"Of course. Gwen's like another daughter to me, which is why I'm not happy, but I'm glad you are going to take good care of her…right?" Mr. Hodson asked Trent in a serious tone. Trent nodded again. "Here's a pre-paid phone and it's paid-up for a whole year, the number is in settings, and I already put the number in my phone." Mr. Hodson handed Trent a small, cheap cell phone. "I still volunteer at the police station, so I have access to information and records. I'll snoop around and do some detective work on Duncan Matthews. I'll call you if I receive any information, but so I don't draw attention to myself, I'll be calling from a payphone."
Trent stared at the man. "Thank you so much." He took out keys of his pocket. "Here are the keys to my car."
Mr. Hodson nodded. "Okay, I'll take good care of it."
"The story is that I came over in the morning and randomly put the keys in your mailbox after parking my car in your driveway." Trent told him.
"Brilliant."
"I guess." Trent ran his fingers through his hair. "I hope I can keep Gwen safe during this whole thing."
"I believe you will, Trent." Mr. Hodson put a firm hand on Trent's shoulder. "Out of everyone in your group of friends, I truly believe you will be the best one to go with Gwen on this."
Trent gave him a little smile. "Thanks."
They heard two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs and both Mrs. Hodson and Gwen were slowly coming down the stairs, with Gwen leaning against her. Gwen painful bruises and sore muscles took its toll on her fragile body overnight, and she was having a hard time walking and functioning. Trent was worried so much, and that was another reason why he thought to call the Hodson's.
Gwen reached the end of the staircase and gave Mr. Hodson a tight hug. "Thank you for everything, Mr. Hodson."
Mr. Hodson looked teary eyed. "Trent's going to take good care of you, Gwen."
Gwen glanced at Trent with a small smile. "I know he will."
As the two talked, Mrs. Hodson leaned over to Trent. "Gwen was…hurt in more private areas, if you know what I mean." Trent sighed and nodded. "Was she…?"
Trent shrugged and looked to Gwen. "She refuses to tell me, but I'm sure…he did. There was blood in the bed at their house."
Mrs. Hodson frowned. "Poor girl."
