From Heaven to Hell

This all started when I was in the 8th grade, I met my now ex boyfriend Matt C. who I dated for about four years leading up to my junior year in high school. I’ve know Matt since we were very little, we went to the same elementary so I had previously know him. Our relationship together started out pretty well and within a couple months the physical, emotional and mental abuse started, it was a daily thing for me to end up with bruises and scars on my legs and arms from how often he would lay hands on me. Overtime the abuse got even worse, if he was having a bad day and I made him mad he would punch me in the face so at this point having black eyes and bruises on my face was a normal thing. During these periods of time my best friend was my foundation (makeup). I covered my eyes and bruises that were visible to the public. That’s not it though one afternoon his mom invited us over for lunch after school so we went. She needed to go to her job at the time so she left us in the house alone. Once she left Matt completely changed, he shoved,pushed, and laid hands on me to lay me down and pull down my clothes. I was fighting back which made him even more angry and the angrier he got the more he would hit me the more I was already out of this world. He ended up raping me that afternoon while i was crying and fighting with the life I had left in me. When he was done he threw me out his house and I had no one to call and i had to find the strength to walk home. After my story I was basically numb to emotions. It took me years and therapy to learn to laugh and smile and to love again it took me decades to learn and feel.

— Survivor, age 17