Hey, Miss J!

“Inked Pages” is the title of Chapter 1 of “Before the Bend,” a separate series that is slated as a prologue for Navigating the Curve. It deals with very dark subject matter. This is why Disclaimers are so important. I do not want nor need to traumatize any of my readers.

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Disclaimer: I own NO part of anything in Marvel, though I wish I did. That would be awesome! However, that is not what I own. All I do own is the ideas that led to this! I’m also fulfilling a request–but not in the way the requester expects.

Vitally Important Content Warning: This fiction begins with and continues to delve into extremely graphic and potentially triggering content. It features visceral illness from the very first page. Additionally, it contains explicit themes of non-consensual sexual encounters (forced sexual content), emotional manipulation, and the profound trauma and psychological distress associated with abuse. Reader discretion is not just advised, but strongly recommended. Please prioritize your mental and emotional health should you choose to read.

Additional Notation: If you are a victim of domestic violence, suffer from PTSD or both… Please. PLEASE tread with caution. Alternatively, you could read “Navigating the Curve,” which this story is prologue to. That story has additional, fluffy one-shot stories. And no. Reading Navigating the Curve will not soften the blow of reading Before the Bend.

Before the Bend

By Juliette Lyst

Inked Pages

4AM

Yawning, a bleary-eyed brunette found herself stumbling in the dark. After she found her bathroom, she flicked on the light, wincing. Shaky, she staggered to the sink, trying to steady herself against the smooth countertop.

Her blood-shot gaze reflected back to her in the mirror. “This… is awful,” she rasped. Goosebumps rose on her skin, and she shivered.

She felt sick… there was no other way to say it. Feeling uncomfortable pressure lower in her body, she hurried to the toilet. While she sat, she rested her elbows on her knees, dropping her head into upraised hands.

Sweat trickled down her back, between her shoulders, her forehead beading with perspiration.

Letting out a soft moan, she remained seated. Her stomach churned turbulently, and she let out a small burp, repulsed at the taste that hit the back of her tongue. Unexpectedly, her intestines began rhythmically clenching. The cramping nearly caused her to see stars.

Eyes squeezed shut, she whimpered. Her jaw began to tremble as the nausea worsened. Clamping both hands over her mouth, she began shaking her head in denial. This isn’t happening…

But the dual assault was relentless.

Her eyes snapped open, pupils constricting. “N… No,” she gasped, feeling bile burning a path up her throat, her mouth flooding with fluids. “I…” she gagged once, before violently erupting from both ends.

Forty-five Minutes Later…

Sitting down gingerly on the side of the bed, she let out a belch and scooted to the headboard, propping herself up. Jen’s fatigue was worsened by the force of emptying her stomach. She pulled up her bedsheet, only half of her body covered before she sunk into a deep sleep.

7AM

Reclining on the couch, Jennifer held a pencil between her teeth, flicking through the pages of a current case, the overloaded envelope on the coffee table near her. A clipboard with a section of the paperwork was balanced on her left thigh. She was scribbling a note into the notebook seated precariously on her right knee. “C’mon…” she murmured, trying to find an inconsistency in the most recent testimony in the courtroom. Their stenographer did a fantastic job–as always, so accuracy wasn’t an issue.

Consistency in the witness was.

Feeling a gurgle in her stomach, she lightly pat the surface. “Patience…” she grumbled. “I’ll eat soon.” Removing the pencil from between her teeth, she scribbled some notes on one of the pages.

Thoroughly engrossed, she still heard a key click in the lock. She only glanced up briefly, then back to the papers in her lap.

“Busy, huh?” the man entering the room asked, closing and locking the door behind him. He stretched a little, scratching his upper back. Removing his boots and leaving them at the door, he padded over to her. Sitting next to her on the couch, he crossed his sock-clad ankles.

Curious, he physically turned towards her, trying to sneak a peak, casually sliding his arm around her shoulders.

“Peeete…” One dark brow rose sharply on her forehead, as she looked at him. “You know you can’t look at this stuff.”

Peter rolled his eyes, lightly scratching his bald head. “I know Jenny…” he whined. “But… it’s so… right there.”

“No,” she replied, covering the material with her arms.

“But Jenny,” he continued. “I always let you look at my paperwork.” He frowned as she shook her head.

“Peter,” she continued, removing her thin rimmed glasses and setting them down on the coffee table. “You are a professor–”

“For extraordinary children!” he chimed in. It was an honor to teach students at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters… an achievement he was immensely proud of.

Her lips twisted wryly. “It is fantastic you can do that, Pete.”

He puffed his chest out a tad. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “Going to be working all day? I thought you were off.”

“It’s both,” she replied.

“…What?” A line formed between his hairless brows. “Are you… Volunteering your time right now?”

“Mm,” she grunted in the affirmative, startled when he leaned down and kissed her. “Pete,” she murmured. “Right now I c–” 

“I won’t be here long today, Jen,” he informed her, taking the notebook and clipboard away and setting them on the coffee table.

“Oh, I understand,” she replied. The brunette was about to climb off the couch when he stopped her.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Umm…” Jennifer lightly bit her bottom lip. “I was going to fix a quick breakfast for us so we could catch up a bit before you have to go?”

Peter shook his head. “No time for that babe.” Almost immediately, he invaded her space and began unbuttoning her pajama shirt.

Momentarily, she froze. “Peter… what are you doing?”

Instead of stopping like he should have, he continued. “Like I said,” he replied after fully unbuttoning the shirt and advancing down to grasp the waistband of her pajama bottoms. “I don’t have time…”

Alarmed, Jennifer’s eyes widened. “B–But…” he was just coming in and was already trying to… This is wrong… she mentally whimpered. She felt the light yank as he pulled off her pajama bottoms. The petite brunette found herself looking up at him as he finished hastily undressing her and pulled her legs apart. “Pete…”

“Shh,” he shushed her, kissing her hard.

A half hour later, he was already gone… and Jennifer was clutching her clothing to her chest, shaking. “W… W–Why?” she asked. “Why?”

Amber-hued eyes teared up. I should be grateful for his time… she reminded herself. All the same, that very thought made her recoil. When she was around him, things were so explosive… especially if it was after an argument. Sometimes when they disagreed, he cut off contact… and she so wanted him to be happy.

With her.

She wanted him to stay.

With her.

But he never did.

“How long have I been doing this?” her shoulders sagged as she settled into the couch. Where has my self-respect gone? Swallowing hard, she teared up and began to cry. “I’m the She-Hulk!” she sobbed. “The She-Hulk!” … and I couldn’t even transform to defend myself!

The irony stung. Jennifer was so cool and assured in court, not able to be intimidated by anyone– yet in her personal life…

Her body shook with the force of her distress, before she abruptly stiffened. What is…? Eyes widening, she fled the couch, naked, and raced into the bathroom, where she began to vomit… again. Thankfully, she was done after that one time, only able to bring up bile. Glad I didn’t eat now…

Exhaling carefully, she rinsed her mouth, wiping with the back of her hand. What a terr–umm… She again faced her reflection, seeing the vivid bruises on her neck and shoulder left behind by Peter’s teeth. Jennifer leaned closer to the mirror… her mind beginning to race. Nervously, she began counting on her fingers. Something is off…

“I have to go to the pharmacy,” she spoke aloud, the sound of her heart a rhythmic… almost deafening boom in her ears.

One Hour Later

Freshly clean– having scrubbed herself hard for over thirty minutes, Jennifer opted for a very light snack before getting on the road. She struggled to focus while she drove. “I… have to be careful,” she muttered, a tremor in her voice. Breathing unevenly and with tears leaving salty tracks down her cheeks, the brunette headed down the ‘Family Planning’ aisle in the store. No… Jen told herself. I don’t have to do this… After finding what she was looking for, she paid at the counter, her hands trembling.

I can’t do this… her mind raced. I’m wrong! I–

Twenty Minutes Later

Sitting on the closed toilet lid, Jennifer sat still, both hands over her mouth. If anything, her eyes were more bloodshot than earlier that morning. Her terrified gaze was focused on the bathroom counter.

One where a pregnancy test sat… revealing a positive result.

How did I get here? she begged herself to answer this question– needing… wanting some justification, as the pounding in her ears turned to a roar.

She let out a shaky breath, the underlying nausea now amplified.

I’m p… pregnant… Her eyes narrowed as she tried to will the results to change.

“Pete,” she whispered, crying in earnest now, feeling bitterness biting at her.

Past: Several Months Prior

“And that Your Honor,” Jennifer continued. “Is how we can tell for a certainty that my client had absolutely nothing to do with what “the Ruby Serpents Gang” did the night of January 30th.” Pausing momentarily, Jen made brief eye contact with the jury. “We have the location ping from both his mobile phone and ankle bracelet. He didn’t go anywhere that night.”

Her client, a young grey-eyed blond, was trying to sit still– just as Miss Walters had instructed him. All the scrutiny was making him nervous. He wasn’t just fearful of the charges either. He knew the gang was already aware of the case. Should any of them continue to hold a grudge…

“He has had zero contact with any of the Serpents. He barely managed to get away.” Her next pause was strategic as she turned to the defendant’s table. “I will direct the court to Exhibit B.” Walking to the easel near the table, she lifted the black cover over a large poster board.

Several of the jurors covered their eyes.

“As you can see,” Jennifer continued, pointing to the first few images at the top… pictures of her client’s injured face. “As you can see, Mister Nickerson was brutally beaten for attempting to leave the Serpents,” Intelligent amber eyes turned to the jury again. “Right here,” she gestured to a document right next to the picture. “Is a copy of the medical report from the hospital that treated Mister Nickerson. It’s dated for December 27th, a little over a month before the events that unfortunately befell Mister Droni.”

“Objection, Your Honor, Relevance.” At the opposing table, the attorney representing the distraught family members of Mister Droni stood.

Suppressing a frown, frustrated at the interruption, Jennifer politely responded and turned her attention to the bench. “Your Honor, Mister Choi and his clients were provided with copies of Mister Nickerson’s discharge papers from the emergency room. On the second page, the extent of his injuries were recorded. My client sustained four broken ribs along with two breaks in his left femur.” Jennifer paused for a moment. “The police report taken from Mister Dronis regarding his injuries before he unfortunately succumbed indicated that the suspect ran away after and jumped a fence. The report also stated that this fence was six feet tall.”

Now, Jennifer looked directly at Mister Choi. “Having a broken leg and broken ribs means it would be impossible for my client to run… let alone jump a fence. Also, at his listed height of five feet, seven inches, leaping a six-foot-high fence would be difficult even without the broken leg.”

Choi was quiet a moment before addressing the judge, “Your Honor, I withdraw my previous objection.” He resumed sitting.

Past: Two Hours Later…

“So,” Chad Nickerson spoke while he and Jennifer traveled the length of the hall and heading towards the side door. This was his attorney’s suggestion, so as to avoid the large crowds that might be out front. He kept an even pace with her while maneuvering with his motorized wheelchair. “What now?” Regret was visible on his face over the entire situation, even though he wasn’t the guilty party.

“Judge Boyd has called for an overnight recess until tomorrow. Jury deliberations should begin tomorrow.”

“And…” He gulped, nervousness bleeding through his tone. “That’ll be the end of it?”

“When they decide on a verdict, yes,” she replied. She remained quiet, not wanting to alarm him. Choi was formidable in court… and she sincerely hoped he wouldn’t introduce new evidence that would cause a delay. Though with his reputation…

“He really didn’t like you,” Chad spoke softly, having noticed the attorney’s expression when Jenifer explained the reason behind sharing the details of her client’s injuries.

“Yes, I noticed.” she replied. Many attorneys didn’t like her. She never eviscerated anyone in open court, but she ran circles around them.

The companionable silence between them was welcome, more so for Chad. His lack of knowledge of the legal process meant that the worry fell fully on the shoulders of his criminal defense attorney.

“Here we go,” Jennifer stated, pressing the ADA push button for him. Once they were clear of the building, they barely moved more than ten feet before they were surrounded.

“How does it feel?” a woman snidely asked, holding up a poster, which demanded justice for Cougar Droni.

Jennifer remained composed, but knew her client was terrified.

“How does it feel, Attorney?” she asked again. “Knowing you’re defending a murderer?!”

“I–I didn’t do anything!” Chad cried, panicking and overwhelmed.

Jennifer glanced at him and held up a hand. The message was simple: I’ll handle this.

He quieted instantly, nodding.

“Ma’am, while I am not at liberty to discuss ongoing litigation…” Jennifer let the full weight of her words sink in. “My client is deserving of due process, just like everyone else.”

“This is a waste of time!” a man in the crowd announced.

Jennifer stiffened, suddenly on edge. She stepped right in front of Chad… only to find herself being faced down by a very angry, gun wielding man.

“Get out of the way!” he yelled.

“You don’t want to do this sir…” Jennifer replied, trying to deescalate the situation.

The man let out a harsh, humorless laugh. “I can still shoot him through you.” His eyes narrowed.

“I really liked this suit…” she grumbled, green light visible in her eyes. Her transformation was quick, thankfully, as the man squeezed the trigger as soon as he saw the look in her eyes. Ripping through the material of her suit… and also destroying her heels in the process, she grit her teeth. I really… really loved those heels.

The bullet meant for Chad ricocheted off her body, striking another protestor in the crowd.

“She’s shooting at us!” the man raised his voice… and a lie, aiming the gun at her head.

“Don’t do that!” she exclaimed. “You’re going to hurt someone else!”

“You’re a bigger monster than this murderer,” he snarled… his voice raising into a screech as Jennifer lifted him by his wrist.

“Drop it!” she ordered. A monster… she mentally gripped, purposely keeping her temper at bay. Reacting violently would only solidify his claim.

Unable to resist, his hand numb, the man dropped his weapon.

Jennifer shook her head, letting out a sigh of disappointment. So senseless…

“Just what’s going on over here?!”

Green eyes darted that way briefly, then back to the crowd.

“Oh… you know, the usual,” Jennifer purred in response. “Attempted double homicide.”

“He’s a killer!” the still restrained man squeaked out in pain. 

Two police officers were at Jennifer’s side in mere moments. 

“Walters… what is this?” the male officer asked. “Second time this week?” 

Jennifer groaned at the reminder. “That was completely out of my control and you know it!” 

“And just like that one,” the female officer chimed in. “You left him still breathing.” 

Jennifer nodded. “Just another day…” 

“Walters…” the male officer began. 

“Officer Graves,” she replied… then looked at the female officer. “And Officer Cage, you’ll need to dust that gun for prints. But it’s pretty open and shut on this one. And…” Jennifer hesitated, noticing that several people in the crowd were filming her. 

“Gonna drop him?” Cage asked. 

“Sure…” Jennifer replied, letting go. 

The man hit the ground and wasn’t even able to stand before he was placed in cuffs. 

“Officers…” the green woman added. “The entire crowd here, it seems… have concrete evidence of what just occurred.” Once she had Graves’ attention, she pointedly lifted her brows.

“True…” Turning to the crowd, he raised his voice. “Everyone, we need you to turn in your phones.”

“What?!” a woman in the crowd squawked. “Why??”

“Those phones are now evidence,” Officer Cage spoke clearly.

“They will be returned as soon as we retrieve the videos from them,” Officer Graves assured them.

Nervous, the protestors hurriedly complied, placing their phones on the ground and stepping away from them.

“Please wait inside the lobby,” Cage added.

As the crowd dispersed to do just that, Jennifer turned to Chad. “Hey?” she spoke, addressing him.

He jerked in response, his head in his hands.

“You’re safe,” she informed him. If I hadn’t… folding her arms, she took in the appearance of her now traumatized client. I wonder if that man would have moved his hand at the last moment? She knew the truth… but was trying hard to see the good in him.

Wherever it was.

“We got things handled over here, Walters,” Graves stated, beginning to lead the now injured man to the cruiser.

“Thanks!” Jen replied. Then… she smirked. “I owe you guys at least a dozen glazed ones.”

Cage grinned widely. “Remember to get mine with blueberry jelly, please!” 

“Hey! I want raspberry!” Graves called back.

“Done deal.” Jennifer replied, a soft smile in place. Though, as the officers left, her expression dropped as she again looked at Chad.

He was sitting quietly, staring blankly into space.

This… is not good. Jennifer thought, frowning.

Past: 7PM – White Fire Tavern

Sighing, Jennifer quietly sat at the bar nursing her drink.

“Tough day?” the bartender asked while wiping down the counter.

“Oh, you know…” Jennifer drawled, looking in his direction. “The youzhe.” Clad in her iconic suit, Jennifer pursed green lips, her mind reviewing the events of the day. A mostly positive and strong court case… followed by murderous threats… against an accused killer.

“Sure you don’t want a second Shrock?” he asked. He was concerned. Normally, the She-Hulk came in when celebrating a victory of some sort. But this… He noticed that none of the other superpowered individuals she normally came with were there…

“Nah,” she replied. “Still gotta finish this one.” Quietly, she studied her drink. It was green in color, a beautiful blend of equal parts Hpnotiq and Hennessy.

The bartender was silent from then on, leaving her to the peace of her thoughts.

So when Jennifer returned home an hour later, she sighed, working to remove her suit. “This really sucks,” she muttered after removing half of the suit. “I don’t know… am I gonna be alone in court tomorrow?” Sighing heavily, she walked to the bathroom, shrinking back down into a normal human size.

Brushing her teeth, Jennifer made faces in the mirror. At one point, she stuck her tongue out at herself, a faint grin in place.

Mm. Monster indeed… she lightly shook her head, peeling off the rest of her uniform and jumping in the shower.

Past: The Next Day – 9AM

“I don’t see your client today, Miss Walters,” Judge Boyd remarked.

Dipping her head, Jennifer nodded faintly. “Shortly after leaving the courthouse, someone attempted to kill him.” And threatening to shoot him.. Through my body.

“… Why was I not made aware of this?” he asked.

Frowning, Jennifer replied. “There were numerous phones that recorded the event. Officers confiscated them to retrieve the videos. And also search for evidence of potentially worse things…

The judge’s brows furrowed.

And Jennifer knew exactly what he might have been thinking… There was no need to collect videos from numerous mobile phones. They only needed just one of them.

What handling them accomplished was creating the possibility for all of the videos to be deleted. Those phones might have also contained information on how the protestors gathered– and even how they knew she and Chad would use that exit.

The public loved drama and sensationalism. The video of her protecting Chad could have easily been twisted to give a differing narrative.

Especially when she picked up her attacker after he screamed that she was shooting at them.

An innocent, armed man attempting to save them all from a giant, green menace? It made sense… except it wasn’t the truth.

I know how the world treats Bruce… Though she loved her cousin, she used her continued self-awareness to her advantage. And I don’t want to go down the same path…

Shuffling the papers on his desk, the judge noticed something new. “Miss Walters…”

Jennifer straightened up, giving the judge her full attention. “Yes, Your Honor?”

“It says here that your client, Mister Chad Nickerson, is behind bars here?”

Jennifer nodded. “It’s for his continued protection…” After she spoke, she glanced around the gallery. “Seeing as several members of the public not only confronted him, but one threatened to shoot and kill him.” Turning her gaze back to the judge, Jennifer allowed a frown to cross her face.“Your Honor, a lone gunman told me that he could shoot my client through my body.”

She heard gasps…

“Your Honor…” Jennifer continued. “My client might need a day or two to feel comfortable enough to return to court.”

“I’ll allow it,” the judge replied. “We will reconvene in three days. Court is adjourned.” He banged the gavel.

Past: Evening – 10PM

“I don’t get any of this,” Jennifer muttered, engrossed in the show on her television. She had a bowl of popcorn in her lap.

“Objection!” the attorney on the screen yelled. “Leading the witness!”

“Sorry… sorry,” the other attorney replied. “No more questions, Your Honor.”

But… the questions he asked weren’t ‘“leading.”

Not exactly.

The question– met so swiftly with an objection was: “So you and the defendant were in school together? So… you would know how they were… better than everyone else here?”

“They need to vet the people they pick as writers for this show.” Rolling her eyes, Jennifer munched on a handful of popcorn. While her grumbled complaint had some weight to it… accuracy wasn’t needed in a televised, fictional court show.

A half later, she sighed, continuing to sit in front of the screen. Her thoughts drifted back to her conversation after court that morning.

Sitting quietly in a shadowy cell, Chad didn’t immediately respond when Jennifer addressed him. In fact, it took much longer than it should have to get any response.

What the attorney saw broke her heart.

Chad had dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep. He also looked unkempt and disoriented.

Jennifer, worried, asked him how he was, but was met with silence. Not wanting to press the young man, Jennifer quietly informed him that she would return the next day to check on him. As she left the jail, she asked one of the guards how Chad was.

The officer looked just as saddened as Jennifer was– explaining that Chad hadn’t done much past using the bathroom and occasionally drinking water. The young man stared at the offered meals as if they were alien… and unknown things.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Jen muttered, getting ready for bed.

Past: The Next Morning

Upon waking, Jennifer knew something was wrong. For one, her ceiling wasn’t that ghastly shade of grey. But also… she was cuffed in place. Attempting to sit up, she realized that she had cuffs on her wrists and ankles. “Please tell me–” she began… “That this is some post television hallucination.” She sunk the nails of her thumbs into the adjacent fingers… and kept pressing. Whimpering from the discomfort, she opened her hands, already knowing she’d left nail marks on herself.

Where am I?! She asked herself. A quick perusal told her more than she needed to know.

So it would seem…

She was chained to the floor in some sort of prison cell. And clad in some strange armored bikini. Someone has a terrible sense of humor… Before she could do anything, she heard the screech of the door being pushed open.

A whitish furry head, topped with moving antennas glanced in. “Ah, the beauty awakes!” then… a grin, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Jennifer’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You have GOT to be kidding me here!”

“My master will be pleased!” the rest of their body came in, revealing them to be well over six feet tall. “We will make sure to maintain the perfectly coiled buns on the sides of your head.”

“B… Buns?” Jennifer asked, before she became enraged. “I don’t do this! Don’t you know that?!”

“It will make my–”

“No, you don’t understand!” she snapped. “I explicitly told them I would not be dressed like Princess Leia!”

“But…” the creature had no clue what she was talking about.

“IMPERSONATING STAR WARS IS EXPLICITYLY AGAINST THE TERMS OF MY CONTRACT!”

An antenna twitched. “Contract?”

“I am so not in the mood for this,” Jennifer replied, scowling and yanking forcefully against the chains. Her eyes began to shine with green light, her body readily responding. The chains let out a groan before snapping under the pressure.

“Wha—” Before it could say anything else, it found itself face to face with… a very large human female.

An angry…

Green.

Female.

Pupilless purple eyes widened in shock. “Wait!” it responded, holding its hands up and shaking its head. “You cannot!”

“Oh really?” she growled. Jennifer visibly ground her teeth together.

Not only had she been kidnapped.

Not only had she been chained.

Not only had she been dressed in a now very destroyed outfit that barely clung in the right places to grant her dignity.

But now, she was stuck in some unknown and forsaken place with a now terrified furry creature in front of her.

And with potentially no prospects of getting home.

“I don’t have time for this!” she roared, rushing the giant fuzzball and grasping it by the font of its tan tunic. “Lissen, buster!” Jennifer ground out, her voice dropping to a deadly register. “You’re going to provide me with transportation to get out of here… or I’m gonna get really mad… And you won’t like me when I’m angry!”

“But… M–My master!” It replied, leaning as best it could away from her.

“Sure!” Jennifer growled. “Bring him in here too!”

Past: Four Hours Later…

“And that,” Jennifer stated, grasping the glass handle of a stein. The golden liquid inside had a decidedly nice foam on top. 

Past: White Fire Tavern

“… is how I managed to escape the Khahlath Empire!”

“Fascinating,” a petite redhead next to Jennifer commented. She plucked a cube of ice out her glass and melted it in her hand with just enough heat for it to evaporate into vapor. She seemed bored.

Jennifer was quiet. “… You don’t believe me, do you, Angelica?” The jade giantess now felt disheartened.

“You have to admit Jen… it sounds pretty far-fetched,” a blonde across the table from Jennifer replied. Her finger slowly circled the rim of her beer mug.

“Thanks for the words of support, Bobbi.” The exasperated attorney drank down a healthy swallow from the stein.

“I find it intriguing…” a male voice spoke up.

Setting the stein down, Jennifer glanced to the right, both brows rising. “Do–”

“I’m serious,” he continued. He held up his hands, offering her two thumbs up. “Very impressive!”

Green eyes took in his costumed body and the familiar mask. “… To what do we owe the pleasure, Webhead?”

“Well…” he let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head. “Was just in the area patrolling”

“Umm-hmm,” Jennifer responded. “Keep going.”

 “And I figured I would stop in to unwind.”

Brows still raised, Jennifer shot looks at the two women seated with her. “Grab a seat!”

Eagerly, he did so, making sure to not sit too closely to any of them, showing a respect for their personal space.

“What’ll you have?” she asked.

He tilted his head. “What are you offering?” he asked, humor in his tone.

Jennifer’s cheekbones grew a darker shade of green. “Beer, friendship and songs,” she replied.

“Seriously?” Angelic muttered in question, sulking.

“Whaat?” Jennifer asked. “You just said my story about being kidnapped by an alien race wasn’t possible.”

“So?” she retorted.

“Well, we now have Peter Parker sitting with us– a man who will soon be having beer and singing poorly chosen songs at karaoke!”

“Bleh!” Bobbi replied, sticking her tongue out in defiance.

“I’m sure you sound great, Jenny!” he chimed in.

Jennifer’s lips twitched into a broad smile… “Well now… aren’t you Mister Charming.”

“So, I’ve been told,” he responded.

“And… You’re single?” she asked, taking another sip of her beer.

Both of her friends gave her incredulous stares.

“Jen,” Bobbi spoke. “You don’t nor… This has got to be the beer–”

“Yes, sadly.” he replied, dramatically clutching his chest. “It’s been one of the saddest parts of my existence.”

Pointedly tuning out the blonde across from her, Jennifer arched a brow. “Really? Now that is interesting, Mister Parker.”

To Be Continued…

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I know it’s a sharp detour from my more lighthearted pieces, especially in the “Navigating the Curve” storyline. I’ve never addressed a situation like this, but I also realized that this reality is hinted at in “Navigating the Curve.” A relationship with a man who proves himself to be abusive not just emotionally and mentally… but also physically. This is not the sweet and kind “Peter” of “Navigating the Curve,” but in reality, the one who has caused her immense trauma. This sort of kick-off to the story was immensely difficult for me to write, understanding that the subject matter could be triggering for many.

Myself especially.

I am my first reader.

Even editing this story is painful. We’ll explore more of their backstory as the story develops.

See you next chapter!

XXO

 ~J. Lyst

Editor’s Edition: Hey! It’s April 18, 2026, and I’m reformatting and editing this story to fit the new format. I also corrected 1, possibly 3 typos. Didn’t you know?

I’m a writer, but I cannot spell…

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If you got through all of that… good job!

XXO

~J. Lyst