It Takes Two (Katy Perry)

Part 3

December 24th, 2011

“Shannon, help me,” whispered Katy into her phone. It was two o’clock in the morning on Christmas Eve, and Katy was still on the floor of her home. She had managed to crawl into the kitchen to grab her phone, but didn’t have the energy or the willpower to stand up. Russell was nowhere to be seen, and Katy figured he had gone up to their bedroom and passed out after raping her late last night.

“Katy? What’s wrong?” panicked Shannon, jumping out of bed as she heard the soft, defeated, broken sounding voice of her best friend on the phone.

There was a silent pause, before Shannon heard a sniffle, and Katy finally replied, “Can you please come over Shan? I need you right now.” Katy broke down in tears, unable to keep talking, and Shannon sighed, knowing that Katy’s pain was her pain too right now.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes sweetie, try and calm down, okay?” reassured Shannon, throwing some warm, comfortable clothes on and grabbing her car keys.

“O-okay,” sobbed Katy, hanging up. She sat on the cold kitchen floor, her back resting against the cupboards as she trembled, waiting for her best friend to come to her rescue.

Less than ten minutes had passed before Katy heard the sound of the front door opening as Shannon let herself into the house.

“Katy?” she called softly.

“In the kitchen,” Katy replied, hugging her knees to her chest as she trained her eyes on the doorway. Shannon suddenly appeared in front of her, and Katy burst into tears as Shannon rushed to her best friend and enveloped Katy in her arms.

“Babe, what happened?” asked Shannon concernedly.

Katy looked up and tried to stop crying, wiping her eyes fruitlessly as the tears kept falling. “Russ, h-he raped me…”

“What the fuck? Katy, are you serious?” Shannon asked, anger towards Russell flaring up inside.

“Yes! We had another big fight, and he left, and when he came home he was really drunk, and he had sex with me on the floor of the hallway, and I was begging him to stop but he wouldn’t!” Katy spoke fast, until she ran out of breath. She covered her face with her hands, and continued softly, “Shan, it… it really hurts. And maybe it’s my fault anyway… Maybe I should just be a good wife and give him what he wants.”

Shannon shook her head furiously, her heart breaking as Katy’s resolve crumbled. “NO! Katy, listen to me. This was not your fault. You understand me? You are a strong, beautiful woman and you have the right to your own choices and decisions. It’s your body that would be going through the changes, not Russell’s. You would be sacrificing so much more than he would, so the ultimate decision is up to you. Understand?”

Katy nodded, sniffling. “I guess. It just sucks, knowing my marriage is falling to pieces around me because of my choice not to have a child yet. A family is supposed to bring people together, not tear them apart…”

“I know, sweetie,” sympathised Shannon. “But if he can’t see what he’s throwing away due to his blindness, then that is his fault. And if things don’t get better, I know how hurt you’re going to be, Kate. But if things don’t work out, I will be there for you, okay? You have so many people who love you and accept you for who you are and what you want. Me, Markus, Tamra, your parents, Angela, David, Johnny… Do you want me to keep going?”

Katy chuckled wearily, shaking her head. “No, I get the picture. Thanks Shan, I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, and don’t you forget it!” laughed Shannon. “Now, do you want to stay here and talk to Russell when he wakes up, or do you want to come home with me and get some sleep?”

Katy thought for a minute. “Can I come with you? I’ll leave him a note telling him to call me when he wakes up. I just… I got really scared before. I don’t want to be around him right now.”

“I completely understand, sweetie. Come on, let’s go. You look exhausted, babe.”

Shannon reached out her hand and grasped Katy’s, leading her through the house and to her car outside. It was only a short drive back to Shannon’s house, and when they arrived, she led Katy upstairs and put her to bed, tucking her in like a small child before climbing in behind her. They both fell asleep within minutes, heat radiating from one to the other and providing Katy with much needed comfort and reassurance.