I wasn't a naive person, I knew that every couple had arguments or disagreements- hell, Harry and I were living proof of that.
But in a respectful, loving and equal relationship, both partners should be able to feel free enough to state their opinions, to make their own decisions, to be themselves, and to say no to sex.
And that's how I felt with Harry, whenever I said no, he took it literally as a "no".
Whenever I stated an opinion on something like the bloody weather or what somebody was wearing at the latest celebrity premiere, Harry would disagree and we'd argue over something silly.
We made decisions together, and sometimes on our own, and we always encouraged one another to be ourselves- and sex, well, I had no issues with our sex life what so ever.
So why, was this not the case with Molly?
Why did she deem her relationship as love?
What that monster was doing to her wasn't love, it was abusive and controlling; and as I sat next to Harry around all our loved ones and friends, my mind was swimming with facts and thoughts about Molly and Dan... and how I could stop this hell train she was currently riding on.
I had left the bathroom under the pretence that I was absolutely going to glass the son of a bitch with a pint glass, but at the last second, I stalled.
I backed out.
Call it intuition, but my psychology head was screwing with my friendship head, and a voice was telling me that I had to stop and think about this, before I went and glassed anyone.
I had to think about Molly, as she and her baby was now a priority.
As everyone drank and became merry, chatting and telling stories about Gran (or me as a child, if they were friends of the family) I sat and literally crawled my way through months of hard work through my brain, remembering every significant detail about abuse and how I could help Molly to safety.
In an abusive relationship, there's one partner who dominates the other through physical harm, criticisms, demands, threats, or sexual pressure; and for the victim in question, this behaviour can be very dangerous, frightening, confusing and damaging; and as I had already explained to her, psychological and emotional abuse can be just as harmful as physical abuse.
I knew, as a normal human being, and being in a healthy, stable relationship, that abuse not welcomed by neither parties is never acceptable, regardless of the circumstances, and is never the fault of the victim- contrary to what Molly believed.
Abuse is not caused by alcohol, or stress, or by the victim's behaviour- it happens because the abuser wants to control and manipulate the other person- and whether she liked it to believe it or not, what was being done to Molly was a crime- and it had to be reported to the police.
"You okay, baby? You seem very quiet."
At the sound of Harry's voice, I broke away from my thoughts and gave him a reassuring smile, knowing that he was onto me.
"I'm fine," I answered gently, "Heard anything from Niall and Sam yet?"
Harry shook his head, "I don't think they're coming, babe. Sorry."
"It's fine." I huffed, "Can you get me another drink please? A double vodka and coke-"
"Another?" Harry asked, "You're supposed to drink it not throw it down your neck, you sump!" He laughed, grasping at the two glasses at our table; "Costin' me a bloody fortune you are."
I smiled, "Just think, the more drunk you get me, the luckier you'll get tonight."
"I'll buy you the entire bar, if that's what you're promising." He grinned at me, inching his way past the tables and towards the bar; "Be back in a bit, Izzy."
I nodded, my eyes glued on him and the way his suit accentuated his body, giving him a firm, tight hold- especially on his bum.
If it wasn't for the fact that it was Gran's funeral, I probably would have mounted him by now and took him home... I bloody loved him in a suit, and he knew it made me weak at the knees.
As I focused on Harry and his somewhat mouth-watering, delicious bum, I stilled.
Catching them in the corner talking in hush hushed tones, the signs that Molly was being abused was now clear as day- and I felt sickened that I hadn't been a better friend and picked up on the signs quicker.
The more I stared at the two of them, the more I picked up on, and even though she was anxious at what I was going to do, right now while watching her she seemed more anxious than ever- and seemed to be afraid every time Dan would move or reach for her.
Molly had always been the pleasing type, she liked earning the gratitude of someone after she had done something good and now that it was being used against her in a manipulative form, I felt physically sick.
She seemed eager to please Dan so she wouldn't get hurt, which in her defence, was a natural reaction and sometimes a coping mechanism.
For months I wondered why she hadn't called or text (admittedly, I hadn't called or text either) had stopped seeing her friends, had cut phone conversations short... and now I knew why.
Why hadn't I picked up on this before?
How could I, a psychology student, not see that she was being criticised, humiliated, pressured and forced into things that she didn't want to do- not to mention the beatings.
How could I have not seen this?
I remembered the way he held me against the wall that night at the flat, and how for the first time in my life I had been scared of what he was going to do to me... and if he would have fucked me like he said he was going too.
What if Harry hadn't have been there?
Had he forced Molly to do sexual things, or God forbid, sexually assaulted her... or worse?
I could feel the acid literally bubbling my stomach and windpipe at the mere thought of it and what he was now obviously capable of.
I wondered how long it had gone on, if it was the usual abuse that started like it usually does- ordering her about, making all the decisions, controlling the money, telling her who she could and couldn't see, and what she could and couldn't do... did he have jealousy issues (obviously, where I was concerned with Harry) but why take it out on Molly?
What had she ever done to deserve something like this to happen to her?
I bowed my head, rubbing at my face as I tried to erase the memory of her face from my head.
She had become so anxious and depressed, had lost all of her confidence, or was unusually quiet- the complete opposite to the real Molly that I knew.
She had physical injuries from what I could see, bruises that obviously hurt her very badly and she seemed afraid of Dan's promises if she didn't comply to his instructions- was he constantly calling her, harassing her, following her every single move?!
I sighed hard, knowing from my course that it was hard for anyone to understand why someone would stay in a relationship if they were being treated so badly- and to others (especially me at one point) leaving may appear to be a simple solution, but it isn't.
It's hard enough to imagine what it is like to be abused when you are not in the situation yourself, and from the outside, it may seem easier to leave than it actually is- which is why I chose to back off and think this through.
It's very difficult to leave an abusive partner and it's absolutely vital for friends and family to understand that, because not only has she been physically affected by the abuse, Molly had been emotionally affected by it too.
Already she was afraid of what Dan would do to her if he found out I knew about anything, and judging by the fact he had laid his hands on her already- she wasn't in a position to take a threat like that lightly- and neither was I.
There were things to clearly think about and to consider before anything happened.
In general, the victim always panics over what the abuser will do once he or she has left the relationship.
The person who is abusive may have threatened to harm the victim, his or her's relatives, or the children if they have any, pets or property... they may even threaten to commit suicide if the victim talks about leaving and some victims find that the abuse continues or gets worse after they leave.
"There you go, babe." Harry said, knocking me out of my thoughts as he gave me another vodka and coke; "You seem miles away baby, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Harry." I replied, giving him a sweet smile to try and reassure him; "Thanks, babe." I added, grasping at me glass to take another sip.
"Steady on, doll." He laughed, as he got comfortable beside me, undoing his suit jacket button to loosen himself up.
I watched in contentment as he ran his hand through his hair to give it some extra volume, his fingers playing with the ends before his eyes settled on me.
"May get a hair cut soon."
"What?!" I exclaimed, almost choking on my drink; "Y-y-you want to cut your hair?! Why?!"
"Do you not want me too?"
"Of course I bloody don't!" I replied, as Harry smiled at me; "What am I supposed to hold on to when you're-" I spluttered, before I paused and stopped myself from saying what was really on my mind.
Fusing my lips firmly closed, I tried to suppress my grin as Harry grinned back at me.
"You could finish that sentence, if you like."
"I would," I whispered, "But we wouldn't want you to get too excited now, would we?"
"This might be a bit inappropriate, but I can't wait to get you out of that dress... your legs are killer in those heels."
"I can leave them on if you like?" I flirted, whispering beside his ear as his hand stroked the bare skin on my knee.
"Izzy, you're killing me." He groaned, as I grinned to myself and kissed his cheek softly; "Just the heels....?"
"If you want." I smirked, our fingers linking on my lap; "Or, maybe we could wait until we're home and you can dig that video camera out of yours..."
"This is a wake, we are abnormal." Harry muttered, making me giggle beside him; "And we have some other stuff to try out too..."
My stomach clenched, Harry's words leaving me unaffected as I caught a glimpse of Dan grasping hold of Molly's wrist tightly at the bar.
"We said we'd try a lot of things, didn't we...?" Harry murmured, "I've already started to plan the night at my dad's wedding with the suit..."
I zoned out, my eyes firmly on Dan and Molly, Harry's words lingering and making background noise beside my ear but not making an ounce of difference to my attention span.
I watched him carefully, studying the way Dan was holding her, the way she was flinching and stretching out her hand as if to stop him from hurting her.
I saw the way he turned and switched to say something in her ear, and the fear that came across her face just seconds later... and how he was controlling her every move in a pub full of people, my family and friends, at my grandmother's wake.
"Izzy, are you even listening to me babe?" Harry asked.
"Huh?"
"I said... about the wedding night, at dad's wedding, what I had planned to do-"
"Oh... sorry, I was miles away." I whispered, flashing my eyes back to their spot at the bar.
"I can tell." Harry replied, as he followed my lead; "So when are you going to tell me the reason why you're watching Molly and that dickhead of a boyfriend of hers for all this time, for?"
I snapped my head around, gazing at Harry.
"What?"
"You're not being very subtle, Iz." He remarked, the crease in his forehead crinkling as he frowned a little harder at me.
"I'm not?"
"No, you're not." Harry replied, giving me a sceptical look; "So why are you staring at them? Any particular reason why?"
I licked my lips, a sigh leaving me as I tried to figure out quickly if telling Harry was the right thing to do.
"I-"
"You're not jealous, are you?"
"Jealous?!" I retorted.
Fuck, if only he knew.
"I'm not jealous Harry, fuck- I-"
Interrupted at the sound of his mobile ringing, I huffed at the audacity of his question.
"Hold that thought," he said, leaning over and pulling out his phone from his pocket.
Harry stared at it for a second, as did I, seeing Niall's name flashing continually across the screen while Harry mentally debated with himself whether or not to answer it.
"Aren't you going to answer that?"
"Yeah..." Harry replied slowly, "I have to take this. Stay here, don't move a muscle-"
"Yes sir." I muttered, saluting him as he then kissed my cheek and gave a rough "hello" as he answered his phone, leaving the lounge of the pub.
Grasping my glass, I took another mouthful of my drink when I casually decided to flick my eyes up to Dan and Molly's direction.
Well if Harry had busted on me, it was only a matter of time if and when they would bust on me too, I figured.
To my complete horror, Dan and Molly were gone from my sight and as I darted my eyes across the lounge bar to try and find them, my heart rate increased and the actual beat of it began hurting inside my chest as panic filled through me.
Where the fuck were they?
Leaving Harry's drink unattended and grasping at mine, I temporarily forgot about Harry as I stood to my feet and gradually walked around, my eyes clocking and checking every corner of the lounge until I found them- but I couldn't.
Feeling the bile rise in my stomach, I fought my way through the masses of people inside the bar who then decided to stop me and congratulate me on a lovely, successful funeral and wake.
Of course, I kept smiling and was polite when I needed to be, but my mind was set on one thing- I had to find Molly.
All I could think about was the way I had looked into her eyes in the bathroom, seeing the hope she had that one day Dan would change and see her for her... but I knew that was never going to happen.
Not by a long shot, not while he was still so obsessed with Harry and... well, me.
I also knew deep down, from studying at my course, that Dan had probably promised her to change, or that if she "behaved" herself, the abuse would stop because she believed it was her fault to begin with- but I knew otherwise.
I absolutely knew otherwise.
I knew Dan or the abuse would never change until she left him, so I just had to make her see that for herself, without getting her and the baby hurt.
When I first met Molly, she was so full of confidence and was never short of attention from the opposite of sex while I was with Dan and she was single; and now that she was with him, he had surely diminished her confidence- it was gone, completely.
Gone was that beautiful, intelligent and funny girl that I had grown up with partially and worked alongside with, her confidence deliberately broken down.
Dan making her feel like she was stupid, hopeless and responsible for everything was a classic manifested ability of abusers and how they cleverly manipulated their victims into thinking it was all their fault, when in reality in wasn't.
This was my fault, all because I had cheated on him with Harry... and now Molly was paying for my mistake and wrong doing; and that wasn't fair.
I knew that it was very important as a psychologist that you don't make the victim feel that there is something wrong with her or him if they chose to stick around in an abusive relationship, because that would only reinforce their low confidence and feelings of guilt and self-blame.
From my studies, I knew that leaving an abusive partner can sometimes be quite dangerous, and I knew that even if Molly left Dan, the abuse could continue or increase after she had left.
So I had to figure out a plan and help her to weigh up her feelings, to decide what she wanted to do, while my job was to consider her safety whether she decided to stay or to leave.
After all, she didn't have just herself to think about now- and I couldn't act as her friend right now, I had to act like a professional psychologist.
This was a test for me, just as much as it was a test for Molly.
"You think I'm going to let you stand there and make me look like an absolute mug? In front of them?!"
I froze, recognising the voice immediately.
I stood behind the door of the bar lounge, leading up to the toilets, clasping my glass against my chest as I tried to stay hidden so I could listen.
"I didn't do anything!" came Molly's voice, protesting her innocent quietly.
"You were flirting with him!" Dan sniped at her venomously; "I caught you fucking smiling at him!"
"I didn't, I didn't-"
"Don't. Lie. To. Me." He hissed at her.
I swear my heart broke as I heard Molly trying to conceal the sob that was burning in her throat.
"If you think for one fucking second that you'll do to me what she did, I'll break your fucking neck, do you hear me?"
Molly didn't answer, and for a second I felt my heart drop into my stomach.
"I said, do you fucking hear me?" He said clearly, his threat stinging in my ears as she whispered a weak 'yes' in response; "If I ever catch you looking at another man again, I'll rip your eyes out and feed them to you until you choke on them. Got it?"
I covered my mouth, feeling the rage build up inside of me as Molly began to cry, resembling a little girl who was scared out of her wits.
What sort of man could do that to a woman?
Actually, what sort of person would do that to another person?!
It hit me like a sack of spuds that Dan had a problem with other men because of what I had done with Harry behind his back- I had turned him into a crazed, jealous, psychotic lunatic.
"Why can't you just be like her before she became tainted, hm?" He shot back, interrupting my train of thoughts; "Before she met that pig-headed asshole, why can't you just be angelic and perfect like she was? Why do you always have to push me and make me angry-"
"I'm sorry." Molly whispered, "I didn't mean too."
Fuck, I was clenching my fists now.
"You only had one job to do, Molly. Get us into the wake, and lead Bells to me- but, oh, wait- I forgot - you can't get a single thing right because you're a fucking stupid slut."
It took me all my strength not to barge over there and rip his throat out with my bare hands.
"For fuck's sake, quit your whining and crying would you, woman?" He sneered at her, "You have no reason to cry or complain about anything! Your life couldn't be more perfect because I made it that way!"
Perfect?
He thought beating her to a pulp and emotionally abusing her was fucking perfect?!
"I hate it when you act so pitiful, Christ. Do me a favour and just stop with the fucking waterworks, yeah? Behave like a normal human being." He muttered, "I can't stand to look at you sometimes, especially when you're getting wet over other men you whore. You make me sick..."
"I wasn't." she bravely choked, yet the sound in the corridor became eclipsed.
I couldn't see why or how, but I had an imagination and it was frightening me that this was happening just around the corner where so many people were currently having the time of their lives getting drunk.
"Look at you, you're pathetic." Dan sneered at her, "He probably wouldn't want to fuck your slutty cunt anyway... you're disgusting."
I felt repulsed, my skin was crawling at the way he was speaking to her so openly in public.
I was no prude, I loved my dirty talk as much as the next person, but when it was in a form of emotional abuse and wasn't being reciprocated- it was disgusting, vile and vulgar.
"I must be the first asshole to be with you, let alone sleep with you. You don't know how to please a man... you're too fat and miserable." He tutted at her, "You always fucking look like God stomped on your face, your tits are droopy, your stomach... well, it should be illegal to allow it to be that big."
I heard her choke on her tears, and the scene unfolding in front of me was breaking and tearing me apart.
I couldn't stand here and let him talk to her and treat her like this anymore.
"Now, where my Bells is concerned, she proper looked after herself. She was beautiful all over... firm, supple, gorgeous to look at and beautiful to fuck with." He murmured, "God, her body was to die for... the way her tits would bounce while she'd ride me, or the way I'd palm her ass as I'd fuck her like a dog... In fact, I still think of her tight pussy when I fuck you actually, imagining it's her... imagining I'm coming inside her hard."
Sick, sick, sick perverted fuck.
If Harry doesn't kill him, I certainly will.
"You were something once upon a time, but jeez- time hasn't been good to you, Molly... where as Bells looks better and better with every passing day."
I couldn't do it anymore, I couldn't stand there and let him degrade her (let alone me) any longer than I should... and so I made a quick snapping decision within two seconds, choosing to put friendship and basic human rights before my psychology head any day.
"Sometimes, I can still feel the taste of her come on my tongue.... so good. Much better than yours-"
That fucking does it.
"You have ten seconds to remove yourself from my friend and this building before I smack you so fucking hard, you'll be feeling it for the next six months."
"There she is, finally decided to meet me by the toilets then did you?!" Dan smirked, "Took you long enough, sweetheart."
"Get the fuck away from her." I spat at him, but even though my eyes were firmly on him, I could see the fear in Molly's face.
"Or what? What are you going to do? Get your boyfriend and his merry band of two bandmates to personally escort me out of the building?"
"Either that, or they could beat you to a pulp, see how you fucking like it, a taste of your own medicine huh?"
Dan smiled, "You're upset, I understand that, it's been a very long upsetting day for you Bells-"
"Don't call me that."
"Why? It's your name, isn't it?"
"Not anymore," I whispered, "You're sick in the head, do you know that?"
"Some would say so, but then some would say that it's your fault that I'm like this now because of what you did."
"Maybe so," I replied, "But to force an innocent woman into wearing my old clothes, my make up, to basically turn her into me before I... oh, what was it again? Oh yeah, fucked another man behind your back, is absolutely sick and twisted-"
I was using the one ammunition against him that I had that I knew would piss him off more than anything- Harry.
I was playing a dangerous game, I knew that, but if I could get Molly and the baby out of the situation, then I was more than happy to put myself here.
I had to do what was right.
"Why don't you just let her go, hm? It's me you obviously wanted, so why don't you just let her go and take me instead?"
"And why would I do that?" Dan asked slowly, "What could I possibly get from giving her up?"
"You'll have me, instead." I swallowed, hearing Molly gasp behind him; "That's what you wanted isn't it? This whole shit show about coming here to make amends was all a ploy to get to me- well now Harry's out of the way, she's done her job, she got you in here and now you have me. So let her go and take me."
"Isabelle, no-" Molly gasped, "Don't-"
"I didn't give you fucking permission to talk did I?!" Dan snapped at her, "Stay fucking quiet if you know what's good for you!"
I flinched, yet managed to keep up my façade.
"What's the point in keeping her, Dan?" I pressed carefully, "You've waited long enough to get me, and now I'm here. You have me."
"But I don't, do I? Not while that poncey prick is behind you-"
I tried to keep a straight face and not show I was bothered about what he had called Harry.
I had to think fast, and I knew I had to equally move fast too if I wanted to keep his attention on me and for him to let Molly go.
"We're over." I whispered, the words slicing me through the heart; "I made a mistake... I thought I had done the right thing for me at the time, but the truth is, I was young, stupid and impressionable... he charmed his way in and I left a horrible mess behind me." I spoke, my voice shaking for real; "I caught him in bed with another girl. Now I know how I made you feel.. and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, Dan... I still, I still love you." I tearfully added, yet while he thought I was crying at my confession, the truth was I was crying because I knew what I was saying and doing was going to hurt Harry- but I had no choice on the matter.
I had to protect Molly and her baby from his sadistic ways, and if that meant putting myself in danger instead of her- then my life was something I was willing to risk.
Dan stared at me, walking over slightly before he gazed right at me with soft eyes.
"I always knew you'd come back to me," he whispered, his shaky hand now coming towards my face; "I always knew you still had that little bit of love left for me, Bells." He smiled lovingly, his hand that had been raised to Molly now stroking my own skin.
The hand that I used to hold so proudly, and dream of forever being attached too once we were married and have children... the hand that would hold me, comfort me, love me; the man I once envisioned spending the rest of my life with was nothing short of a monster- and I had to bring him down.
I couldn't bare him touching me, let alone sharing the oxygen I was breathing into my lungs; but my persuasive ways had worked and now that he was completely staring at me and Molly was in the clear, I placed my hands on his shoulder and readied myself.
Pursing my lips, Dan smiled at me and tugged at my waist, bringing me closer towards him, our pending reunion eventually going to become solicited with a kiss.
The thing is, the majority of people on the planet grossly overestimate their ability to do any real damage to the male genitalia- with the testicles being the REAL target of a genital attack.
And according to Harry, you need to know a few key points first to cause the desired effect.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, Harry had actually taken the time to teach me the basics on how to stand up for myself if I would ever need it- which later cemented him teaching me basic boxing and kick boxing skills to implement if and when I needed too.
"Think of the testicles like a speed bag, Izzy." I heard his voice inside my head repeat, "If you ever hit from the front or the sides, they'll move and will only absorb the strike. Grazing them will cause pain when you're in a relaxed or normal state, but under fight or flight stress it will go unnoticed. In order to have a stopping effect on your attacker, you must cause SHOCK to his nervous system, Izzy. The only way to cause some serious, blood curdling trauma to the testicles is to smash them directly up into the pelvis bone or squeeze and pull them away from the body. I just flinched."
To accomplish this, I knew I needed a direct path to the testicles from underneath.
The force from this direction will smash them into the pelvic bone giving me the desired stopping power to drop Dan like a sack of shit.
"I've missed you so much, Bells." He cooed, his fingers stroking my cheeks softly as he blew my hair out of my face.
"Remember Iz, you need to have enough room to get your knee, shin, tip of boot, edge of hand, hammer fist, forearm, web of hand whatever into the crotch... you need enough space for entry. This means your target must have his feet close to parallel and wide enough apart so your attack can fit." I heard Harry's voice inside my head; "In addition, if you make any sort of attack toward the male genitalia in a non-friendly manner, there's not a guy on the planet who will not react, flinch, close his legs or fall to the floor. Men have been conditioned to protect the family jewels at all costs- our species depends on it."
I licked my lips, remembering Harry's words of wisdom, as if I was hearing his voice beside my ear, guiding me on making my mark count as Dan reached closer towards me.
"Kicking, punching or striking a man in the balls is the height of brutality, babe... Hit him correctly, and his legs will turn to jelly, his mind turns to mush, he'll keel over as his whole body pretty much shuts down and leaves him in a pathetic, quivering heap on the floor. I know someone who threw up his guts once after being kicked in the balls. When you aim Iz, make sure you hit nothing but what you're aiming for- the testicles and of course everywhere else is good too, but make sure you get the balls baby."
Hearing Harry's voice inside my head, it was as if everything was moving in slow motion as Dan moved closer towards me to gain his first kiss with me- while I moved backwards, swinging my leg back as far as it would go.
"When something or someone strikes a guy in the testes, a signal shoots to your brain at approximately 265 miles per hour informing it that something very unpleasant and painful has just occurred, and that the pain is on its way. The brain responds with its own signal down the spine into the groin and abdomen, allowing the balls to quickly brew a batch of neurotransmitters called Substance P, associated with the pain and inflammation process. The balls direct Substance P back up through the spine into the part of your brain called the somatosensory cortex, responsible for handling physical sensation. Your mind and body are both in sync and aware that you're in pain, and there's not much you can do about it except ride it out."
"So when you piss me off, I can kick you in the balls too?"
"Lesson number one, you should never piss off a woman enough to make her want to kick you in the nards to begin with."
I smirked, picturing the way Harry had grinned at me when he said these mere words.
"For the even less fortunate, the pain doesn't end there. In an attempt to ease the physical pain around your groin, your brain will release endorphins throughout your body, which will result in decreased oxygen levels within the brain, very often resulting in a killer headache and sometimes nausea, as if you didn't already have enough pain to deal with... So hit him hard Iz, whoever it is, not me, hit the bastard hard and bring him to his knees. Got it, baby?"
Encouraged by Harry's words and his teachings, I slowly gripped onto Dan's shoulders and smiled lovingly, wanting him to hold onto that little bit of pleasure he was receiving with regards to kissing me.
Then, just as he reached towards me, I brought my knee slam bang forward and shot it in-between his legs, crunching the curve of my knee into what apparently made him a "man"- hearing him scream and cry out.
I watched, mostly in pleasure, as Dan keeled over, holding his stomach before he fell into the foetal position on the floor- arched over as if he was literally dying.
Gazing up to Molly, I smiled at her triumphantly.
It worked.
"Go find Harry, quickly." I instructed her, yet she was too frozen to move, completely thrown by what I had done; "Go, Molly!"
She nodded, before scarpering.
I stood, rather powerfully, gazing down at the piece of shit that I had brought down with a single kick- and I felt nothing but happiness, like I had done something for women, especially all the world over, who has suffered like Molly had.
"You're fucking lucky I don't crush them with my heel, you son of a bitch." I announced casually, feeling and looking rather pleased with myself; "You ever lay a hand on Molly again, or any woman for that matter and I swear to God, next time you won't be as lucky."
He said nothing, all he did was cry out in agony as he continued to curl over into a ball on the floor.
I noticed as time went on that minutes probably felt like hours to him, and that he was now beginning to sweat.
I also knew that the sudden trauma suffered by my knee to his balls, would have cause them to turn red, swell up and become very sore indeed- all the more of what he deserved.
"Who's the big man now, hm? Do you feel powerful now Dan? Instead of picking on a defenceless woman, why don't you pick on somebody your own size huh?" I questioned, "You think you're so fucking big by hitting her and the vile words that spew out of your mouth? You're disgusting, and you're the scum of the Earth... and look at you now, quivering like a pussy. And who brought you down? A woman." I smiled, "And that will bruise your ego far more than a punch ever could."
"Isabelle-" he croaked, reaching out to grab me.
"Don't touch me, or I'll break every bone in your sick, perverted hand... and don't think I won't, because I will. Without a second's hesitation."
His face crumpled, just as I could hear Harry yelling my name behind me, somewhere behind in the bar.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked, "I thought you loved me-"
I looked at him as if he had two heads.
"Loved you? You are joking right? Y'know, it was literally only a short few hours ago that I told Harry that I'd always hold a place for you in my heart because you were my first love... no matter what you did to me... but now, now you've completely killed it."
"No." He shook his head, "You still do, I know you... You're not a liar, Bells."
"You turned my friend into a shadow of her former self, you're sick in the head, Dan." I sneered clearly, "You're a danger to women!" I shouted, "You, are sick."
"I'll have you done for assault- there's CCTV-" he remarked, to which I smirked and actually laughed; "I'll sell my story to the press again-"
"Go ahead," I shrugged, "Do your absolute worst, because in return, Harry and I will just make a statement of the time you broke into my flat and tried to rape me, not to mention the time you slashed his tyres and destroyed his car... and I'm pretty sure Molly will have a few stories to tell them too I guess." I said slowly, seeing the fear flickering in his eyes; "It's not looking good for you, Dan. So here's the deal, I'm giving you the option myself- leave and never come back, or I'll call the police and you can go to prison and pay for what you did. Your call-"
"IZZY!" Harry yelled for me, rushing through the back door with Michal, Alex, Louis, Liam and... Niall?
Niall was bloody here?
Since when?!
"What happened? Did he touch you?" Harry breathed, his hands cupping at my face and neck, his eyes darting all over me; "I'll fucking kill him-"
I tugged at his arm, indicating that I was fine after he came at me with such a force he almost knocked me over.
"He didn't." I said firmly, the adrenaline rushing through my body from the aftershock at what I had just done; "He didn't touch me, I swear- I can't say the same for him, though." I muttered, gesturing towards the floor.
My eyes became fixated on Michal, Alex, Louis, Liam and Niall.
Even fucking Charlie just burst through the door.
Harry looked over my shoulder, his hands gripping my arms firmly as his frown slowly turned into a soft gaze as he realised Dan was on the floor in a heap behind me.
Then his tried to hide his smirk, his eyes twinkling my way.
"Did you...?" Harry asked me, as if he was too scared of my answer.
I nodded proudly.
"Just like you taught me. Nailed him, got the fucker on his knees faster than he could say he was sorry."
Harry stared at me in disbelief, before a knowing grin appeared on his face.
"That's my fuckin' girl."
"Fuuuuuuckin' hell, you annihilated him, Iz!" Louis commented, "What a fuckin' state on you, pal."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Harry asked me, and I nodded, liking the way his arms were comforting me as I shook slightly; "What the bloody hell happened? Molly's in a hell of a state-"
"I'll explain later." I promised, "I just have one more thing to do first-" I said, as he gripped me hard to stop me from moving.
"Izzy-" he warned, "You've done enough damage-"
"I haven't." I said clearly, "This one is for me, and for you, and for... well, me again."
"You touch me, and I swear to God I'll sue your ass in court-" Dan trembled, his words spluttering out; "I'll take every penny that prick owns and-"
I went to move yet I was thwarted by a fist coming over my shoulder and smacking Dan right between the eyes, breaking his nose and causing blood to spurt everywhere.
"Harry!" I yelled at him, "I can't believe you would do-"
I froze, seeing Harry in tact and that he hadn't so much as moved an inch... and neither had Michal, Alex, Charlie, Louis, Niall or Liam.
"Threaten my sister and her boyfriend again, and I'll make sure that you will never walk again."
I stood, completely flummoxed and stunned as the familiar American voice came from the side of me.
Ryan smiled directly at me, his presence literally leaving me breathless.
"What's a family funeral without some sort of punch up, eh?"