Bette drove home with a smile on her face. She pulled into her drive, and saw a figure sitting hunched on the steps as the head lights danced over the front door. She got out of her car carefully, grabbing her bag before she locked the door.

Bette: “Who’s there?”

Shane slightly muffled: “it’s me.”

Bette: “ Shane?!?!” Bette walked up the steps towards her friend. The light shone on Shane’s face as she tilted her head upwards. Shane’s face was black and blue, her lips cut, bleeding, and her left eye was swollen shut… Bette dropped her bag.

Bette: “ Shane what happened?”

Bette sat next to Shane curling her arm around Shanes small frame. Shane winced with pain.

Shane: “ all my fucking about came back and bit me in the arse” slightly muffled by the cut on her lips.

Bette: “Come on lets get you inside! Your shivering”

Bette helped Shane to her feet, Shane was hunched over, her arm circling her stomach.

Bette unlocked the door and switched on the lights, when Shane entered the house, she saw the full extent of Shane’s injuries. She was limping, and her clothes were torn.

Bette: “come sit down, tell me what happened”

Shane perched on the edge of the sofa, wincing as she lowered herself.

Shane took a deep breath and relayed the night’s events to Bette.

She had been at Milk as usual, Dana and Alice had already left. She had left on her own later, and as she emerged on to the street, a man had approached her. He didn’t say a word just punched Shane in the stomach, with such force that Shane had ended up on the floor. Shane told Bette how she had seen the man’s boot coming towards her face before it had kicked her. Again and again the man had struck her.. Pulling her to her feet, just to knock her down again. Shane then went on to explain that someone had shouted for someone to call the police, and at that point the man had pushed his face into Shanes, and said that Shane had ruined his life, that she had slept with his Fiancée. She said that she could feel the man’s rage as he shouted those words into her face. He left her laying on the floor.