"Tom this is an opportunity of a life time! I can't believe you would make me choose between my dream and you!"

"Well, if an internship is more important to you than our relationship than maybe we shouldn't be together." He said stubbornly.

"Tom it's not like I'm moving away for good. Think about it! It's a two week internship for the LA Times! Getting contacts with a major news paper could really help my career out after I graduate."

"My career! My career! That's all you ever think about Liz!" Tom yelled getting totally in her face. "If you want to be with me than you better start thinking about me!"

Elizabeth backed up against the wall frightened. She had never seen Tom so angry before. He almost seemed insane.

"Tom," she began trying to sound calm. "I will not turn this opportunity down. I've been working my whole life for this, and I can't just trash my dreams."

"I thought you loved me, Liz." Tom said grasping her painfully by the shoulders. Suddenly his dorm room seemed more like a prison cell than a place that she had once cuddled and watched movies with him.

"Tom." Elizabeth said her eyes blurring with tears of pain. "Let me go."

"No damn you!" Tom raged shaking Elizabeth like a rag doll. "I forbid you to go to LA! Did you hear me? I forbid you!"

"Tom stop!" Elizabeth cried. In an act of desperation she raked her nails down his face. He released her and his hand shot immediately to his bleeding cheek.

"What's wrong with you?" Elizabeth screamed through her tears. "I'm your girlfriend, not your slave that you can control! Don't you ever try and do that to me again or-" She was cut short by a punch in the face. Before she realized what had happened she was on the floor.

"Your high and mighty all of a sudden." Tom yelled down at her. "How do you feel now."

Elizabeth wanted to run, but she felt so dizzy. Tom's face kept going out of focus. One moment there would be two of him then one then two again. What was making him so crazy? He had never given her reason to fear him much less hit her before. As if an answer to her unspoken question something fell out of Tom's pocket. It was a small zip lock bag full of white powder. Cocaine.

"You know Liz it just occurred to me that we've been together for almost a year and we still haven't slept together."

With that Tom stooped and picked up Elizabeth with no effort at all, and threw her carelessly onto his neat bed.

Desperation from deep inside Elizabeth cleared her vision and calmed her pounding head. When Tom came at her she was ready. She punched him spuarely in the jaw and he tumbled back. She jumped to her feet but was just as quickly pushed back onto the bed. Tom threw himself on top of her so that she had to deal with his dead weight. She needed help. Wildly she began to scream at the top of her lungs, part of her thinking it was hopeless since it was a Friday and everyone was out partying. Still she screamed all the while kicking, punching, and clawing Tom. There was a pounding on the door, and when it finally flew open Todd Wilkins came barreling into the room.

Todd had been on his way to a frat party when he heard the scream from the second story window. It was a scream he had heard before. Elizabeth, one of his very best friends was the owner. Before he fully realized what he was doing he was heading into the building sprinting wildly to the dorm room. When he reached it Elizabeth had begun to scream wildly. The door was locked so he began to throw his body against it until finally it flew open. What he saw when he entered the room made his heart grow cold with anger. The girl he had known since kindergarten was lying on the bed with her boyfriend Tom Watts above her, pinning her to the spot. He was obviously trying to take advantage of her. Todd reached out and dragged Tom off of Elizabeth by his designer sweater. Tom turned swinging at Todd, but missed. Todd went a Tom with a perfected mix of strong jabs and powerful left hooks. Soon Tom lay on the floor unconscious and bloody. Todd spun around and found Elizabeth climbing shakily to her feet. Her right cheek was swollen and deeply bruised, and she seemed disoriented.

"Todd." She whispered weakly before she passed out.

"What happened?" Jessica Wakefield shrieked when Todd Wilkins walked into her dorm room carrying her identical twin. Todd carried Elizabeth to her bed and laid her down gently where Jessica had turned down the sheets. "Todd you have about two seconds to start explaining!" Jessica threatened sitting down on the bed next to Elizabeth with a wet wash cloth in her hand.

"Tom attacked her." Todd began.

"But that's impossible! Tom's her boyfriend." Jessica said running the wash cloth over Elizabeth's face. She looked up at Todd confused. "Who hurt my sister?"

"I told you Jess, it was Tom. You've known me half of forever, you know I wouldn't lie! When I walked into the room Tom had Liz pinned down. I pulled him off her, beat the hell out of him, and when I turned around Elizabeth was there. Then she just passed out." Jessica glanced down at Elizabeth. They were exactly identical in appearance. Both girls had golden blond hair, both girls were five foot six, both girls had deep blue-green eyes, and both girls were considered to be the two most beautiful women on the Sweet Valley University campus. The only difference now was that Elizabeth had a large blue-black bruise on her cheek. Though the girls' personalities were like day and night they were each others closest friends, and deeply connected. They had a special bond and devotion to each other, and when one hurt the other did as well.

"That...that...that...uhhh!" Jessica screamed. She couldn't think of an adequate insult for the man who had hurt her sister. She clenched her hands until her manicure nails cut deep grooves into her hands.

"Who does he think he is hitting her? If I ever see that woman beating, two faced, hot headed, jealous, cheating , sorry excuse for a human and waste of perfectly good oxygen I will...I will...I...uhhh!" She screeched again.

Suddenly there was a moan from Elizabeth.

"Liz." Todd said rushing toward the bed.

"Lizzie." Jessica said gently. "Wake up Lizzie."

Slowly Elizabeth opened her eyes. "Jess? Todd?"

"We're here Liz." Todd said, his voice husky.

"What-what happened?" She asked beginning to wake up all the way.

"Remember Tom?" Todd asked as gently as possible. Suddenly her face grew pale, and she closed her eyes tightly.

"It's OK Lizzie." Jessica said lying a hand of comfort on her sister's shoulder. "We're here. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Tom-" Elizabeth began tearfully. "He was not acting like himself. H-he was doing drugs I think. H-he was s-so horrible."

"Ssshhh." Jessica said smoothing her sister's hair. "Your safe now Liz. Please stop crying I'll do anything. Do you want to kill Tom in the morning?" Jessica asked as if she were talking to a baby. "You know I'll help you." Elizabeth smiled despite herself.

"I-I think I just want to sleep for now." Elizabeth said wiping her tears. "Thanks both of you."