A great friend, a really cute good friend. He sat next to me in history class; we traded glances and worked together in class occasionally. I knew him best because he was on the track team with me. We both did high jump, long jump, and 100m dash. He also did shot-put and 4 by 4. We argued about who was more of a gangster than the other, pants-ed each other during practice, in short I was just one of the guys. Until one evening before I left practice, Anthony stopped me and asked me if I liked any one. Of course I did. It was him!! He smiled when I said yes, and (my oh my) was it an amazing smile. I had given him my number because he needed ride to Saturday practices, and he took this opportunity to ask me out. I was curious as to what had to what had changed from me being one of the boys to me being girlfriend material. He told me that to him I had never been one of the boys, and that I was the first person he made really good friends with since he had moved to town.

We talked one the phone for at least two hours every two or three days. Once we were hanging out and we went for a walk, I remember it like it was yesterday, it was a summer night (the kind when the sun touches everything with it’s golden finger before it sets) and he looked so handsome I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

For the first couple months, everything seemed perfect and I thought I loved him and he loved me, after that though he changed he didn’t laugh at my lame jokes anymore. He didn’t smile when I got to school and kissed him good morning. He didn’t text me in the morning anymore. Probably most notably changed was his disposition; he was mean and didn’t want me around as much. By September of my freshmen year, he screamed at me at least every other day. He called me the worst things you can think. But I thought I loved him. My best friend mica knew that this was happening. I didn’t believe that he wanted me to give up on us; I didn’t believe that he was trying to break my spirit. So I stayed with him, every week when I spent the night with mica, mica told me that she had seen me crying in my sleep. I told her I was fine, there was nothing wrong with us. Every couple goes through rough times and you just have to hang on.

In December, he gave the finishing blow to both my happiness and our relationship. I was so warn down that day too. It was the first day of finals, I had a horrible cold, and I was tired from months of abuse. He looked at me with a sinister look on his face and no sympathy in his eyes; he said I can’t do this anymore. Then he walked away. I thought my life was over. I spent a lot of time by myself. I didn’t want to be touched or talked to. I shut down because I didn’t know how to function without him. Six months later, he mentioned some thing about us getting back together. My heart almost jumped out of my chest, I wanted him to be mine again to show him that I was better than the things he called me. But it didn’t last more than a few hours. Then I was right back where I had been six months before. Luckily, I had a couple good friends, Mica and Jessica, to pull me through it. After a year with him, I was stronger than ever.