I met Kevin two years ago when I was a sophomore and he was a junior. He made me realize that you should never give up on yourself. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, and he saved my life.

I was the girl everyone hated at school, but even though I was picked on there, my home life was even worse. My stepfather abused me and my mom did nothing to stop him. If I forgot to make my bed, he would take away my bedding, even in winter. I can remember being locked out of my house one night for making him mad. Once I even had to spend a night in the barn. Can you imagine having only your clothes and a coat to keep you warm when it’s 30* outside?

I used to think that I deserved everything that happened to me, that I didn’t deserve to be loved. Nobody at school would listen to me, not even the school counselor. I gave up. I just let everything happen.

Usually if I argued about a punishment, its severity would triple. After my stepfather started to realize his punishments didn’t faze me, he began making sexual comments and even threatened to hurt me so much that I’d wish I were dead. He drove me to cut myself.

Punishments kept coming and I figured the only way to escape was to find ways to stay out of the house. I joined the track team and the number of people who hated me decreased once they actually got to know me. This is how I met Kevin.

About a month after we met on the team, Kevin and I began to date. I was astonished that he would want to be with me but then I realized I had a friend, someone who comforted me when I needed it most. I was happy. My stepfather didn’t like Kevin. One time Kevin and I were talking on the phone and my stepfather heard me tell Kevin what he had done to me. My stepfather told me to get off the phone and told Kevin that he’d call the police if he ever talked to me again. He even threatened to kill Kevin.

Then Kevin’s mom got on the phone and told him that he’d better not threaten her son or she’d call the police. Sandy told me to meet her in town so she could take me to the police station.

I had to walk three miles, but it was worth it. It was nice to know they cared so much. They took me to my grandparents’ and we called the police.

When I told the police everything my stepfather had done, they would not let me go home. They said they’d do their best to get me out of my mom’s custody but the case didn’t go through. My stepfather was found not guilty but the state still refused to allow me to live with my mom.

If it weren’t for Kevin, I’d still be in that house living that nightmare. If Kevin had been like the others at my school, I would have committed suicide. He knew that I was trying to find ways to kill myself and stopped me. He knew I could be happy.

My grandparents didn’t like Kevin and got mad when I was on the phone with him for more than 10 minutes. Eventually they stopped letting me see him and I haven’t seen him for almost a year. I miss him. If it hadn’t been for him, I don’t think I’d be the person I am today.

Kevin, if you read this, thank you for changing my life. You are my biggest hero - you saved me from my stepdad and helped me get on my feet and on with my life.