*This is a story written by Amanda and Mckenna, July 2010. Based on personal experiences and personal mind and heartaches.
Ed appears to us girls as the glamourous bad boy, the one you know you shouldn't trust, but can't help but fall for. He's got that dangerous, mysterious vibe that coincides with an irresistably sweet side that provides you with security. He tells you you're so special, and God knows you want to believe it, but you're really just a dime a dozen. He tells you to try harder and makes you feel like you're never good enough. He's possesive and clingy, although you mean absolutely nothing to him.
Ed sends nasty spam emails and chain letters, forwards vulgar texts, and whispers sweet nothings that lack in the genuinity department and leave you feeling empty. He's abusive physically, emotionally, mentally, and you swear you're done with him for good, but his charm leads you back into his deceptive grasp....always. Your family and friends can see he's no good and tell you you're better off without him, but you're deaf to their concerns and blind to what's in front of you: Ed's faults. He makes you feel insignificant when other girls are around so that you envy everything they have and can't help but compare to their every "perfection". He follows you around like a sick puppy and you know that you despise him, but he's always hot on your trail. He seduces you to the point where you're constantly analyzing yourself of your flaws and leaves you questioning your worth. The longer he's around, the worse you feel. You try and you try again to tell him off, but he swears he'll be around forever and tells you you're nothing without him. It's hard not to believe, even though your gut feeling is screaming it's oppositions.
Eventually, his sweet side is so seldom seen that it becomes practically non-existent. You get so caught up in his abuse that you find youself not even trying to fight it anymore. He becomes your everything and your only sense of self. You smile when everything's wrong because of what little resistance you have, and can't reach out to anyone anymore; just you and Ed, and Ed and you. You feel so alone that you can't even bother to focus on the present; all you can think about is the control Ed has over you. Eventually, you become numb emotionally and begin to accept his abuse as a normality; this is your life with Ed. The days start to blend together and life is hardly worth living. Or so it seems.
It takes but one morning for you to wake up and realize that your life isn't hopeless. You and Ed become slowly disconnected as you realize that you want to be the one girl he doesn't break. His grip on you is tight, but it gradually becomes apparent that you are better than what he has to offer. You break your ties with Ed, and because of it, he becomes your newest stalker. He's everwhere you go, he's always watching you. Your ignorance fuels him to new heights of insanity with constant texts, and-as much as you hate to admit it- you give in to the temptation to read them. As time goes on, his obsession stays strong, but you learn how to overpower him. The stronger you beome, the less hold he has on you, though secretly, you crave him. There's still a strong suit inside of you begging to let him back in, to give in to his faulty apologies and bribes. But the longer you ignore him, the less potent his pleas are, until one day where you never hear from him again.
You're free, Ed's out of your life....that conniving bastard.
