The Grey in Between

Julie

When people find out I'm with Braden, they think I'm joking.

Like haha yea I'm dating the most popular guy in school. That's right, me.
The girl who's known as 'her'. I'm a plain Jane. If we were clothes, I'm the brown sweater and Braden is the letter man jacket. The only thing that keeps me from blending into the beige carpet is my fiery red hair, which I keep firmly in a French braid at all times to prevent it from killing me.

Yes, I of all people am dating the quarter back at my school.

We met my freshman year. I was really depressed, for a lot of different reasons, friends, family, ect. At the beginning of the school year, I found the perfect place to hide during school. A huge oak, in a secluded part of the lawn, where on the side facing away from the school I could sit being unseen, facing dense forest. One day, during third period, I ran up to my hiding spot, crying. I was so upset I could hardly breathe. When I rounded the tree I was surprised to see Braden Mathews, a sophomore who was already the most popular boy in school because of his good looks and talent on the football field, sitting in my spot. He jumped up, dropping a small metal razor blade, and a note. His sleeves were rolled up and I could see all of his cuts and scars, like angry dashes across his skin. As he turned to leave, I grabbed him, and pulled up my sleeve, to reveal the same thing. We spent hours that day talking at that tree. And we spent hours more there, and still do. We've helped each other get a lot better, saved each other more than I can remember, and have been together since.