Eyes Wide Open

Prologue

Exhaling shakily, Morayo cut the video playing on her phone off. That was her third time viewing the disturbing images halfway through, and even when she shut her eyes to prevent tears from leaking out, she could still see them behind her dark lids. The video quality may not have been the greatest, but she could still see the bodies intertwined and gyrating sensuously, she could even hear the panting and blissful moans slipping from the lips of the traitors. 

What happened to be the finishing blow was outline of the tattoo of a blooming blue flower on the bottom left of the woman's back. That visual placed a clamp around Morayo's heart because she had the exact same design in red on her shoulder blade. A wave of disgust rolled through her rigid form as she painfully swallowed back a sob.

This can't be real. Even though she was seeing it clearly with her own eyes, Morayo wanted to deny it. There were no signs there for her, no warning to give her any clue that this could be true.  For the first year of them being together, - back in her junior year and his senior - Morayo felt like she was above the stars. There was hardly ever a moment that you would see Reggie without Morayo and vice versa. Students and faculty alike acknowledged their relationship and the great affection they had for each other. She was treated like the princess she always dreamed of being: adorable pet names, lavish gifts, and an abundance of compliments that sent her confidence rocketing sky high.

But now, - Morayo shook her head, tears pooling into the corners of her eyes as she laughed dryly - now it was their third year together and Morayo had the truth smack into her like a MACK truck; the impact was so crippling it's shocking that she didn't need medical attention. She may not have known who sent her the video - she glanced at the still frame on the screen, frowning - but she would have to save that mystery for another day. Today was the day that Morayo finally took off her rose-tinted glasses and accepted things for what they really were: fucked up.

While tilting her head up as she heard voices outside of her dorm, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror that was attached to her closet. She stood up and approached it slowly, scrutinizing her appearance. She wondered to herself, Is he no longer attracted to me? Her eyes roamed her heart-shaped face and the sharp features that stood out; her rich, chocolate complexion, angular, mahogany eyes that fell beneath a pair of thick eyebrows, her wide, Nubian nose that was positioned between an identical set of high-cheekbones that were impressed with dimples. and a full bow-shaped mouth. She attempted to smile, but the moment her lips parted, she shut them back to hide the braces. Her biggest insecurity happened to be the bottom row of her teeth, with the crooked angle they slanted at. They were on their way to being as straight as the top set, but three more months would need to pass before the wired metal could be removed.

Morayo never thought of herself as ugly, but before Reggie, she accepted that she was just not the type of girl that guys fell head over heels for. However, now she had to admit to herself that she changed; she was no longer the short, stumpy girl with the long, nappy curls. She had succeeded in melting away the layers of fat after joining the track team senior year, replacing them with muscle and defined curves, and though she still had thick, coarse hair, she now knew how to manage it. Even with these improvements, Reggie still cheated. Sorrow threatened to swallow Morayo whole at the revelation.

"Is there something wrong with me?" she whispered to herself aloud. She couldn't help herself; like a masochist, she went and snatched her phone from her bed. She never had use for a lock code so she just swiped it open and the video popped up instantly. Pausing for only a second, Morayo held her breath as she hit the "play" icon and the video started from where it left off. This time she intended to watch it to the very end: