Romance in Washington

Prologue

My name is Mia and this is my story. I have always been a good girl as a kid; I aced all my classes, studied hard, obeyed my parents, etc. As I entered junior high school, I had two friends because I wasn't "cool" so my friends introduced me to their friends and things started to change. My grades started to slip, I started cussing more, made sexual jokes, I was a completely different person – and I only did it to fit in. Throughout high school, I lost my friends I had in junior high but made better friends, I started to become a goody-two-shoe again. I started going to church, paid attention in class, did my homework but it did not last long.

My junior year, I was still going to church but my grades started dropping again and I started hanging out with a different group of friends. I barely graduated high school but I still did it. Things started to get better but not too long after, everything took a turn for the worse. My family and I moved out of my childhood home and downgraded to an apartment in downtown Dallas, Texas. The people in the complex were not good influences. I always swore to myself that I would not have sex until marriage but I met a guy who took my virginity – that was the start to a long downward spiral.

I started smoking weed almost every day, drinking every day, and having sex every day. Within three months of losing my virginity, I had sex with three different guys. Riley was the guy that stuck around the longest. I thought I was in love with him but to him, it was just sex. He was living with us along with my best friend, Ella. After a few months of them living with my family, we got evicted and had to move to the small town of Thornberry, Texas to be closer to family. Ella stayed behind to be with her family but Riley had nowhere else to go so he came with us.

Things between Riley and I got messier with his girlfriends. Once my family got our own apartments, things started to take a turn for the better. One night, Riley and I were both high and we were standing outside. He leaned his head against the wall of our apartment and said to me "I want some head" which was a little bit of a surprise to me because it had been awhile since we had had sex. We went inside and to the back room. It was a lot different than before so I knew something was up. Usually, we went right to sex but this time it was more intimate – he started kissing me and whispered into my ear "I think I'm starting to catch feelings." At that point, my heart stopped for a moment. We talked about it after and he wanted to keep it between us for a while but it was three days later when my sister and mom found out so that day, we officially became a couple.

Riley and I were happy until one day; he went to visit his family for Thanksgiving weekend. He ended up having to stay and broke it off with me. I was absolutely devastated. I cried myself to sleep every day for weeks. I went into a long stage of depression and I did not know what to do without him. I finally realized that I was better off without him. I started to dig myself out of the depression by distracting my mind with my family and friends.

Now we're all caught up. I am happy and although I am not completely over Riley, I am moving on. I have stopped having dreams about him coming back and I stopped being depressed. I am now taking college classes and working a part-time to help my parents with rent. In April, I get to take a trip to Washington, D.C. with my college and I absolutely cannot wait.