Youre Keeping Me Alive

Part 1: How I Met Him.

He's lived with me for a year now. Indeed, my boyfriend and I are thinking of marrying. We share an apartment.

Its close to being one night a week I have nightmares about my past.

So I graduated high school this year.

In 8th grade I had a lot of insecurity. And heartbreak. I used to cut and starve. There was one point where I was convinced I was crazy. My left arm was scratched completely. But my weight was in the 90s and I was sleeping a lot and not eating .

So one day I'm walking in the park by myself..and I sit down on a swing set. It was the only place I could let my scars breathe, I untucked them from my jacket. I noticed a group of guys walk up, and I hear,

"Dude do you see the amount of scars on her arm? AND HER LEG!? I mean, she has some nice legs but...not any more."

Damn pig.

But who he was talking to? He chimed up and said,

"Bro, shut up. You don't know how bad her life is, or was. She's on a swing set by herself. By herself. Which probably means not many people understand her."

Well, his friend seemed nice.

Then the pig talked,

"Derek, when did you get so soft?"

His name is Derek.

"Derek Gabriel, man... what got you so soft?" Another one asked.

Derek. Derek Gabriel. The young man replied,

"Ever since I almost lost my little sister due to the same problem , you, Andrew Fleming, caused."

Andrew Fleming. The first guy to criticize me today within the last minute.

How could he have done that to Mr. Gabriel's little sister?

He continued,

"And you, Jordan Monte. Why do you always follow what Andrew says? You knew it was wrong when you and I stood in the ER watching my sister lose so much blood due to this idiot we call our friend. I'm going to walk over to her. And no one will stop me."

Lesson 1: Jordan Monte and Andrew Fleming: bad guys. Derek Gabriel: potential friend.

So Derek walks over to me ever so shyly.

Awww, he's so adorable, I thought.

Derek is tall, about 5'11. He has olive skin, light green eyes, and black hair. He wears his hair in a faux - hawk but every now and then he leaves it down. He was wearing a black and green plaid shirt with jeans. He had on brown Vans (Mmm, Vans..). He was skinny, but he looked healthy.

"I'm sorry about my friends..they're judgemental pricks. By the way, I'm Derek- Derek Gabriel. I've seen you around campus. We're in the same grade. Freshmans...wait until the school gets a load of our generation.." He animatedly flails his arms gesturing to his friends . "And may I ask your name, beautiful?"

What. Freaking. Charm.

I choked on my name.."Cassie. Cassandra Lee Hudson."