Truth or Dare?

Sworn off men!

You know life has hit a whole new low when you have no other choice than to move back in with your parents and your older brother. While my brothers' outlook is to live with our parents and save for as long as possible, mine is to have freedom and live independently as the grown ass woman that I am.

My plans to move to a city far from here and live happily ever after with my childhood sweetheart were surly ripped from me when the other person in the relationship, known as Jackson, decided that being with one woman for the rest of his life isn't something he wanted anymore. Shocked, surprised, stunned, pissed are just some words to describe my immediate reactions to his revelation.

I was the sweet age of sixteen when my eyes first landed on Jackson. He was the new kid in school and the cutest boy I had ever seen. With his cropped blonde hair and stunning blue eyes, he caught the eye of both boys and girls in school. As soon as I saw him during assembly that first day, I was determined to speak to him and get to him. He was a beautiful creature and I wanted to see how his personality matched his appearance.

Jackson and I shared top set English together and when the teacher asked him to sit next to me, I held my breath for about three minutes before he clapped in front of my face, forcing me to exhale. After spending the whole lesson passing each other notes under the desk, I knew there was something special about him that I couldn't let go of. We were inseparable from that moment on and I thought we were happy too.

We went to the same university and even stayed in the same halls as each other. I thought we were meant to be. Like fate had already dealt its hand and given me my soul mate at a young age. If only.

I'd planned our life out for us and Jackson was always adding to the fire of my hope with his constant optimism for us and our future. I'd planned that we would be married about two years after uni and then given the stability of the jobs we would have, we could look at having our first child by the time I was twenty-five. What can I say? I'm a recently graduated teacher and I like organisation and managing things.

When Jackson had arranged a date night on one of the last nights in halls to a very pricey restaurant, I was adamant that this was the night he was going to ask me to marry him. I'd curled my hair and applied my make up with precision. I was no make up artist but I enjoyed experimenting with make up. Sometimes it worked and others, not so much. I wore the most expensive dress I owned, which sadly was only twenty-five pounds from topshop, and met him outside my door like the gentleman he was.

My expectations were ripped from me when after a wonderfully romantic meal he uttered the words "I think we should see other people."

I sat there and listened to all his reasons and although I disagreed with them all in my head, my mouth was frozen and I couldn't say anything to him. He was throwing everything we had away, everything we had experienced together. All of the firsts and the countless times I chose him over other suitors in university. I left that restaurant, leaving him to pay every penny and was out of my room in halls the next day.

That brings me to where I am now. Moving my boxes and suitcases back into my parents semi-detached house in a small town tucked away in a Welsh town.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss this house and the memories that came with it, but every time I think of my bedroom, I think of Jackson being in it and teasing me or kissing me senseless.

My brother was clearly feeling sorry for me and helped me take every single box, bag and suitcase to my room at the back of the house. It was a simple room but I had made it my own with my nick nacks everywhere. I'd like to think it showed some of the quirkiness in my personality.

When my brother and I finally finished dragging things through the house, I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the pictures pinned up all over my wall. Him. All of him.

While I stared into the blue eyes of the love of my life, I felt nothing but pain and anger. Storming from my bed, I ripped every single photo of him off the wall and threw them in the bin. I was done. No one would ever be allowed to hurt me like that again!