Ana Navy

Prelude to a Stained Love Story

I could say we began as every other temporary couple did but thatd be a lie and Ive always prefered to speak with honesty. They say youll meet who you are supposed to marry in college when you have- are supposed to have- your life together. But for us it has always been different. We have always been different.
I had moved to a public middle school in Texas from a middle school on a military base in Oklahoma. Without going into detail and complaining on and on about how terrible the transition was I will just say : imagine the difference between structured school and unstructured school. Imagine going from having great friends and a safe enviornment to a school where you get picked on constantly and everyone is fighting in the classrooms and in the hallways.
Life really began in Oklahoma where I spent fourth through sixth grade. With my dad being in the military and my little brother Terrel on the way things were getting hectic. Things at home felt rushed and unnatural well things at school felt unreal. I will try not to bore you with details of what I call Oklahoma days but there are some things you must know to understand the events that are now occurring. Fourth grade is where the bullying started and it was it a time when I was trying to figure out who I was and figure out my worth is well. At the time I had already gotten the sex talk from my parents but they forgot to mention self-esteem. This is not to say my parents never complimented me or told me I was doing well. This is to say that they never told me not to listen or to not believe someone if they spoke badly of me. Not to give my parents the complete responsibility of how I am now but the fact that I was not told not to believe others when they put me down really became damaging for me in the long run. During my time in Oklahoma I was constantly bullied verbally by being called fat and ugly. I remember going to my afterschool program and the teachers would have to watch me during snack time to make sure I ate. I became so self-conscious that I had a jacket that I would never take off no matter how hot it was I was always in this jacket trying to hide what I knew was fat.
When I moved to Texas to begin seventh grade I wasn't sure what to expect. I only knew that I had left the friends that I had behind but I also thought that I had left the bullying behind. Picture a public school in a rough neighborhood where everyone is wearing a white collared shirt with khaki pants. Picture students fighting and cursing out the teacher, walking out of the classroom, fighting in the hallways and smoking in the bathrooms. As a 14-year-old girl who was never exposed to anything remotely close to this I spent every day terrified for my life at school. After my first day I knew I had not left the bullying behind. I was beginning to feel like I was in some sort of hell to be punished for a crime I didnt know of. It wasnt until the last half of 7th grade that I met Avery, the 8th grader who changed everything.