Bri

Prologue

I find it genuinely fascinating that I still remember exactly how I met the love of my life after fourteen years. It was the first day of sixth grade when I made my way around campus, and I saw her; Mia Nova. To say she was lost and scared was an understatement. I was quickly drawn to her from that moment, and I offered to help her and ended up walking her to class. During lunch, I saw Mia getting bullied by the bitch herself, Vivian Sanders. Believe me, I still very much loathe her, but... Anyway, I should get back on track...

I remember how fortunate I was when I stumbled upon what was happening to Mia, and I wanted nothing more than to help her and keep her safe. Why? At that time, I never had a clue; although, the only thing I was aware of was feeling a strong connection to her. From that fateful day, we hung out more and got to know each other exceptionally well. The next thing we both realized, we were practically inseparable. Ha, who am I kidding...? We were inseparable.

We became the best of friends so fast that it seemed impossible, and I'm glad it wasn't. To this day, I wouldn't change a thing. Throughout the years following middle school, Mia went through difficult times... as well as some great times. Her adoptive parents were... let's see, how I can put this nicely... they were racist assholes that only cared about their image and wanted a slave, which is how they treated Mia.

There were so many nights she cried herself to sleep due to things they said. On top of that, the bullying she received at Vivian's hands, who lived next door to her, made everything add up in the worst ways. One of the most traumatic events she had was when Mia found out that her biological father passed away. She tried to stay strong, but sometimes she held in her pain, which resulted in her harming herself... However, at that time, I was unaware of it.

Her biological father, Elias, prepared a letter that Mia was to get upon his death. This letter said the cruelest words imaginable that were not valid at all. He just had to get the last word in... I never saw her cry so much in my life; it broke my heart, and all I could do was hold her in my arms throughout the night. I was falling for her, and I think it may have started that night, but I was so blind to it.

Now... On a much, much lighter note... I will never forget the day she picked up her first camera and was a fucking natural. I was so shocked at how easily she understood everything about photographing an image. While Mia is 'in the zone' and concentrating, the look on her face is utterly priceless, and I always love watching her work. She continued to hone her craft through middle school as well as high school. One day, Mrs. Evans, a teacher of hers, noticed her talent and kept an eye on Mia's work.

Then, during our senior year of high school, Mia was offered the lead photographer's role in the school's yearbook, and she accepted the job. When she told me about it, I could tell how nervous she was, though. Mia did an incredible job, and her hard work allowed her to receive a scholarship for college as well as an internship in photography. I was, and still am, so fucking proud of her.

The scariest incident was when I found out that Mia cuts herself. My mom helped me understand that some people have different coping mechanisms depending on what they've gone through, so I never blamed or held it against Mia when I found out about her self-mutilation. It was revealed to many people and myself in the most unfortunate way imaginable. Vivian recruited her fraternal twin, Brittany, to help her; she gained Mia's trust by asking her out. She and Mia went on a couple of dates; one ended with Mia being drugged asleep. Brittany and Vivian worked together, taking her clothes off, capturing revealing photos of Mia, and then posting those photos throughout the school's halls.

I arrived at school like any typical day until I made my way closer to our lockers. I saw what looked like the entire student body shouting crude words at someone. I soon found Vivian, her posse, and some random asshole practically shoving Mia against the wall. After getting rid of the man-child, I went to Mia's side and noticed how terrified she was, and I could tell she knew I saw the photo of her cuts.