Where I'm From: Part 2

I aged into a teenager and entered my awkward stage...I wasn't very comfortable in my own skin, but what teenager is? I developed the nurturing trait, so I would dream about the day I would be able to get married and have my own children.

Evie was still my best friend. She and I would spend hours on the phone every day and we would constantly come up with hair-brained ideas together.

One day, Evie and I were talking and she came up with a crazy dare for me...
Evie: Truth or Dare?
Me: Dare.
Evie: Ok...kiss Mason...on the lips.
Me: Ewww! Why?
Evie: Well, he's never really dated anyone and I know you haven't...you may as well kiss each other.
Me: Seriously?
Evie: Come on, just do it! It'll be really simple...Mom and Dad are taking me out to look at a car and he's going to be home alone...just wait until we leave and pucker up...it's that simple. Unless of course, you're too scared...
Me: No, no...I'll do it.

After Evie, Aunt Z, and Uncle T-Bone left, I rang the doorbell and there stood Mason. I had always thought of Mason as more of a brother. Not that he's not a cutie, he is...it's just weird.

I honestly can't remember what I talked to him about...I was so nervous...it was my first kiss...I just kept batting my lashes and looking at him...

I remember I told him he could kiss me if he wanted and at first he seemed taken aback...

...but then he looked at me shyly and smiled...

it seemed really strange, but I knew I had him...I had always just looked at Mason as a big brother, but suddenly I saw him in a different light...

Despite all the nervous pauses and giggles, sweaty palms and stops and starts, our lips finally met each others...it was awkward...but it was a kiss...my first...then I got so weirded out, I ran out the door and Mason and I never talked about it again.

Soon after that, I met John Ellis...well, I had always known him...it's a small town...I pretty much knew everyone before I could even crawl...but John started showing romantic interest in me once we got in high school. He was really sweet to me...at least at first...

He started out by insulting pretty much everyone in my life...my family, my friends, he tried to separate me from them...I knew he was trouble...he was an only child and he lived with his parents and people talked a lot about how his dad had his mom trapped and he was really mean to her...but somehow I thought John wouldn't be like that...

I would try to stand up for myself and my loved ones, but it seemed like whenever I pushed back he would push back even harder...

Looking back, I'm ashamed to say the abuse got physical and I still didn't get out...

After he would lose his temper and hit me, or push me against the wall, or backhand me, or knock me down and kick me, he would be so sweet...I was stupid enough to believe that the part of him that used me as a punching bag wasn't the real him...I used to think I could find the real him in that remorseful boy who would bring me flowers and tell me how much he loved me...

One particularly bad fight lead to a trip to the emergency room for me. He had thrown me down the stairs of his house and kicked me so hard I was having trouble breathing. It turned out I had two broken ribs and a sprained ankle. Evie stayed by my side the whole time and we both swore never to tell another soul. We both knew that if our parents caught wind of what John had done they probably would have killed him. At that point I was eighteen and I thought the only way I was ever going to get away from John was if I left town...so when I graduated high school I decided to leave...the idea to do the challenge came later...but I have never been able to trust another man like I originally did John...but now I am going back. Over the years I've figured out that John can't hurt me if I don't let him. I'm not afraid of him any more. Let's just hope I'm right.