Beautiful Stranger

Chapter 2

A/N: TW (read book's description)

(10 yrs ago)

First day of Freshman year. The only thing exciting me is that, with being back to school, I have an excuse to spend time away from home. I despise it there. My parents fight 24/7. I wish they'd just divorce so I can live peacefully, away from all the screaming.
He hits her. He cheats on her. He treats her poorly. And yet, she stays with him. Is that what love is supposed to be like?

I'm wearing a short tennis skirt with an oversized sweatshirt. I can feel all the older guys, especially seniors, checking me out. As much as it annoys me, it gives me some kind of satisfaction because, for once in my life, people are paying attention to me. Is that what I need to live? Some kind of male approval?

After a long day, it's lunch time. I walk through the cafeteria scanning the room trying to find an empty table to enjoy my meal alone. As i'm eating, a tall, brown eyed, *HOT*, dark haired guy joins me. I don't say anything. I just sit there awkwardly, eating my sandwich. I can feel him staring at me. Slowly switching from studying my eyes, to observing the movement of my lips as I take bites from my meal, to creepily looking at my neck. Here it goes again, the satisfaction I get from having someone notice me.

WHY AM I LIKE THAT?!

"So, doll face...what's your name?" He asks with a deep, rusty, extremely sexy voice.

Hearing him say these words gave me chills.

"Hi, i'm Davina, now...what's YOUR name?" I interrogate.

"I'm Gabriel, any chance we could meet after lacrosse practice?".

I nod, wink *ew why did I do that*, and then walk away.

Months go by.
We flirted for a very long time before he finally asked me to be his girlfriend. At first, we couldn't get enough of each other. I was happy and so was he. But then, our relationship took a turn. At parties, he'd leave me hanging while he took random girls to a room. He knew I was watching but that didn't bother him the least. On dates, he always criticized my appearance. "Too much makeup", "Too natural", "You look dead", "Your dress is too short", "You're not making enough efforts for me anymore". When we'd hang out with his friends, he treated me like nothing but one of his multiple hoes. With all that, I couldn't leave him. I thought that's what love was supposed to be like. I was miserable yet it looked right to me. I'd cry every night. The days he'd say I looked fat, I went home and starved myself, and the days he'd say I looked too skinny and was flatter than a wall, i'd eat till I couldn't breathe.

We stayed together throughout high school even though we'd break up every other week. Let me correct myself: even though he'd break up with me every time he found a better looking girl than me. I'd always ask myself what was it that all these other girls had that I didn't? Bigger boobs? An hourglass shape? Skinnier? Prettier? He made me feel so insecure.

What made it worse is that I had no one except him to talk to. He didn't let me have any friends, and at home, my parents did not care enough about me for me to confide in them.

After we graduated, he left, for i have no idea where, without telling me. He didn't even end it between us beforehand. He just walked away, leaving me guessing. I tried calling him multiple times a day and texting him every minute, but in vain. I was so desperate.

His departure took a heavy toll on my mental health. At least what was left from it. I didn't eat. I didn't shower nor take care of myself. I locked myself in my room and spent everyday of 365, isolated from the world.