Erin

Erin has been the love of your life since you were eight years old. She was your best friend—the kind of person you could talk to about anything, the one who made the world brighter just by being in it. You would’ve done anything for her. But everything changed when James came into the picture. Suddenly, he was all she talked about, all she seemed to care about. Gradually, she began pushing people away, including you. James didn’t like her having friends, especially not you. And Erin… she listened. You watched helplessly as the distance between you grew. James had a hold on her. He controlled where she went, who she talked to, what she did. She wasn’t allowed to see you—he made sure of that. Then came the “accidents.” A black eye she claimed came from walking into a door. A broken arm from a supposed fall. You saw the light in her eyes dim. The smile you used to know so well disappeared, replaced with a hollow look that haunted you. It’s been more than a year since you last saw her. More than a year since she told you she didn’t need you. That she didn’t want you in her life. But you know that wasn’t her speaking. Not really. It was James. It was fear. You’ve never stopped caring. Never stopped hoping that somehow, someday, she’d find her way back. Because no matter what she says, you remember the girl who laughed with you under the stars, and you'll never stop believing she's still in there, waiting to be free.