Elle, keep running. Whatever you do. Never stop. Not until you're safe. You can’t give up.  No matter what happens. The only thing you can do is fight. Oh please God, you can’t let anything happen to me. Please help me God I can’t do it alone. Just help me get to the sheriff's station, or if I can’t make it that far, at least I Need to make it to Megan’s. I can’t die tonight. I won’t die tonight. Oh no he’s getting closer. Faster Elle, faster. Just keep running.

RINGGGGG

It’s April thirtieth. I get up from my seat, put my backpack on, and start to make my way to math. As I step into the room, I see him. Damian. The cute, quiet kid that no one knows about; he’s also the one I’ve had a crush on since the 6th grade.

“Hey,” I said, hoping for a response. “Can I sit here?”

He nods.

I take my seat as Ms.Kush starts to hand out the lesson for the day. I take one glance at it and have all the answers in less than a minute. I look at Damian, debating if I should ask him for help or not.

“Do you get this?” I ask him.

He nods again. “Yeah, do you need help?”

“I do actually, can you explain it to me?”

That was how it all started.

I sprint to my best friend Megan's class as soon as the bell rings to tell her everything. I find her and she gets extremely scared from my excitement.

“Oh my god Elle! You scared the crap out of me. What happened?”

“WE TALKED! A FULL BLOWN CONVERSATION!” I squealed, pointing my eyes at Damian's perfect face as he passed by.

“Are you being serious?! This is amazing Elle, I’m so happy for you!” 

“Come on, let’s go to lunch. I’ll tell you everything on the way.” I told her with nothing but joy in my eyes. But that was before the incident.

The next day, I ask for help again, and the day after that, and the day after that. And soon, it starts to turn into a genuine friendship, and from that, a relationship. I’m  always with him. He makes me so happy and I make him happy too. We walk into math on May 22nd, as an official couple for  two weeks now.

“Need any help?” Damian asks, since I haven’t told him how good at math I actually was.

“Umm, not today babe, I think I’m good.” I say.

“I know, I’ve always known.” He tells me.

I brush it off, not thinking much of it since we’ve known each other for so long. He must just remember me being good at it when we were younger.

***

I’m sitting on Damian’s bed on May 29th, waiting for him to come back with the snacks for the movie.

“I got pretzels and M&Ms because I know they’re your favorite,” Damian says as he hands me the two. “I also got Legally Blonde because you told me it’s your favorite.”

“Oh…thanks,” I tell him, confused because I know I never told him that. “You’re so sweet.” I laugh. This was the first time I questioned him.

***

I’m walking in the hallways with Damian on June 2nd and as we’re passing in the halls people are staring at us and Dave shouts to Damian, “Ew you freaky stalker!” 

“Babe? What was that?”

“I don’t know Elle. Keep walking.”

The looks start growing more and more intense and I’m starting to get really scared with Damian.

“I-I need to go, I’ll see you after.” I shakily said as I ran away.

That night, Damian shows up at my door, bringing me flowers, tulips and daffodils, my two favorites. 

“I know you were freaked out about what happened earlier, but I wanted you to know that it’s ok, and that those people were just being jerks. I have everything you’ve ever told me you liked or wanted. Happy 1 month Elle, I love you.”

My heart starts to race, I can’t breathe, I’m getting dizzy, and really scared of Damian. I start to back away from the door. With  shallow breaths, I slowly say, “No. I can’t- I can’t anymore. I’m sorry, but we need to break up Damian.” I close the door in his face, turn around and run up to my room to text Megan.

911

I’ll be there in 10

“Are you ok?! Hurt, someone else hurt?!” She says panting.

“No, everyone's fine,”I cry to her, “I broke up with  Da-Damian tonight. I didn’t feel safe with him anymore. We were walking today, and people were staring at us and calling him a stalker. A-And then he came here an hour ago for our 1 month anniversary and he bought me my favorite things but I’ve never told him most of the stuff he bought. I got worried that the stalker thing was true and I-I broke up with him.”

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. You did it for your own safety. Don’t be upset by worrying about yourself.”

***

“So, she finally got it. She doesn’t trust me. Stupid Dave. What do I do about him? That doesn’t matter, all I need to do is figure out whatever I find about Elle and do whatever it takes to make her love me again. No matter what…”

Damian pulls out his computer and gets to work.

Elle, on the other hand, slowly recovers from the breakup and gets happier without Damian in her life. She starts to think it maybe should have just been this way all the time.

Over  the next few weeks, Damian continues to stalk Elle, not only online but in person too. 

“Did you see  that?” I asked Megan, as I thought I saw someone pass by in the woods as we were walking home. She shakes her head. 

“Woah, that was close, I need to be more careful next time. Elle’s not dumb.”

I started to feel more and more unsafe. I never saw Damian ever anymore in school, not even in math and I  became too scared to ever go anywhere alone. I keep seeing people in my shadows but I never knew who it was, I just prayed that it would stop. Do you think that it’s Damian that’s doing this to me? No, I know I hurt him, but I don’t think he would go to this extreme. But, he did know so much about me without me ever telling him. Elle just breathe, it’s nothing, stop overthinking.
July 12th, I got home after being at Megan's. I walk into my room with my window open. I figured mom just opened it since there was such a nice summer breeze. I put on my pjs, take off  my makeup, and climb into bed, when I feel somebody watching me. I hid under my covers like a little kid and just went to sleep. 1:53  a.m, there’s a bang in the kitchen.

“Mom? Are you ok?” I ask. No response. I go down to see what’s happening for myself. I stood there in utter shock as I saw, “Damian? What are you doing in my house? Yo-You’re not supposed to be here.” I say with fear in my eyes. “Get out or I’m gonna-”

“You’re gonna what? Call the police? Elle, I’m not here to hurt you, all I want is you. Just you to love me again. Come here.  Please?”

“No way, you’re PSYCHO !” I scream and sprint to my room. I climb out my window, look back and Damian is chasing me. 

Elle, keep running. Whatever you do. Never stop. Not until you're safe. You can’t give up.  No matter what happens. The only thing you can do is fight. Oh please God, you can’t let anything happen to me. Please help me God I can’t do it alone. Just help me get to the sheriff's station, or if I can’t make it that far, at least I Need to make it to Megan’s. I can’t die tonight. I won’t die tonight. Oh no he’s getting closer. Faster Elle, faster. Just keep running.

I’m getting really tired, it’s been over 2 miles but I’ve passed Megan’s house so I can’t turn back. Damian is slowing down, I slow down too. As soon as he sees that, he gets right on my tail. I put in every piece of effort I can and I just barely make it to the sheriff’s station alive. Damian doesn’t take my threat. He’s still waiting for me outside the station.

“HELP ME. SOMEONE PLEASE,” I pant, “I NEED HELP.” I find an officer and I  explain to him everything and tell him that Damian is still waiting for me outside. Him and three other officers sprint out. Damian tries  to run away but he’s too tired and the officers are much faster than him. They cuff him and bring him in the station.

“Elle. Please. Don’t do this to me. I love you. You’re all I want. YOU'RE ALL I WANT!” He screams at me, then begins to sob

“I’ll see you in court.” I say with confidence.

August 18th, I won the court case against Damian. He gets put in juvy until he’s old enough to be moved to prison. Once he gets there, he’s serving 12 years with parole. We go back to school in September, and I meet Brody. It takes me so long to trust him, but he supports me every step of the way and he is there for me when I need him. It’s a bonus that he’s not a stalker too.

“I do.” I exclaim, 14 years later at the altar. Everyone cheers  for us and we’ve lived the happiest life we could ever ask for.