I don't know how much courage it took for me to say those words.

Elijah was my first love.

In middle school, he stood up for me.

In the first year, for reasons unknown, the girls in my class bullied me.

They hid my textbooks and notebooks, placed insects in my desk drawer, deliberately tripped me as I walked, and eventually escalated to pulling my hair, locking me in the restroom, and even beating me outside of school.

Five or six girls cornered me in an alley, punching and kicking me while I crouched on the ground, protecting my head.

Just as I was on the verge of losing consciousness,...