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Ten: Light.

So this is the only chapter in Mackenzie's POV (just so you know).  Also, this chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I planned, and since it was soooooo long, I personally didn't want to proofread it. So if it's a jumbled mess, I'm so sorry! It started off well, and then it got too long to the point that I just didn't want to be very detailed in the end, so it's a little rushed. Again, I deeply apologize for that!

Regardless, I do hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Mackenzie:

To me, she was the light that shone through my dark days, through the darkness that I had kept locked away in my heart. The day we met, the moment we locked eyes on the top of that tree, I knew that the lonely, isolated life I had lived would be changed. Suddenly, there were colors in my world. She was more than determined to pull me out of that pool of despair.

She was a beacon of hope.

Ever since I could remember, my relatives, my neighbors, and then my classmates all pointed out how overweight and fat I was—be it behind my back or directly. My mom and dad loved me unconditionally, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to be accepted by someone other than them.

Annabel did just that for me. She looked at me with those honest, neon blue eyes, smiled radiantly, and complimented how brave I was to climb up a tree with my weight. It wasn’t like she was mocking me. The way she directly gazed into my eyes, I knew that she was someone I could pour my trust over.

Annabel was a beautiful girl inside and out.

She stood up for me against our classmates who continuously called me ‘Tubby.’

“That kid has guts—moxie!” She paused. “Moxie should be his nickname! He’s determined, spirited, and brave! It’s Moxie!”

Looking up at the tree, Annabel called up to me with a bright grin across her face, “I hereby dub thee ‘Moxie’!”

In an instant, my chest palpitated, and my face was heating up. Out of embarrassment, called back down to her, “It still sounds girly!”

She rolled her eyes and asked, “Would you rather go by Moxie or Tubby? It’s your choice! Either way, I stand by Moxie because it makes you seem cooler!”

I felt this warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest as she said those things. I didn’t know how to react properly, so the way I responded sounded irritated, “Fine, do whatever you like!”

Since then, we stuck together like glue. She was my best friend, my hero. And I fell for her beauty, her determination and perseverance, her radiance—everything. I fell in love with her, hard.

Parting with her at the end of the school year was bittersweet, but I had to put on a brave face for her. I had to be strong because I believed that she wouldn’t love a weak person like me. When I become a man, I’ll tell you my true feelings, I repeatedly thought to myself.

We wrote each other letters, and the years passed. The beginning was difficult, having to put up with the bullying for a few months. Eventually, I began to eat less, and I joined the community soccer team. I quickly loss weight, and I thought, ‘If I surprise Annabel looking like this the next time we meet, I’m sure she’ll fall for me,’ because I had the dreadful thought that maybe she was disgusted with how chubby I was.

Each day, she occupied my thoughts, and wondered if she thought about me just as equally. Sadly, I doubted it. She probably moved on. She probably doesn’t care about me and is just replying to my letters because she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings.