When I was 11 my dad had to have open heart surgery and we moved to Florida since he could no longer shovel snow. Life became hell again! With both of my parents not working, they fought constantly - about me. I would lock myself in my room to get away. Living in Florida was horrible, I did not fit in with the other kids. I would get made fun of because I dressed differently, because I did not wear make up and simply because I had not grown up with the rest of them. We could not afford for me to dress like them and so I did not fit in until later on.

When I was 12, the abuse got worse and my step mother began to tell my father that I was having sex and using drugs. I was an A student who had barely had a boyfriend and had never been kissed. I was always mad at her, she called me a bitc** and made my life miserable. Thankfully my dad was always on my side. He would wait for me to get home from school and make me a snack every day. That summer, he could not stand my step mother and I arguing and he sent me to NJ for the summer. It was a great summer. I missed my family and I loved every minute of it but I had to return to my hell.

When I got back, he contemplated divorce and she said she would never give it to him. She threatened to take what little he had, our home, and leave him with nothing. I was dieing to get away from her. I would lie awake at night thinking of ways to hurt her but I never got the nerve. In the end he didn't get a divorce and life went on.

At 14, I finally had a boyfriend, he was 16. He had home issues and wanted to get married to get away from his family but I refused. I was happy having an outlet and that was it. My dad was not happy that I had a boyfriend at such a young age but he would let him come over to our house a couple of times a week. When I turned 15 I was allowed to go out with him as long as his parents or someone was with us. In the end, he ended up being my way out.

That same year we had Thanksgiving at our house. My parents invited friends and my step mother's family who now lived nearby. In front of everyone, she called me a "little bit**). For some reason this struck a nerve and I actually hit her. In front of everyone. She was shocked, I should not have done it but she got off of me then. She never touched me again.