Chapter One:

Ours was just a love gone wrong

You+Me: "Love Gone Wrong"

Every boyfriend is the one, until otherwise proven.

The wise words, rather lyrics, of Marina and the Diamonds.

That's why I binged on her music. Her lyrics were so pure and powerful – they spoke right to you. I wasn't the kind of person to be completely infatuated with an artist's work. I didn't obsess over musicians. However, Marina and the Diamonds was my exception. All of the angst, sorrow, pain that she wrote and sang about, hit a chord with me.

She was blatantly honest in her lyrics. She didn't beat about the bush; she didn't try to make that irritable bubblegum pop taking over radio stations. Her music was real; just like her. She wasn't afraid to be honest. She didn't follow the status quo, just to gain fame. She remained true to herself and what she felt. That was why I loved her.

The better and only part of my life has been replete with lies, deceit, and pain. Marina and the Diamonds' music was my escape from the world of heartbreak that I constantly found myself in.

At the ripe age of seventeen, I had experienced my lion's share of failed romances and cheating, conniving boyfriends.

First, there was Jason. He asked me to go to the Valentine's Day dance with him and I agreed. We met in middle school and he seemed to be a really decent guy. We always went on group dates with my friends and his. He insisted on it. I didn't think anything of it; I just thought he really wanted me to get to know his friends and his versa. However, when I saw him hitting on my then friend Lacey one night, after I came back from answering a phone call, his reasons for always wanting group dates became very clear.

Ryan came next. He was Jason's identical, twin brother, so I should've known it wouldn't end well with him either. He asked me out nearly a week after I dumped his brother – that should've been the red flag. He did learn from his brother's mistakes and we went out on a few actual dates. On the downside, I later learned that he wanted to get with my other then friend, Nicole. Like brother, like brother, I suppose the saying should go.

Next was Matthew. He was the polar opposite of Jason and Nick, looks-wise. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, whereas Jason and Nick had brown hair and brown eyes. He was the captain of the junior varsity boys' soccer team and though I wasn't particularly fond of soccer, or any sports for that matter, I attended almost every one of his games. Until, I found him locking lips with Heather, the captain of the girls' junior varsity soccer team, behind the bleachers. I was such a good sport about it. In fact, I found out that I actually had some athletic abilities when I kicked a soccer ball right where the sun don't shine the next day.

After him came Alan, who was more of a bookworm than an athlete, not that I minded. He seemed pretty nice and all, stringing me along to space exhibits and other science-based activities. It actually wasn't that bad. He was a sweet guy and he really seemed to want me to be as interested in space, as he was. That was, until I met Amanda. His ex-girlfriend, who, it turned out, he was trying to make jealous, by dating me. I found out the truth when I discovered that they really had some chemistry in the chemistry lab after school one day.

Then, came Elliot. The two of us had been camp buddies when we were younger. He moved to Miami in the middle of freshman year and being the only person who he knew, I took it upon myself to escort him through the school and be his personal tour guide. He ended up asking me out right before the holidays. I thought I would have better luck in the romance department, with someone I actually knew. However, I was wrong. Finding him hooking up with Britney on Christmas day was definitely a present I wouldn't forget.

Next was Noah. He was a hockey player, or so he said. Of course, I found the idea of him being a hockey player in Miami, Florida quite absurd, but he told me that there were many indoor hockey rinks around the city that he practiced at. On our three-month anniversary, I decided to surprise him at practice. After getting the address of a local rink from his mother, I was the one who found a surprise. Noah was watching a game – a girls' team game. At first I believed it might've been his sister's but when one of the players skated up to him and kissed him on the lips, I knew I was wrong.

After Noah was Joe. He was a baseball player on the high school's varsity team. He had dark blonde hair and green eyes. We started dating in the middle of my sophomore year. Things between us were going pretty well. That was, until I found out he was only going out with me due to a dare. Dare I say more?

My sophomore year came to an end with my month-long romance with Nick. He had brown hair and kind, brown eyes. I met him through my neighbor - he was her grandson. She actually tried to set us up and it worked. He was a really nice kid. He taught me how to ride a skateboard. Our relationship didn't end on a sour note like my others. He simply had to move to New York due to his father's job and we broke things off, seeing as long-distance relationships don't work out often.

Then there was Mark, my sophomore year summer fling. I knew things weren't going to last from the start. After all, that was the point of having a summer fling. However, I didn't think they would end for the reason they did. His blonde hair and blue eyes matched his persona. Mark was a surfer, spending most of his time on the beach. Of course, that proved to be a problem, since I absolutely hate beaches and anything related to them. For him though, I tried my best to enjoy myself whenever I went there to watch him in a surfing competition. Mark had asked me to the end of summer bonfire and I had reluctantly agreed. In the middle of the festivities, he had excused himself. He was gone quite a while, so I began to search for him. I found him by the lifeguard tower, making out. With Brad.

Junior year started with the expectations of a new school year, and a new romance. In came Hans, a foreign exchange student from Germany. With blonde hair and blue eyes, similar to Mark's, I knew I should've been cautious. But he was so irresistible with his adorable accent and cluelessness about American culture. That was until I found out about Helga, his girlfriend back in Germany. I was hanging out at his house one day after school when she video-called him while he was in the bathroom, and the light was shed on the truth. That was Auf Wiedersehen to Hans.

Next was Heath. His dark hair and insanely blue eyes were definitely an interesting combination, but they certainly worked for him. He went to another high school; we met at the park while he was practicing his tricks. He was a BMX rider, which was honestly quite thrilling. Of course, it was also very nerve-wracking, watching him start every event and never knowing if he would make it out in one piece. During one of these events was where I met Ashley and Maria and Eva. His other girlfriends. Coincidentally, we all went to different high schools. Needless to say, that was mine and Heath's last ride.

After Heath came Ethan. With light brown hair and light brown eyes, he was really cute. He was also very smart. We met at a Halloween store and he was the only guy to recognize my Florence Nightingale costume. He was dressed as Charles Lindbergh. We bumped into each other at the school dance a week later and he asked me to dance with him. One thing led to another and soon we were dating. Things were going really well until his ex-girlfriend Marnie called, begging him to take her back. To my dismay, he did.

In the middle of junior year, I met Tom. He had light brown hair and green eyes. He was an actor, which was a nice match for my passion for music and singing. He landed the lead in the school play and really hit things off with the female lead. I found them kissing in a janitor's closet one day when he claimed he had late rehearsals. That was our final scene.

I'm not very lucky when it comes to love. That's a given. I've also come to the conclusion that practically all guys are jerks. What else could explain my numerous failed attempts at romance?

I'd like to think that I wasn't the problem. I wasn't a bad girlfriend; not at all. I wasn't overly picky or clingy. I'd like to say that I was the polar opposite of that, in fact. I didn't leave forty texts or twenty voicemails asking where he was or what he was doing, when he didn't answer me. I gave him space. (Looking back now, maybe I had given my exes too much space.) I didn't ask for over-the-top gestures or ridiculous presents either. I wasn't overly romantic either, although a little romance here and then would be nice. All I really wanted was for somebody to be good to me, which apparently, in this day and age, was nearly impossible to find. If only I could find a boy like Shakespeare's Romeo. Juliet was such a lucky gal (minus the whole committing suicide bit).

The good are never easy
The easy never good
And love it never happens like you think it really should

Amen to that. Marina. Amen to that.

Hello there. :)

I hope you found this enjoyable, since you read all of it (I'm guessing).