"You know the saying, "All's fair in love and war'?
Yeah, that one.
It's complete bullshit.
You wanna know why?
NOTHING IS EVER FAIR.
"There will be no sugar coating. There will be no safety net. There will be no resets.
"This isn't your average romance novel, now is it?
This is a story.
A STORY ABOUT YOU.
WHAT YOU SUGGEST AFFECTS YOUR STORY.
YOU ONLY CONTROL A SMALL AMOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENS.
THE REST IS LEFT UP TO ME.
I GET TO PULL THE STRINGS.
YOU ARE NO LONGER YOURSELF.
I GET TO TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE.
YOU ARE FEMALE.
YOU ARE 19.
YOU SUFFER FROM BIPOLAR DISORDER. TYPE 1.
YOUR.
NAME.
IS.

"Riley!
"I woke up to the hushed whisper of my name. Turning around in my bed, I saw the radiant smile of my girlfriend, Cecilia. Her blue eyes were filled with excitement as she shook me awake.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed and rushing to my side.
"Oh!" I started, my eyes opening wide as i woke up, "Thanks for reminding me, babe! I actually forgot for a minute," I laughed. Cecilia pouted.
"You work too much! You need to stop sacrificing yourself for the entertainment of others, take a break from daycare, and celebrate yourself! You're 19 now, you should know this!"
"Is that how old I am?" I yawned, rubbing my eyes. I looked up at her face.
She was turning blue.
As blue as the sky on a clear day.
I couldn't lose her, not like this!
"CECILIA!" I gasped, shooting up from my bed.
I turned to look at the empty space next to me. It was a dream. A cruel, hateful dream. Cecilia died from a heroin overdose 2 years ago. There's no way she would have been celebrating my birthday with me today. I sighed, getting up from my bed to get dressed. It's still a Thursday, regardless of whether or not it's my birthday. Off to Inspire Martial Arts and Fitness.

As I walked into the building, I heard one of the kids calling my name.
"Instructor Riley! When are we gonna do class?"
I sighed. Elijah had run up to me, holding his belt and his uniform close to his chest. Don't get me wrong, he's a sweet kid, but he's young and doesn't have much of a filter. I checked my watch.
"15 minutes," I pointed to the locker rooms. "Go get dressed."
"Yes ma'am!" he shouted, running down the hall with his belt dragging on the ground.
"Walk, Elijah, walk!" I yelled, rubbing my forehead. I walked into the back room to find all of the kids playing games on the floor.
"GUYS! INSTRUCTOR RILEY'S HERE!"
I braced for impact as almost every kid got up to come hug me, and quickly told them to sit down.
"I need all of you guys to get ready for class, okay?" I called out, and was greeted by a wave of 'okay's. "No sparring gear!" I added, and all the kids sighed. I put my uniform on and tied my belt, getting ready for class. My phone rang, and I stepped outside to take the call.
"Hello, this is Instructor Riley Cooper of Inspire Martial Arts, how may I help you?"
"No response.
"Hello?" I repeated, growing annoyed.
"H-Hey Riley, n-nice to m-meet y-you"
The voice came from behind me, and I froze.
L-Listen, y-you're go-gonna have t-t-to come wi-with me."
And that was the last thing I heard before being knocked out.

A/N: WHOO! FIRST CHAPTER! how did you guys like it? by the way, Inspire Martial Arts and Fitness is a real place, and I actually go there, it's an amazing program, and a seriously recommend it. So, if you live in Midlothian/Chesterfield, VA, it's located in Brandermill. The website is
If you do decide to go to Inspire, ask for Ms. Johnnie or Instructor Gross, and tell them that Reese Rocha (pronounced Ro-sha) told you about Inspire. Anyway, thank you guys for reading the first chapter, and make sure to post a review saying what you thought about it or leave a request for the next chapter! Much love!