Two years earlier…
Nineteen year old Denise Sousa was sitting in her school's gazebo with her best friend, Amber Rogers, at their college. She was studying English literature and wanted to pursue writing while Amber was majoring in nursing.
Denise had been out of the hospital for two years after being institutionalized since she was only eight years old. Amber was her only friend and the one who had her back since they were in the hospital.
Together, they made it though, got their high school diplomas and now attended community college and keeping track of each other when it came to taking their medicine and staying mentally stable. While eating their lunch in the gazebo, Amber said, "That guy is totally checking you out, Denise!"
Denise looked up and saw the gorgeous track and baseball star, Brian Gallagher. He was talking with his friend but stared at Denise with those striking green eyes that made any girl weak to the knees. Of course, he was struck by Denise's beauty; she was exotic looking. Denise shook her head and said with a shy smile, "Ignore him. I am."
"Uh...I can't. He's kinda coming this way." Amber chuckled.
Brian said goodbye to his friends and walked over and said, "Hi. I feel like I know you from my 8am Spanish class."
"And now, three is a crowd. Bye." Amber joked as she got up and walked away.
Denise gave her a look only for Amber to mouth, 'Go. Talk to him.'
Shaking her head, Denise looked up at Brian and said, "Yes. I'm sure you've seen me."
"So do you normally sit in the gazebo for lunch?" Brian asked as he took a seat across from Denise.
"Are you normally this corny?" Denise chuckled.
"Sorry" Brian ran his hands though his hair. "I guess you make me nervous."
"All is forgiven." Denise smiled and then took a bite of her chips.
Silence fell for a few seconds only for Brian to say, "Hey, you speak Spanish very well and I've noticed you speak it outside of class."
"Well Portuguese and Spanish are very similar." Denise chuckled.
"Maybe you can tutor me?" Brian asked.
"Tutoring as in you need help or tutoring as in you are using that to get close to me?" Denise gave him a look.
"Both?" Brian laughed making Denise smiled.
"I'll look into it." Denise smiled.
As Denise threw her leftover lunch away, they grabbed their bags and walked off together.
"I'm Brian Gallagher." Brian extended his hand to Denise.
"Denise Sousa." Denise took Brian's hand and shook it.
Since then, Denise and Brian spent everyday together. She would meet with him before or after class and she help him with Spanish. Sometimes, they'd spend hours in the library laughing and studying together until it was closing hours.
Amber was so happy she got them together because this was the happiest she had seen her friend. Denise's life wasn't best, for when she was a little girl, her father drank a lot, had a bad temper and often molested her. Mrs. Sousa was oblivious to it. The moment she found out, she confronted her husband, which led to a violent argument. Mrs. Sousa threatened to get the police on him and take away Denise. Out of retaliation, Mr. Sousa stabbed his wife multiple times until she bled out. This encouraged him to grab his shot gun, put it under his chin and blow his brains out. Denise was only a little girl when she witnessed this.
After that incident, Densie, who became very cold, was moved to a foster system for she didn't have relatives in the United States. Both her grandparents in Portugal didn't agree with her parents getting married and disowned both of their children, hence why she was put in the foster system. Her foster parents were a well off couple in a beautiful suburban section of Los Angeles. She never acknowledged the kindness and love her foster parents showed her, for the only thing she knew was being treated with abuse.
"I hate you! You'll never be my mommy and daddy!" The young Denise would tell her foster parents.
Denise's foster parents did the best they could with her; they brought her the prettiest clothes, the newest toys and gadgets, took her to art classes and signed her up for writing classes...even taking her to the child therapist. None of that was enough for Denise. One night, while her foster parents were asleep, Denise doused the kitchen with flammable liquid and set the kitchen ablaze. This was a sign of a psychologically damaged little girl. Her foster parents immediately admitted her.
During her stay, she disregarded the love and affection from her foster family whenever they came to visit. She found she'd rather be in the hospital than with people posing as her parents. Who was to say they would treat her the same way her real parents did?
For most of her life, she was going in and out of the hospital. At age 13, she had an outburst for not getting the role of Lady Macbeth in the school production of Macbeth. She chased her drama teacher with a pair of scissors, even attacking the girl who got the part. The caused her to be admitted again. Around that time, she met a pretty half Irish, half Asian girl with dark hair and freckles. They were roomed together.
"What's your name?" She asked.
"Amber Rogers." the other girl replied. "You?"
"Denise Sousa." Denise replied.
Amber was a suicidal and depressed girl who was admitted for cutting and attempted suicide after her father was diagnosed with brain cancer. The two found comfort in one another and were each other's teammates though it all. It was Amber that pushed Denise through. The day they were finally released, Amber offered Denise to live with her and her family.
They both attended the local community college together just to help get their lives back on track. Denise even got a part time job at a Brazilian restaurant to help her save up for her own place and to be able to afford her medication.
Brian was the best thing to happen to Denise. They would share each other's secrets and go everywhere together. After a love making session and laying in each other's arms, Denise looked up at Brian and said, "Brian, promise me you will never leave me."
Brian looked down at her and said, "Never. I love you, Denise Sousa, and I promise as long as I live, I will never let you go."
These words Denise had let sink in.
Three months went by and Denise quit her medication unknown to Amber and Brian. In fact, he started to see Denise's true nature slowly but surly. It wasn't all sunshine, apples and unicorns as it was in the beginning. Her erratic behavior was coming out and it was scary. Brian couldn't be talking to another girl without Denise accusing him of cheating.
"She is a friend! Why are you getting jealous?" Brian would scream out.
"I see how she looks at you!" Denise screamed back.
"Okay…there is just too much crazy around here…" Brian would tell her and then leave her alone.
Denise even showed jealousy in school. Sometimes, when Amber would hang out her and Brian, she accused Amber of flirting with Brian.
"He's your boyfriend. I'm not attracted to him." Amber replied.
"You better not be or else I'm going to have to kill you."
Taken aback, Amber looked at Denise only for Denise to say, "Kidding! I'm kidding!"
From stalking to making scenes in public, Brian had all he could take and attempted to break up with Denise. She grabbed a pair of scissors and held it to her neck.
"If you leave me, I will find someway to end my life and blame it on you to where they will lock you up!" She cried as she held a knife to her throat. "Don't leave me! You said you'd never leave me!"
This was only the first time on many occasions she threatened her life. Brian felt trapped. His friend, family, even Amber saw he looked drained and all talked him out of leaving Denise.
One day at work, Denise was mostly on her phone stalking Brian's whereabouts. She even used the restaurant phone to leave him messages only to be caught by her boss, Pedro.
"Denise, I have gotten complaints by the servers and customers saying you keep giving out the wrong menus and that you are just throwing the menus down on the tables."
"Desculpe, Pedro. I'm having issues with my boyfriend and I'm not in my right mind..."
"Well whatever is going on, worry about it on your own time. I need you to focus on work right now." Pedro told her and started to walk off.
Not taking kindly to this, Denise grabbed a pair of scissors from the hostess station and started to attack her boss, leaving him cut. He locked himself in the office and called the police on her, firing her that same day. The actions of her arrest and outbursts had her kicked out of school.
Amber had enough of her friend's unstable behavior and even found out she had quit her medication like cold turkey. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Amber said, "You know, you are my best friend and I love you but I can't help you."
After hearing about Denise quitting her meds and her outburst at her job, Brian finally ended things with her over the phone.
"I love you, baby, but you need to get help." Brian said.
This caused Denise to attempt suicided again to where she ended up back in the hospital.
During her stay, she had found out Brian and Amber had gotten together and vowed vengeance on them both. She manipulated the staff at the hospital, letting them know she was getting better and even faked taking her meds, spitting them out when no one was looking. Three months later, the staff thought she was okay to leave. The night she left, she purchased cocaine as apart of her plan to set Brian and Amber up. Then she went to Brian's apartment, wearing all black.
Brian answered the door to find Denise.
"Denise? You are out of the hospital? I thought..." Denise cut Brian off.
"I had to see you."
"Well as you know, I have a new girlfriend so now isn't the time." Brian told her.
"So you leave me in my most fragile state after promising me you'd never leave."
"Denise, when were you not in a fragile state? I'm sorry to be harsh but I couldn't go on in our relationship anymore. Now, please leave." Brian tried to shut the door only for Denise to invite herself in and hold a knife to Brian.
"Whoa...what are you?" Brian was freaking out.
"Babe, what are you..." Amber walked out and saw Denise holding a knife to Brian. "Oh my gosh...Denise..."
"What? What Amber?" Denise screamed. "I was in the most fragile state and you guys both abandoned me! And I find out you two are actually together? Do you know what a slap in the face that is?"
Brian and Amber exchanged glances and looked at Denise.
"We tried to help you and were always there for you but you didn't do anything to help yourself." Amber explained.
"You were my best friend...we were teammates and this is how you repay me?" Denise was crying when she turned to Brian, "And you, you said you loved me and promised to never leave me. No one tells me they love me and then leaves me!"
"I'm sorry, Denise." was all Brian said.
"Well you know what?" Denise started. "Sorry doesn't cut it. It all ends tonight."
Denise stabbed Brian in the stomach, much to Amber's horror.
"Amber, run!" Brian screamed as Denise held him and stabbed him repeatedly. She stabbed him until his body was lifeless.
"Amber! Amber, where are you?" Denise ran and found Amber about to dial 911, only for Denise to slash her throat.
Amber looked at her friend in horror and fell to the floor. Denise stabbed the girl who was once her friend over and over until she had no where else to stab her.
"That should do it." Denise looked down at Amber's lifeless body. She had to make this look like an in home drug deal gone wrong. She set up the cocaine she purchased in Brian's closet, cleaned herself up, tossed away the clothes she wore before evacuating the apartment. A month would go by where she would end up at the bar that she would happen to meet Martin Riggs at.