Channel: MinuteVideos

Category: Film & Animation

Description: I was always a suspect. At least I always felt like one. Even in middle school, I'd get looks, rumors, accusations. People'd interrogate me; be like, "are you gay?" And I'd be forced to defend myself from their accusations - as if it was something that needed to be defended. I've heard them all. And was it true? Maybe... But did it still hurt? One-hundred percent. And so everyday felt like I was putting on a mask, pretending to be someone else; like I was on the run... from myself. Our chemistry was unlike anything I had ever known. We bumped into each other after the school game and spoke briefly. It couldn't have been more than a minute, but in that time I grabbed his phone number and he? He stole my heart. Ever since that moment, we didn't go a single day without talking to each other. I was wanted. He was someone I confided in, someone I told everything and, most of all, someone I loved. But to Ricky, I was a secret. He reasoned it was because he was still "exploring his sexuality", but deep down I knew it was because he wanted to protect his image. He was a football player. On his team, he was "the man", destined to "get the girl" and the scholarship. On one hand, I felt like he was ashamed of me. I saw him as just another man hiding behind a mask, pretending to be someone he's not. But on the other hand, I get it. I know I would've derailed his whole thing. So I held on, hoping for the day that he could run up to me after a game, in front of his team, and show everyone the side of him that only I saw. He cheated. If we just broke up right then and there, maybe things today would be different. But instead we argued. We argued for weeks. We argued about how he lied, how he kept me hidden, and what was it that we had. An open relationship? Friends with benefits? And so I started thinking, maybe he didn't cheat. Maybe I just misread what we were. Still, that couldn't fix the fact that I was shattered, disgusted, embarrassed. I loved him with my entire being and he only loved me with a fraction of his. But when he turned up at my house not long after and apologized, I knew we were more. And I forgave him. I didn't think I'd ever find another relationship like this, so I held on - even if I knew I'd never be as happy as I was before. Something inside me broke, permanently. I wasn't special no more. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me. So that night, after he fell asleep, I took his phone and went to the bathroom. I know its wrong, I know its a breach of his privacy and his trust. And I would have felt bad if I was unjustified. But I was. I found evidence. He'd been talking to another man,"David". I don't know when it started and if it was serious, but it was on-going. I couldn't believe it. If he told me, I would have been okay. But he lied. Again. Right to my face. It was so easy for him, I had to wonder what other things he'd been lying to me about... It had been a month since that argument and I wanted to pay him a visit. I was calm. I didn't want to get back together. I just wanted to get some answers, some closure; end on better terms. This relationship deserved that much. I tried calling him - but no response. I tried texting - but he hadn't been online in a few days. I thought, maybe he changed all his contact details so I checked his Instagram, clicked on "tagged posts", and found a recent picture. I remember thinking, "I guess he didn't change his Instagram". Then, I read the caption: "R I P Ricky". We chose this story because we want to encourage people to speak up if something similar has happened to them and to seek help if they're still in such a situation. We hope this video will encourage people to feel empathy and compassion for those who have gone through such experiences. And we hope that it will encourage us all to do what we can to prevent these things from happening. Even if it does happen we want to encourage people to speak up for their own safety Submit your story at: community02.com/story/new Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/minutevideos.productions Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/minutevideosdotcom Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/minutevideos