I was 17 when I moved to Santa Barbara to go to college and went crazy after remembering some childhood stuff I had done a really good job of blocking out for a long time. I hated living in a small southern California town. My hair was black.
My mother didn't know how to help me. My brother and I lived in the same town but never spoke and never saw each other. My father called once a week and I told him about my schoolwork.
I lost my virginity to some guy in the dorm showers.
I took up smoking and drinking and continued cutting and went into therapy.
I wasted my time with people whom I didn't love, except for Sarah and Jessica. Nowadays, Sarah works for a non-profit in the Bay Area and is married to a Venezuelan; Jessica's works for a screenwriter in LA and lives with her boyfriend. I visit them about once a year.