"Hello, everyone, and long time no vlog," I speak happily into my new Canon Rebel T6i. "I've really missed this. I've been surrounded by my loved ones for closing in on a month now, but I haven't been in contact with my internet family, and I'm truly, deeply sorry for keeping you all out of the loop." My tone slowly slips into that of pain.

Ryder looks to me from the corner of my garage, sensing the small pain in my voice. I send a small smile his way, planning to edit that out of the vlog later.

"There have been a lot of events in my life recently that have kept me from making these videos that I'm deeply passionate for, and I've felt a void in my life during my break. I feel the need to explain myself, so here goes nothing." I inhale deeply, unsure if I'll even be able to continue.

I set my camera down, my body unable to hold it any longer as it loses its strength. Thinking of the events that took place recently makes me fall into a dark, anxiety-ridden place. The only help that can remotely suffice is my therapist and Ryder, who sees how distraught I am. Making his way over to me, he engulfs me into the tightest hug he can manage without breaking me, and that's all I need to continue.

I hand Ryder my camera for him to film me, and I settle myself onto the hood of my car. "I wrecked," I begin my explanation, "I wrecked my motorcycle. My beautiful Nightster is totaled." I start to tear up, and Ryder goes to turn off the camera.

"No, Ryder, leave it on," I beg, "It's okay." With a silent nod, he repositions it to where I'm in the frame. Bringing my knees to my chest, planting my feet onto the hood so they don't slip down, I restart. "And this is the story of how it all happened."

"As most of you may know, I moved from my hometown in Ohio to Daytona Beach, Florida. I've come to learn of many reasons as to why, but my main intention was to ride, and never stop."

I pause again, looking at Ryder. His eyes are fixated on me, filled with encouragement. I've been sulking around for the month since the accident. Today is the first day I've gotten out of bed for more than the necessities. Today is the first day I've gotten fully ready, and it's what I've needed all along. That, and to say the story out loud for everyone to hear- for myself to hear.

"Things can change, though. Reasons change. I realize now that I came here for so many other things, which I will not list because there's so many, but I will tell you all one, and that's to find myself with the help of my newfound friends." I stumble over to the other corner of the garage, proving difficult in the boot that replaced my cast and crutches, and pick a tripod up, settling it in front of my previous spot. Grabbing the camera from Ryder, I screw it securely on the stand, then sit back down.

"What are you doing?" Ryder whispers from his seat, and I motion for him to come sit with me. He hesitates, but with a little more encouragement, he places himself next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"This man right here has taught me how to be my best self. He's shown me that I don't have to be so independent, that relying on people isn't as bad as I've always seen it to be. This is my boyfriend, Ryder, and I'm so madly in love with him and everything he does." Turning to him, I whisper, "thank you for everything," then turn back to the camera. "He's saved me from myself, even though I didn't know I needed saving."

"After I met him, my life changed for the better. I saw things from a different perspective: the sun brighter, colors more vivid, sounds more beautiful. He even helped me to appreciate the cold a little more, and I've explained in past videos how much I despise the cold." We both chuckle knowingly.

"We've been in a relationship for what, about 2 months now?" I look to Ryder for confirmation.

"The best two months of my life," he replies sweetly, ending his sentence with a kiss on my cheek.

With a smile plastered onto my face, I return my attention to the video. "What he said." I blush, then continue, once again. "He's been the best, and I hope to see him be in more videos and warm up to the camera some more!" He starts shaking his head, but there's a small smile on his lips, so I take that as acceptance.

"Before I drone on more about how great he is, let's get onto the story." I pause, taking another deep breath as Ryder rubs the top of my thigh for comfort. "Pulling out onto a road, I was hit from the left side. My neighbor had apparently grown sick of my incessant loud vehicles, and wanted to put at end to it. He wanted to put an end to me." At that last sentence, my breath hitches. I've had time to come to terms with everything that went on, but it can still be hard to wrap my head around it at times. I know, however, that once I say it out loud, put it out there for the world to hear, that I'll finally accept what happened. "He came after me. He hunted me down that day, wrecking into me on purpose. I had several injuries, the main one being a broken ankle, explaining this gaudy boot." I lift up my leg, slightly struggling over the weight of the boot.

"I'm in no danger now, but I'm still scared, and there's a chance I'll always be scared, and that's okay. We're all allowed to be scared, but we're not allowed to let our fears control our lives, and that's why I'm making this video."

I scoot off of the hood, grabbing the camera from its tripod and stepping to the side of the garage where I haven't been in a month- where the mangled pile of metal lays.

Pointing my camera to the pile, I start to tear up again. "This is the remainder of my beloved Black Betty. She's the reason I started this YouTube channel, and she'll continue to be on it. It's going to take a lot of time and energy, but one day, she will be restored, and I want every viewer to be a part of the journey. I'm starting a new series of videos on restoring this jewel, so be prepared."

"Before I end this video, I want to thank you all for being so patient with me the last month with the lack of activity across my social medias. I've, obviously, been dealing with a lot, and many of you have checked in, asking if I'm doing alright. I'll be honest, I wasn't. I'm doing better now, though. So be prepared to see a lot more of me. Literally! I can't do vlogs on the bike right now because of the boot," a pained laugh escapes my throat.

Ryder takes the camera from me unexpectedly, sending waves of shock throughout my body. "And expect some videos of Corina attempting to teach me how to ride. Wish us both some luck," he says, slight amusement evident in his voice.

I sneak my way into the frame, and simultaneously we yell, "Goodbye!"

Ryder shuts off the camera, holding it by his side. "What now?" he asks innocently.

"Now, we upload. No editing, just raw footage. I want them to see all of the emotions." I grab the camera and open the garage door, heading back to Ryder's apartment.

I haven't been inside of my own apartment since the attack. My parents, Ryder, Gina, and Steve packed up my clothing and other stuff and moved it into Ryder's apartment the evening after it all happened. The closest I've been is the garage, but I find it my sanctuary, my getaway place.

My dad wasn't too thrilled with the fact I'd moved in with Ryder. I had explained to him it was only temporary, that once I was comfortable going back to my own place that I would live on my own again. Now that I've lived with my boyfriend, though, I don't think I'd ever go back, even if I was comfortable in that apartment. My mom had always told me that home is where the heart is, but my heart is with Ryder. Wherever he is, I'm at home.

Settling onto the dark leather couch, I wrap a blanket around my body for warmth. I may have said that I don't hate the cold as much as I used to, but this place is beyond cold. It feels as though it's near-freezing temperature, and yet, I wouldn't want it any other way.

I grab my laptop and place it onto my lap, then remove the memory card from my camera. Sliding it into the slot on my laptop, I feel Ryder's weight falling onto the cushion next to me. The contents of the card appear on the screen, and I breathe heavily as I select the just recorded video and watch as it loads onto YouTube, readying itself to be uploaded. I click the text box for the title, typing 'This is What Happened,' then once everything is loaded, I select the upload button.

"How does it feel?" Ryder asks.

"Like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders," I respond, resting my head onto his arm, the most comfortable, soothing place.

"That's so cliche," he replies, fiddling with the ends of my hair.

"That may be true," I sigh, "but it's also the best way to describe how it feels."

—————

Hey guys! I'm sorry it's a pretty short chapter, but I've had writer's block for a few days (first time I've had it the whole time I've been writing this book) and this I all that I could come up with. Despite all that, I love how this chapter came out!

Vote and comment, and if you're enjoying it, recommend it to your friends! Just a few days ago we were at 100 reads and now we're making our way to 150! Thank you all for supporting me ❤️

See you all soon!