Delilah James Gray. A senior in college, majoring in Psychology. She’s tall, thin, with curly brown hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. She’s very outgoing and loves to be involved on campus. Delilah is the president of the Class of 2018, and loves participating in musicals on campus. You can find her doing her homework in the library or laughing with a group of friends at lunch. She has the biggest smile and the loudest laugh you’ll ever hear. She radiates happiness and her smile spreads to everyone she’s around. With the highest GPA in her class, being heavily involved in many community service projects, and making herself known around campus, you would assume that Delilah lives a perfect, happy life.
Under all the smiling, hard work, and perfectly planned outfits lies a dark, painful past that Delilah never shares with anyone. She pushes all of it down just so people will only ever see her happy, that’s just the kind of person she is. The colorful, long dresses she wears hide all the bruises and wounds she received from her ex-boyfriend, Liam, every time he had too much to drink and lashed out randomly. The pair had shared an apartment for about two years until with the encouragement of her best friend, Emma, Delilah finally left the man who took away her smile and confidence day after day.
As you can imagine, emotional healing is very challenging after going through something so damaging. There were several nights where Delilah would just break down crying, as she sat on her bed writing a paper, her tears dripping onto the keyboard. The amount of loneliness she felt was unimaginable, she usually felt this way when she was alone in her bed at night. It wasn't that Delilah missed Liam as a person, she missed the beginning of their relationship. The time when he would come home from work with a bouquet of flowers for her just because he felt like it. The nights where Delilah would be asleep and Liam would roll over and wrap his arms around her. I guess you could say she missed being loved by someone. She felt so protected and safe with him. Delilah's broken heart had to be fixed piece by piece in the months following their break up.
You may be thinking that all of Delilah’s happiness is fake or just put-on. That’s actually quite the opposite. Most of Delilah’s happiness comes from attending William Peace University. She has managed to surround herself with great people who continuously build her up. Even though she has not shared her personal life with her peers, she's learning to take care of herself and move on from her past. Delilah continues to express herself with vibrant clothes and the upbeat music you can hear coming from her earphones as she walks passed. Out of all my friends, I would have to say she inspires me the most. Delilah told me something the other day that really stuck with me. "I refuse to let my light be blown out by someone else. My scars and heartbreaks will only make me stronger and more resilient. I know what I am capable of and I plan on getting there no matter what."
