Introduction: (After being told my story will be deleted if I didn't clean up some of the Mature themes in the book, I have censored book one here on RR as requested. If you wish to read the book unmodified, please check it out over on Scribblehub. Just as well, Book two, which was going to be released here, will no longer be released on this platform, as it has just as many, if not more, mature themes. It is currently releasing on Scribblehub 3x week mon/wed/fri. Thank you, everyone who read the book on this site, but as my writing style is no longer welcome, I hope to see at least a few of you on the other side. It's been an amazing year and I'm sad to see it go this way.)[This is a heavily censored version of book one. Any thing even slightly controversial has been edited out. But it's an angsty romance/drama that has lots of deep dives into different characters' traumas and their journeys to recovery. The aim was to make the emotions feel as real as possible. While there are some improbable moments, nothing in the book would be considered impossible. There are bits of sarcastic humor here and there.]Jason Merris had always carried a bit of extra weight, but after his father鈥檚 passing, it only got worse. At sixteen, he was pushing nearly three hundred pounds. High school became a battleground, with bullies and his own social anxiety making every day a struggle. Coping with grief, he turned to food, indulging in his mother鈥檚 well-meaning but excessive cooking. All with the hope of seeing her son smile again.Jillian Lins, a feisty redhead from a close-knit family, had her own struggles. Raised by her grandfather while her parents worked tirelessly, she battled with an attitude that masked her underlying sweetness. But a tragedy before high school left her bitter and guarded, a simmering anger waiting to erupt.Their paths collided in high school, with a misunderstanding sparking Jillian鈥檚 relentless torment of Jason. For four grueling years, he endured her wrath, retreating into himself while keeping his pain hidden from his mother.Jason鈥檚 life took a drastic turn post-graduation. With a scholarship to a private Florida university, he threw himself into studying and boxing, shedding both weight and what emotional baggage he could. Meanwhile, Jillian found herself trapped in an abusive relationship, fleeing only after enduring years of torment. Seeking refuge back home, her family is now working hard to put the pieces of her shattered mental and physical state back together again.Years later, Jason returns home for a brief respite from his new job, only to find his mother befriended Jillian鈥檚 family in his absence. Old wounds reopen as bully and victim are thrust together once more. But Jason is not the same timid boy, and Jillian is grappling with new, potent demons. Can they reconcile their past in the short time he鈥檚 home? Or is the divide between love and hate too vast?...