I always knew how it felt to be invisible. To not be seen. My whole life I had gone unnoticed. No one at school noticed me. Not even the teachers. I had exceptional grades. I played the flute in the band. Played volleyball and soccer and still no one noticed me. Except for Sam.

I don't even remember a time when she didn't see me. She's been my only friend since I was five. I still remember how we met. Our fathers were both abusive and we were sitting in the councilors office explaining how we got our bruises. All we knew was to say our brothers liked to play too rough. Both of our mothers had taught us young that what happens at home stays at home.

While sitting in the tiny four-chair waiting room, we noticed our similarities. We started seeing each other more often. Each year we were placed in the same homeroom. We had the same lunch times. We had the same recesses. It was like God himself had put us together. We felt safe together.

Time moved fast and before we knew it we were in high school. We no longer had the same homeroom or lunch times. But we still saw each other in the halls. It wasn't the same but at least she still saw me.

In the summer of our Junior year, her father died. It was like a whole new life opened up for her. Sam suddenly had a confidence I had never seen. She started making friends and I got left behind. She still saw me.

As graduation approached Sam asked me to hang out with her one last time. I was so excited to see her. She had a whole day planned for us. She said we were going to go on a hike and have a picnic.

The whole afternoon was perfect. I had never gotten this much attention. The sun started to set and I realized this had been the first evening in months I hadn't been scared for the sun to set.

As the stars appeared a new feeling set in. One of fear. Not of the dark but of what was to come after graduation. I was going to lose the one person who saw me. Who really knew me.

As we approached the car I started to feel faint. I could only describe the feeling as drugged. I had felt it before as a child when I had the flu and had to take medicine for it. My vision started to blur and I collapsed.

I woke up hours later on the side of the trail. Had she left me here to go get help? I thought. I found the strength to get up and walk. As I reached the end of the trail I noticed no cars. No signs of Sam even being there.

I walked along the main road looking for help. Something still felt so wrong. I saw headlights in the distance and I tried to wave them down but they drove right past. Like they didn't even see me. I knew Sam's house was about three miles down the road so I decided that was the best decision.

When I reached Sam's house I saw her outside talking to the police. I ran towards her but she acted like she couldn't see me. Was she mad at me for passing out? I sat on her front porch waiting for a moment to talk to her. To ask why she left me. But that moment never came. She walked right past me into her house. Locking the door after herself.

I walked home in the early morning. Confused and scared. When I reached my house I saw more police officers. Had Sam sent them here to talk to me? That made no sense I was at her house when she was talking to the police. I tried to get my mother's attention to no avail. I was completely invisible. What had I done wrong?

I went inside and laid down on my bed. Falling to sleep from complete exhaustion. When I awoke I could hear the sound of the TV on. No one watched tv except for my father. He said the electric bill got too high when we all watched it. When I came to see what was going on. The news played.

"Eighteen-year-old Sam Moore arrested for murder. The teen has been charged with two homicides that have occurred in the past three years. She killed her father at just the age of fifteen. And last night was caught murdering her childhood friend Laura. More on the story later."

I was no longer just invisible. I was dead.