Julie Swinton disappeared off the face of the Earth without a trace during the last week of August. School was right around the corner, and her disappearance hit us like a cannonball. When I heard Julie was missing, I broke down. Forget all that manly baloney, I cried a friggin' river. I got the word just hours after we had shared our last kiss. I never saw her again.

The police scoured the county and the neighboring ones. But they never found her. Our sleepy little town was suddenly in the spotlight, the scene of the crime, the last place Julie Swinton was ever seen. Her school picture dominated the papers and local news for about a month, including exclusive interviews with her shaken friends, and her heartbroken family. Her doorstep was showered with bouquets, cards, and sympathy gifts from all corners of the county, which needless to say, rarely witnessed crime. Eventually, the story spread to national news and circulated around the country. Mrs. Swinton even went on Oprah. Julie still never came back.

Eventually, the Swintons held a memorial service. The whole town came to the local church and told stories about Julie. But the Julie they spoke of, the town darling who would never dream of stepping a toe out of line, left me rightly confused. Who was this alien girl? Not the one I knew. Definitely not the one I fell in love with. So I guess that's why I'm here. Because you deserve to hear the story of my Julie, the love that was ours, and the year before she left us forever.