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Cheerleader & Footballer High School Love Story Ends in Murder
16-year-old Emma Walker wanted out but couldn’t find a way.
As sweet as the term “high school sweethearts” sounds, there’s scientific reason to believe that high school isn’t probably the right place for romance. Teenagers are at a very fragile stage of their life and the complexities of a relationship and the emotional baggage that can often come with it aren’t what they need.
A study indicated that adolescent romantic relationships and their quality can have a long-lasting psychological impact that can last well into adulthood.
A very real and saddening example of this is the case of Emma Walker and Riley Gaul — high school sweethearts that seemingly had the perfect relationship… until they didn’t.
The “fairytale” high-school romance
Think back to any of the typical high school rom-com movies or TV shows from the ’90s and you’ll find enough references of what the perfect high school romance looks like.
The pretty and bubbly cheerleader falls for the handsome chocolate boy on the football team and the most popular couple of the school is formed.
This was exactly what happened with Emma and Riley. In 2014, Emma was a…