I was a high school freshman, &a social butterfly, splitting my time between two “tables” before school & at lunch- the group of friends I had from junior high that had come to the same high school as me, and the new group of friends I had recently met through some friend of a friend. This new group of friends was primarily made up of guys {I have always gotten along much better with guys}, most of whom were either skateboarders or roller bladers. Some of them listened to rock, some to punk; some smoked weed and some were “straight edge” {no drugs or drinking whatsoever}. But they ALL did one thing: Played hackey sack.

That’s where I saw him.

One day, I was sitting with the junior high group of friends &zoning out, watching the hackey sack game across the quad. The cutest guy I’d ever seen had just joined in, and I instantly started trying to come up with a way to leave the junior high table to go introduce myself. I immediately realized I had nothing to say, and in fact, would likely make a huge ass of myself. So I spent the rest of the lunch break staring & pretending to listen to my friends’ conversation while etching the image of this boy into my mind.

He wasn’t the stereotypical “high school hottie” you always see in Disney movies: he had spiky hair, a bit of a five o’clock shadow, skater clothes & MAD skills at hackey sack. He was just my type. &That smile… oh, that smile gave me the worst case of butterflies in my stomach I’d EVER felt. I HAD to meet him.

Between classes, I asked my friend Jamie* what the kid’s name was. He told me his name was Justin &I immediately asked for all the details. I learned that he was single &I immediately asked Jamie to get me Justin’s number. Jamie said he would & I spent the rest of the day thinking about him.

The next day, I asked Jamie if he’d gotten Justin’s number. Jamie said he’d forgotten but he’d try at lunch. This went on for over a WEEK. {Turns out, Jamie had a thing for me even though he was dating my friend & didn’t want me to date Justin. I learned this MUCH later, but it’s the reason it took so long to get Justin’s number.} When I finally got it, I didn’t know what to do.

I made Jamie call Justin with me. We talked on three-way {remember that?} for a bit, but then Jamie got off the line. &Then Justin and I talked for SIX hours. Literally. Six. No breaks or anything. {&MAN did I have to pee by the end of that!}

Our conversation confirmed what I’d felt the moment I laid eyes on him: I was in love with this boy.

So where is he now?

Asleep in the next room. He just fell asleep cuddling with our son & he is going to wake up in the morning to streamers hanging from the ceiling in celebration of the 8th birthday of his that we’ve spent together. Yes, I am still with my high school sweetheart & yes, I am every bit as in love with him now as I was then-&much, much more. ♥

Linked up with Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop! {Prompt #3: A boy you had a crush on…where is he now?}

*Name changed to protect the unknowing.