Boys, Boys, Boys

**To read this Flashback Series, click the link at the top of the page.**

She loved living in town at their new house. Walking or riding her bike to her friend’s house after school was her favorite. She just loved the freedom that came with being able to do that. When they lived out in the country, she couldn’t play with friends because no one was home to drive her into town. Now? She didn’t have to wait! It was all kinds of awesome.

Once she realized that she was overweight and started to lose weight and grow out her hair, something really strange happened. Not only was she receiving compliments but boys were noticing her.

Boys never noticed her. It was just in the past year or so that people stopped mistaking her for a boy herself.

It felt so good.

She had boys who wanted to be her boyfriend. It was crazy. But she loved it and was sort of flabbergasted by it. It seemed unreal that a boy would be interested in her.

Before she knew it she was at her first boy/girl party and was having her first kiss at her best friend’s house underneath the stars. All she kept thinking was that it was really wet. But exciting. He liked her!! He wanted to kiss her!! It was wonderful.

After a few weeks, they broke up and she had another boyfriend. It was 7th grade after all. You don’t have boyfriends for long in junior high. Then another. And another. It was exhilarating! In the spring, a new boy moved to their town. This happened so rarely in their small town that it was a very big deal. He was cute too. She couldn’t believe it when he picked her as his first girlfriend!

He picked her first!!!

She was over the moon. They’d talk on the phone for hours. He’d sing her Bon Jovi songs and tell her how much he liked her. They kissed, of course. He lived out in the country so they didn’t get to see each other after school unless she was at her Dad’s house. Then he would ride his bike over to see her. Sometimes he would be in town at a friend’s house and she would ride her bike over there to see him. They held hands in the hallways and sometimes even kissed by her locker. She felt very grown up.

Then he dumped her. Ouch. Her first taste of a broken heart did not feel very good at all. Even though they had only been a couple for a few months, it still hurt. A few months in 7th grade is like a few years for an adult. There was no doubt it hurt.

She still enjoyed the fact that this new boy had wanted her first.

There was a boy in the 8th grade that was gorgeous and everyone wanted to date him. The spring dance was coming up and she desperately wanted to go with him. This one was way out of her league. But she called and asked him to be her date to the dance anyway.

He said yes.

She got a beautiful white strapless tea length dress with small purple flowers all over it. She even got high heels! She felt beautiful. This was the type of dance where you just meet your date there and dance together, not like homecoming or prom in high school. But it was still a big deal to her. They danced a few times and she hung out and fast danced with her friends and had a blast. He walked her home and kissed her goodnight. She was hoping he would become her boyfriend, but he didn’t. He picked someone else instead.

Ouch.

Why didn’t he want her? Did she do something at the dance? Was she not pretty enough or fun enough? She never knew but tried not to let it bother her too much. Disappointment wasn’t a new feeling.

She no longer looked like a boy and boys were finally interested in her. It was quite a feeling.