Lessons from a First Love

Short Stories
A Fresh Start

It was the beginning of my freshman year in high school. I knew I wasn’t pretty and didn’t really like dressing up like a girl. I was very tomboyish since I grew up being around my brothers more than my sisters. I had a few friends who went to the same middle school and high school as I did. During my freshman year, my dad wanted me to switch to a better school, one where all my other siblings, except one, had graduated from. I agreed, even though the school year was already in progress. Despite the transition, I was a straight-A student. I did well in my classes but was the shy student who didn’t talk to others or participate much in class.

The Crush

In my math class, there was a particular guy I had a crush on. Let’s call him ‘S’. He was Mien, and I am Hmong. He was one of those good students and was very cute, but I never had the courage to start a conversation with him because I wasn’t very girly. I knew in my heart that there wasn’t going to be a chance. One of my good friends, V, also had classes with him, which I didn’t know about until after I transferred. Soon, the first semester was coming to an end, and the second semester was starting. Sadly, I had to leave my friends, cousins, and all the teachers I loved for a whole new school with people I didn’t know.

### Chapter 3: Staying Connected

Even though I transferred schools, I still kept in contact with V. I would talk to her about S and my crush on him. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I decided to meet V somewhere at my old school before heading to my new school, since I took the light rail that stopped by my old school first. I wanted to give her some gifts for S. They were friends and talked to each other, so V agreed to give him the gifts. I can’t remember exactly what I gave him, but I did include a letter telling him who I was and my feelings for him. Surprisingly, he remembered me, and we eventually exchanged numbers and started talking. We talked for a few months before he asked me out. When we started dating, he admitted, “Yeah, I had a crush on you too. During lunch break, I would see you around school and stare at you. My cousins would ask me who you were, and I would tell them that you were cute and always finished your work on time.”

The Relationship

He was my first boyfriend, and because he was Mien, my family didn’t really like him. Even though we went to different schools, we lived close enough to see each other. Whenever I had time, I would sneak out to see him or make excuses to my parents. It was hard, and we dated for a few months. I really loved him, but the relationship was difficult. It was on and off because I couldn’t decide between being a “good” daughter and going against my parents to be with him. I was the youngest, and my parents expected a lot from me. In the end, I finally gave up. The relationship was too hard, and we were young, so I just moved on.

Remaining Friends

Even though we broke up, we still kept in contact as friends. We would chat on MySpace about school and life. The reason I wanted to keep in touch wasn’t because I had feelings for him, but because I knew he was a good guy who deserved someone better. He was nice and sweet, and it wasn’t his fault we broke up. He understood it was because my family didn’t like him. After my junior year, I decided to spend my last year at my first school with my friends. By then, I had been dating my current boyfriend, now husband, for a year. Transferring back to my first school made my senior year the best. I even saw S, but there were no sparks because my heart belonged to my boyfriend.

The Fallout

Senior year ended, and after graduation, I still had S as a friend on MySpace. One day, we were chatting, but he started acting up and giving me an attitude. He called me a “b*tch” for leaving him for another guy and said he had found someone better. I was shocked and heartbroken. He wasn’t the person I thought he was. I was angry and explained why we broke up in the first place. After closing the chat, I deleted him from my friend list. My judgment of him was wrong, and from then on, we had no contact.

Moving On

During college, I saw him once but didn’t care and did my own thing. Now, I am married to a loving and kind husband, and we have two handsome boys. I still see S at Sam’s Club because he works there, and I am a member. We see each other and catch each other’s eye, but in my mind, he’s the bad person. I don’t need to turn my head away from him; it’s him who needs to do that. We are now just enemies, and what’s done is done.

Moral of the Story

Do not be friends with your ex because the ending result will not be a good one.

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