Do you remember your first love?
I wasn't intending on falling in love. In fact, I tried my hardest to avoid the guy altogether. It was my sophomore year in high school and I remember standing in front of the library when this tall, dark-skinned guy with coke bottle glasses walked up to me and asked, "hey do you know where the library is?" We were literally standing directly in front of the library so I turned and pointed directly behind us and said, "you mean this library right here behind the GLASS window with all the books on the other side?" Yeah, I was a bit....defensive in high school. I didn't trust guys. I have my reasons but I just didn't trust them. I had four brothers and they told me guys only want one thing. Anytime a guy walked up to me I was instantly suspicious? Why are you here? Who sent you? (insert squinty eyes) Anyway, I pointed him in the direction of the library and moved quickly on my way hoping that would be the last of this guy.
Wrong! I get to AP English and guess who walks in. You got it, that guy! He was new to the school and transferred from some high school on the Westbank of New Orleans to Slidell in the middle of year. You would have thought I would have been nicer after once being a transplant myself. Alas, I was not. He introduced himself as Prime. I thought it was such a weird name but it turns out it was a family name and is more ironic than anything now being that he turned out to be my first love. This guy was NOT my idea of a handsome fella. However, his mother did a stand up job of instilling confidence in him because he was the MOST cocky guy I had ever met in life and he made it his business to personally get on my nerves. In class, he asked me to borrow a pen. It's your first day and you don't have a pen? Yeah, first the obvious library question and now you don't have a pen? Obviously annoyed, I reluctantly let him borrow a pen. Class ended and the day was over and I get on the bus and guess what? Yes, he is on MY BUS!
I couldn't escape the guy. Now he lived in another subdivision but gets off on my stop and starts talking. He just would not leave me alone. You know how he got me? Persistence! No matter how I insulted him this guy would not go away. He somehow made friends with my brother. I think they may have had the same P.E. class or something and bonded over basketball. Then he started coming over to my house to "play basketball" with my brother. It took some weeks but I finally warmed up to him. The next thing I know I am sitting next to him on the bus sweating because his leg was touching mine, waiting for him to call me, and carrying a balloon stuffed with a bear for Valentine's day.
I never forgot that Valentine's day. I don't even think we were "together". Valentine's day I get a delivery and it was a bear stuffed in a balloon. I was surprised, flattered and embarassed!
I spent most of high school being unnoticed. I was the smart girl, the quiet girl. People didn't know me or my business and I liked it that way. Now, I had all of these people looking at me carry this bear around. It was sweet and I really liked the gift but I didn't like all the questions that it brought. "Oooo girl that is cute! Who is it from?" I didn't tell but I knew. From that point on it was pretty clear this guy wasn't giving up. We were "together". It's all fun and games until the jealousy starts.
Prime was the man of his house. His father was present in his life but he was gone a lot for business as he worked on trains. So Prime, being the eldest, took a lot of responsibility for looking after his siblings. He was also a mama's boy. He LOVED his mother and crazily enough his mother's name was....(long dramatic pause) JESSICA! Yes, his mother and I shared the same name. As Prime and I grew closer he wanted to spend more time with me and talking to me which meant that he was less interested in the family business. Over time, I sensed that his mother didn't like our relationship. I don't remember exactly what happened that ended our relationship but I do remember that his mother didn't like me nor did his sister. I wish I could remember some big fight we had but I just can't. His sister glared at me in the hallway and was angry that I had "hurt her brother". Things got so bad once that she even tried to fight me and we had to go to the assistant principle's office to discuss our issues.
Prime and I didn't stay at odds forever. We eventually became friends again and I even went to visit him at college the next year. While we have grown up he is still one of my very good friends. Even his sister and I made up. It's funny how life happens. I have loved other guys since but you never forget that first love.