Imagine:
*at five years of age*
“Hey! I was going to swing there!” I yelled at the boy sitting in the swing I was running for. He ran right in front of me! That’s no fair.
“Too bad!” He stuck his tongue out at me.
“I will give you my animal crackers tomorrow if you get off!” I told him excitedly.
“Really?” He said getting off.
“Nope!” I laughed as I jumped onto the swing.
“Hey. That wasn’t very nice. I am telling Miss Kinnian!” He threatened to tell our kindergarten teacher! Oh no, Miss Kinnian would call mommy and tell her I was being bad! I would get a time out!
“Okay. You can have your dumb swing back.” I said sulkily. I was really looking forward to swinging.
“Did I make you sad?” He asked me. He seemed sad himself.
“Yes.” I frowned.
“I’m sorry. I won’t ever do it again. I am Niall.” So his name is Niall? I like that name.
“I’m Paige.” I said.
“How about we be best friends and go and play on the slide?”
“That sounds fun Niall. Pinky Swear we will be best friends forever?” I wanted to play with Niall. He seemed fun.
“Of course!” he told me.
We pinky swore on it.
*At 13 years of age*
“Hey Ni?” I said to my best friend.
“Yeah?” He asked me.
“What do you think of Caleb?” I asked him. I had a humongous crush on Caleb, the popular boy in our grade. I sat next to him in math.
“I dunno. Why?” He said grumbling about who knows what.
“He is SO cute!” I told him what I thought of Caleb.
“Well, if he hurts you, I hurt him. Okay?” Niall was very serious when he said this.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Whatever Ni. It is just a crush.”
*At 15 years of age*
“Paige would you go out with me?” I heard Caleb ask me.
This is not happening. My middle school ‘crush’ on Caleb had never really ended. I had been dreaming of this moment for two years.
“Sure.” I said smoothly. Not too excited, not too monotone.
“Cool.” He said it the same way I said it. Then he grabbed my hand and we walked to my locker together.
“Hi Niall!” I said once we reached my locker, noticing he was standing in front of it.
“Oh? Hey.” It was quite obvious to me by now that he didn’t like Caleb and was surprised when he saw me with him.
“Hey man” Caleb let go of my hand to brohug Niall.
“Oh. Hi.” Niall said awkwardly, not too sure of what to do.
“Well, See ya babe.” He winked at me and walked away.
Once he was out of earshot I squealed and opened my locker.
Niall frowned.
“Paige, I really don’t trust this guy.” He warned me.
“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Can’t you see how I have been waiting for this for two years now?” I asked him frustrated.
