My boyfriend and I have an odd relationship, and I say that with a loving heart. We wrestle, go for ice cream or McDonald's runs at two in the morning, have a catch almost every day of the summer, compare ourselves to characters in "The Big Bang Theory", and we become football rivals when Sunday arrives. It was junior year of high school when we first noticed each other. Safe to say, if it wasn't for school, we would have never met.
Our high school physics class was having a study group for our midterm the following week. We were scrawny little teenagers who both didn't have a date to the junior prom. A mutual friend asked him if he would go to prom with me (because I didn't have the courage to ask him in person). From just having met each other for about a week, I was not expecting his life-changing answer. And for some reason (I still don't know why to this day), he said yes.
I was a tomboy who wore sweatpants almost every day possible to high school (actually, I still do in college). Academics were not my forte, and I had no desire to learn more than I had to. My life consisted of sports and that's all I had to worry about. But, senior year of high school came around and without any warning, I saw myself changing.
Although twice my size, he gave off a teddy bear vibe that was too hard to forget. But he was a baseball player becoming a MLB prospect, who lived on the other side of the tracks (as my grandmother would say). Not in a million years would I ever see myself with someone of such measure. The end of junior year however, was the beginning of our peculiarly wonderful relationship.
More than two years had passed (now sophomores in college) and it was Sept. 12, two days before my birthday. While on the way to a restaurant, he gave me a bag and told me to open it. I'm sure you know by now what was inside: diamond earrings and a Leatherman knife. My mind broke down, everything inside me shut off. All I could do was smile endlessly. It seemed for the first time in my life I was truly happy. Yes, you may think it was just a simple and thoughtful gift, but for me it was much more. I finally realized I fell in love with someone who understands me.
College was a new chapter in both our lives and so far we have managed to keep it all together. But I was surprised at myself going into sophomore year of college. I recognized how much he changed me - for the better. He showed me how to have patience and love for people I care about. He taught me that family is the only constant in my life. He showed me how something as transparent as love can destroy or build a person. He taught me that there are positives to be drawn from every situation. He showed me that there is more to life than just yourself.
Four years ago, when I was in high school, I was the typical, miserable, low grades, parent-hating teenager. Now, I am a whole new person. I care for others, put my academics first and always focus on others before myself. I come home almost every other weekend to see my loving family. I am on the Dean's List and a part of the National Honors Society. I joined a community service fraternity and have a leading role in the Special Olympics of New Jersey. And now, I am a writer for the Odyssey, all achievements my high school teenage-self would have never imagined. I am a different person, for the better, and I owe it all to him.
