Little did I know that it had just begun. The never ending cycle of dating. At that young age all I wanted was for Derek to notice me. For the last two years of elementary school I tried my hardest to win his heart. I had a skin condition in 4th grade called psoriasis, so it was easy for me to be noticed, but not in the way I wanted. Days passed, weeks, and then I went to middle school. 6th grade...was something else. I set my sight on a boy name D.J. Of course he liked the prettiest girl in school and was the one who made everyone notice my hairy legs since my mom didn't let me shave. So I decided that boys were mean at that age and that I could do without them. Middle school can be a cruel place. One of my best girl friends decided that I was a lesbian and soon I was left friendless. Thankfully, I found a new group of friends in the "nerd" category. When I look back to that time, I know that it was for the best and my old friends were never really my friends to begin with. The school year was ending and my mom decided to get my face treated first for my skin condition. She also decided that I would spend my summer in Mexico with my grandparents and go to school there since my uncle taught 6th grade. After being rejected twice by the cutest boys in my small hometown, my self esteem as you can imagine had gone down. My face started clearing up, though there was still some spots on my skin. But, I did look and feel different. When summer came, my parents shipped my brother and I to Mexico. That summer marks the start of my dating life.

Luis Angel. It feels like it was just yesterday that I met this amazing boy. Everything in Mexico was different. The first day of school people, boys, were extremely friendly. I made friends with the girls right away, except for Minerva. She was Luis Angel's girlfriend. Most of us have grown up watching princesses fall in love with princes and have all, at one point, wanted that same love. When Luis Angel told his best friend that he liked me and his best friends told me...I didn't know what to think. Until this point, no boy had ever told me that he liked me. As little kids, being in a relationship consists of hugging and running away. Two weeks into the summer, Luis Angel asked me to be his girlfriend after breaking it off with Minerva.

We would hold hands, hug, play tag, play hide and seek, etc. He was, at the time, my prince in shining armor. One day we all decided to play spin the bottle under the huge oak tree. Of course, our version of spin the bottle was more like truth or dare. At first it was little things, many truths, and dares consisting of eating something gross. Then, as though in an instant, someone dared Luis Angel to kiss me. It was random, completely out of the blue, but I remember it was perfect. He looked at me looking scared as hell and I looked at him because I never thought a boy would kiss me. It was a peck, our lips barely touching, and yet I still felt an electric shock run through my body. I was on cloud nine. It was the perfect first kiss. When I opened my eyes, I was back in Texas. Soon after the kiss, the summer ended and I was sent back home. The next year I went back to visit and I saw him at the carnival. I yelled out to him many times bringing embarrassment to myself in the process, yet I was too scared to approach him. I watched as he walked...straight to a new girl. I realized he had moved on.

I wanted time to stop when I kissed him. But it kept going. 7th grade began...a new year...a new boy...