Falling in and out of love…


In the words of a classic romance novel, The Notebook, “You’ll never forget your first love.” No one can relate to that line, better then Alyssa R.

Alyssa had many friends in elementary school, but non as great as her best friend, Dom A.

“Dom has been like my big brother every since 5th grade.”

Seeing how close Alyssa was to Dom, she spent a lot of time with him during school, especially during recess. It was there that Dom, introduced Alyssa to one of his good friends, Mike P.
Alyssa and Mike were in her words,”crazy as can be for one another.”

Mike officially asked Alyssa out, the summer of his freshmen year. Alyssa was a year younger, but that didn’t matter to Mike.


The first time Alyssa knew she was in love was 5 months in, when Alyssa took Mike ice skating in Chicago with her family. While Mike and Alyssa were on the ice holding hands enjoying there time together, Alyssa says,” He squeezed my hand three times and finally said I love you.”

Alyssa says, “It was the little things he did that made me fall even harder for him.” Mike never let a day pass without telling Alyssa how beautiful she is or how much he loves her. They had date night once a week, and spent days on end at each other houses.

“I loved Mikes mom like she was my own, I was pretty much comfortable with the whole family, I felt apart of it in a sense.”



From Alyssa’s 8th grade summer up until the beginning of her sophomore year, Mike and Alyssa had an ideal relationship.

Fights started to happen, and the reality between both of them started to set in. Alyssa says,”towards the end, we both realized we were growing apart, and that was the hardest part of it all.”

In the middle of Alyssa’s sophomore year, Mike ended the 2 ½ year relationship,

Alyssa’s was crushed; she didn’t know what to do from there. Alyssa spent so much time with Mike; she didn’t know how she was going to readjust her life without him in it.

It took all summer for Alyssa to be somewhat ok with the fact that her and Mike are done.


“One thing I’ve learned from this relationship is always be yourself and space and communication solves a lot of problems!”

“It sounds dumb but I think I’ve become so much stronger as a person because of him.”

Seeing what Alyssa has been through with Mike, makes me realize that this is a part of life, falling in and out of love. It makes me and hopefully others see that getting your heart broken can benefit you in the end.

Alyssa says that her and Mike eventually became friends after they got over the first awkward year away from one another.

“He will always be known as my first love, as well as my first heartbreak… I have no regrets.”