The time was spring of 2011. My friend at the time, Shane Forsythe, was sleeping over after a Saturday night basketball game. We were both 11 year old 6th graders on the same team. We had the Wii for entertainment and we had snacks. I started creating a couch fort and we stayed underneath the fort. We started talking about boy topics that 6th graders would talk about. “So… Who do you have a crush on?” he asked me.

I was caught off guard by this question. I didn’t want to tell him who I liked because what if he told people? I didn’t want that to happen so I asked him, “Who do you like?” I thought that would get me to not answer his question that no 6th grader wants to answer.

He immediately responded with, “I asked you first.” Dang I thought to myself. I thought for sure that would let me not give an answer. He kept berating me with that same question and I knew I would have to give an answer if I wanted to sleep.

“...Lizzie P.”

“Really?” Shane asked. I had known her since the beginning of 6th grade while Shane had known her since Kindergarten. I had gone to a different elementary school but I knew Shane from basketball before. I was waiting as quiet as a mouse for him to laugh. The time I waited for him to laugh felt like hours. Finally, he started to giggle. I was so embarrassed. So many horrid thoughts went through my brain such as What if he tells someone? and What if Shane knows something I don’t? I was so worried that I made him promise not to tell anyone. He did and we got out from under our forts and went to sleep. I thought all was well.

That was until I went back to school Monday.

As I was getting changed for gym, some people came up to me. Shane was with them and that’s when my face turned red and I thought of what I told Shane that past Saturday night. “Jackson told me he likes Lizzie,” Shane said. The other kids started laughing and started making the ‘ooooooo’ noise.

I thought of running but I knew I couldn’t because that would make me look even worse. I faced my fears and announced, “Yeah, so what if I do?” Everybody in the locker room was shocked. Little did they know I was just a little pufferfish trying to look big. I thought Hey, if they all know about my crush now, they’re gonna tell Lizzie. I knew I had to do something big so none of them would tell her before I. “I plan to ask her out Friday.” By then I was as red as a tomato and the room was like space where no sound travels. I was in my gym uniform by then, so I walked out into the gymnasium.

Nobody said anything about what I did till Wednesday when someone asked when I was going to ask her. I told them the logical answer of Friday, the end of the school week. Then all the boys in 6th grade had heard about my plans Friday. On Thursday, Shane came up to me and asked, “When are you gonna ask her?”

“Tomorrow, haven’t you heard?” I swear he would have known by now.

“Yeah, but when tomorrow?”

I hadn’t given the time on Friday much thought. We were in the same core, 6-1, so it wouldn’t be hard finding a time to ask her. I shared history with her and that was about it. I would not do it in the middle of history with Mr. Francis teaching a lesson on ancient Egypt. Her locker was across the hallway from mine so I thought Why not do it there? I decided I would ask her after lunch when she is at her locker. “After lunch, when everybody goes to their lockers.” We chatted some more and the day went by.

Finally, it was Friday. The week had felt like it went on to the end of the world. When I arrived at school, I noticed so many boys staring at me. I was more nervous than anytime in my life. There was so much pressure it felt like I was at the bottom of the ocean. The clock ticked with anticipation and I waited nervously.

Finally, it was lunch.

I ate with my close friends with my mind still on what was coming next period. I knew I couldn’t back out now. Near the end of lunch, I was approached by Shane and a friend of his named Joey. “Are you ready?” Shane asked. I had butterflies in my stomach and we left. Shane and Joey were the first to follow me but more and more boys started to follow me. They followed me up the stairs, across the first floor hallway, and all the way to my locker. I started packing up stuff for next class and I noticed the boys were confused. “Aren’t you gonna ask her?”

“I knew he would wimp out.” “She’s right there, go do it.”

I told them, “I will. I am just getting ready.” Ready for the worst. I walked across the five feet hallway which felt like a football field. I went up to her, bright red, with a herd of preteen boys behind me. I hadn’t thought what I would say but I was there in an instant. I had to think fast.

“Wanna go out?”

The butterflies flied away but my face was still red. Her face turned red too and the time she took to answer was about five seconds even though it felt like an hour. “Uh… no, sorry.”

“Okay… bye.” I never thought she would say yes, but it was worth a shot. I walked away but then the hallway started to scream.

“REJECTED!” Once the sharp noise reached my ear, I turned around with the most horrid look my face. I was in terror. Louder and more frequent the screams came. Soon, the whole second floor hallway yelled. Even 7th graders and girls joined in even though they had no idea why they were screaming. I had only one thing to do: run. I went quickly to my next class. I sat down in my seat. I was the only student in the classroom. The other students were out in the hallway screaming.