Love Surprise

By Brandi, 19
"By Girls, For Girls" National Advisory Committee member

At the end of 11th grade I decided, "I want to go to college with a fresh start: stress, worry, and care free!" So I promised myself that I wouldn't get close to someone of the opposite sex during my senior year. Problem solved, right? After one night at a party and many sleepless nights afterward, I knew it'd be impossible to keep that promise.

Strange Dream

I realized the futility of my promise at a friend's party one night. It was a dream come true…sort of. It all started with a friend of mine, Geren, who I had met in the fourth grade. Geren and I spent that summer we met in the scorching heat playing kickball with other kids nearby. I thought nothing of him then. Because we've gone to the same school, we've crossed paths a few times in the eight years since—but it was never anything memorable until I had a dream the night before the party.

I dreamt that I was dancing with Geren at the party for what seemed like forever. While we were dancing, I felt a strange feeling in my stomach. I wasn't nervous or jumpy; I was at peace and sincerely happy. I hadn't felt this way in a long time—and it felt wonderful to have this feeling returned. I felt complete but then I was appalled that it was Geren who was causing all of this feeling to rush over me.

When I woke up, I made it a point to take hours to get ready, look perfectly comfortable, and expect something magical to happen in the hours to come.

The After-Party

As it turned out, Geren made everything in my dream come true…except the ending (to be revealed). As soon as the party was over, I got really quiet and did some soul searching on the way home.

I kept thinking about him, the dream, the party, and my feelings until the sun rose! While I was trying to fall asleep, I tried to replay every moment of the night in my mind again—but for some reason, I could never get it just right. And then there was another problem: Anya, Geren's girlfriend. Anya was my friend who had hosted the party on Sunday night. During the party, she told me she was glad someone was keeping Geren occupied because she wanted to date someone else. Anya had even insisted that I should date Geren because she wasn't interested anymore.

Making the Connection

On Tuesday night, I went to our school's basketball game to be supportive…but really hoping to see Geren. Sure enough, I saw him and managed to grab a seat right behind him. I didn't say anything to him at first; I waited for him to speak to me.

During halftime, Geren put all of his contact information in my cell phone. After the game was over, he walked me to my car. While I was driving myself home from the game, I started thinking about how a single connection on the dance floor could have become so full-blown in my heart. I called Geren after I got home and told him we needed to talk.

From Dreams to Reality?

The next morning, I had a visitor earlier than usual: Geren was at my front door before I was even dressed! We spent the morning together and most of the next day. In the 18 days of Christmas break, I either saw or talked to Geren every day except four.

Geren is the only person that has made me want to break the promise that I made to myself about not getting close to someone of the opposite sex during senior year. In fact, any day now, I expect him to finish my dream.

To this day, I still haven't told him how my dream ended but a kiss is the only thing that is keeping my dream from being complete. Maybe I'll end up like Cinderella because I want the fairy tale—but for right now, I'll just keep admiring him from a distance.

To be continued…

Next month: Find out what happened between Brandi and Geren!