CRUSHES

by Suzanne

We got to talking on someone's post the other day or week about first loves. This got me to thinking about my first crush. No, not the lastest media-blitzed boytoy made to appear all american or rebellious for the thrill of young girls. I mean that first guy who makes your heart do little flips every time you're near him? The one you have a secret crush on but would DIE if he ever found out, especially if he didn't think of you as anything more than a buddy or little sister. (That's Gidget over there with the big crush on Moon Doggy!)

See, I have great experience being everyone's little sister. I have a brother older than me by just a little over 2 years. Our yard was one alley, one neighbor's yard and a non-busy street from the local playground/park. AND we had a basketball hoop at the end of our large driveway and a yard big enough to play a pick up game of whiffleball. My brother played baseball, basketball, football, and had a slew of friends. Great, right? All the cute boys hung out at our house.

Unfortunately. They all considered me everyone's little sister. BIG SIGH.


(In Empire Records, Live Tyler's character has a crush on a teen heartthrob from her mother's era trying to make a comeback.)




But in the seventh grade I met Greg. He was my age, just moved to our city and his family had just started attending our church. He didn't know I was everyone's little sister and we actually just talked.....a lot. Now, most girls would've used this as an opportunity to flirt. EXCEPT, remember, I was everyone's little sister. I was as straightforward and direct in my conversations with guys (still am) and had no idea how to flirt. (Goodness this would make a great YA romance, wouldn't it?)

So as my heart would do little flips whenever we'd talk in person or on the phone, I slowly came to realize that Greg thought of me as a buddy. (More teen angst.) This to a teenaged girl is worse than being the little sister. In movies, the geeky buddy type girl transforms into this cute or raving beauty and the hero suddenly sees her as something different. In real life, they never see you as more than the buddy. (Trust me.)

But, back to my crush. This was no quick, meet him, know him, over him in a few weeks crush. It went on for years. My secret hope that got me through the bad times of middle and high school years. That special boy that I knew and few of my school friends knew, since he and I didn't attend the same schools, just the same church. BIG SIGH.



(That's Mary Stuart Masterson in Some Kind Of Love, the buddy with a crush on Eric Stoltz' character.)




We did church plays together. He was the drummer in the teen choir/band that put on performances in our church and others...I was the lead soprano. We did Vacation Bible School together...EVERY YEAR. We hung out on Sunday morning, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights and once a month on Fridays when the teen groups got together. I knew his plans for after graduation, he knew mine.

Slowly, over time, (as I seem to be a slow learner in the matters of the heart), my attraction for him dimmed and I realized we would never be more than friends. We moved on. We both found mates, married, had kids and lost touch with each other.

But to this day, when I think back to my teen years, my crush on Greg always plays a happy part of my memories. He was the first boy to break my heart, (even if he didn't know it), the first that let me NOT be the little sister, but a friend. The first to let me feel what it was like to love someone not related to me.

I've added some pictures of my favorite teen-crush movies. What are yours? Do you have a favorite teen-crush book? Did YOU have a secret crush? Tell us all about it, (first names only!)