Oddly enough it was around the time of puberty that I stopped chasing after boys I went to school with. I was more interested in the posters of movie and pop stars covering my walls.
I was in the drama club, debating, a school council representative and captain of house sports. I was a high achieving good girl, that smoked in the toilets and often got sent home from school for wearing too much make-up.
At least once a month we would go to an underage disco. If my parents knew how many boys I kissed at those police supervised events I would have been banned for life. It was a competitive sport amongst my friends. Anything more? Not a chance. I didn't want to be 'that' girl in the snide remarks and dirty talk of the school yard.
Some of the guys at school would mob the girls, at lunchtime. At first, it was harmless water fights. Fun and games, until they started trying to pull our dresses off. Fortunately the more we screamed, yelled and struggled, the faster they backed off. Even on the hottest days, we we wore t-shirts under our dresses and sports bloomers over our undies, a vain attempt to protect our modesty.
Like most of my friends I began thinking about Mr Right. We agreed it was out-dated to wait until we we married to lose our virginity. We would, however, save ourselves for someone that we were truly in love with. Someone we would be with forever. The One.
Cue the Summer holidays. "I met a boy cute as can be."
He was a year older, a musician who enrolled at my school after the Summer. I had my friends he was making new friends. He was mature and never pressured me. During the Easter holidays he politely asked me to take our relationship to the next level.
I considered it, but a nagging feeling that I wasn't in love persisted. I knew he wasn't 'The One.' I broke up with him. Things would only get awkward if he kept asking.
I made some serious promises to myself that year. Some I didn't keep, others I still maintain. Like, only ever doing what I feel completely comfortable with.
I guess I love those hormonal teenagers because they taught me how to say "no thank you" to gentlemen with manners and roar at brutes who use force to try and cross my boundaries.
Did you fantasise about your first love being your sole/soulmate, your one and only? Is this the reason why 'breaking up is never easy'?
I'm sorry, I don't remember. I think I chased boys too for a while but never having been to schools with boys I never had any problems like you did. I think I was in love 100 times, it never seemed to last that long though.
ReplyDeleteRemembering is one of the reasons I'm writing out these love stories now...I doesn't feel like many, and compared to your 100's I don't even come close.
DeleteThe guy's point of view of course on this one is completely different.
ReplyDeleteBreaking up being easy or hard depends on the relationship... not to mention who's breaking it off and why.
I just read a story about a guy that wanted to save his own Rapunzel - I would love to hear more teenage boy perspectives :) I agree some breakups are easier than others...
DeleteHa ha, this one was so intriguing!!
ReplyDelete~S(t)ri
Participant|AtoZ Challenge 2014
Smile, it makes (y)our day!
Thanks Srilakshmi.... thanks for putting a smile on my face
DeleteTeenage years can be a testing time - discovering our limits and our comfort zone. lovely story :)
ReplyDeleteSophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic
Thanks Sophie, i think the real testing times came much later... as a teenager I never expected anything to last forever :)
DeleteI think you were incredibly sensible as a teenager. I only ever had one real boyfriend and I've now been married to him for seventeen years :).
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)
Did you miss the lines about smoking in the toilets, too much makeup and kissing lots and lots of boys? I love relationship stories like yours... I nearly added a line at the end asking - if you're one of the lucky ones that did find your one and only at an early age and are still together - It almost feels like an urban legend to me :)
Deletewow , you had a pretty level head in adolescence. I agree about the breaking up thing...its agony... somehow at that age even if the other person was a jerk it still hurt...thanks goodness for maturity which takes the sting out a bit.
ReplyDeleteThey say Capricorns are 70 at 7 and 7 at 70. Maturity and grace... Oh how I have prayed for grace (especially when I fell in love with jerks)
DeleteDear Ida;
ReplyDeleteIs a first love also the beginning emergence of self expression--or one way for that and therefore so essential for the personality unfolding.
Thank you,
Susan
Garden of Eden Blog
Some peoples first love is there only love... those of us whose personalities were thwarted perhaps turn to falling or being in love (there is a difference) to help unfold and express personality... thanks Susan - you have turned the cogs of my philosophical mind :)
DeleteIf he was bugging you about it, it was right to cut him off!
ReplyDeleteHe only asked once... I might have been ready, I just didn't want it to be him.
DeleteIda you rock girl!! So sensible at that age...I was a buddy to all the guys...no running behind me ;)
ReplyDeleteI think it was because I had so many buddies that I stayed sensible - despite having had so many loves, I spent more years single than in a relationship
DeleteA Capricorn for sure! I remember being that age and wanting everyone to like me all the time. Luckily my then-boyfriend never asked me, I'm not sure I could have upset him by saying no!
ReplyDelete(love reading your stories x)
PS: I was SO off boys my own age when I hit puberty too. I had only older boyfriends and a major crushes on all the lead signers of my fave bands :)
DeleteVery nice story about teenage relationships. You were level headed and decided to stick to your beliefs, regardless of what others were doing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle, the 'others' helped convince me to stay level headed, that and some strict family values :)
Deleteoh no! it ate my comment!!
ReplyDeleteOh No!
DeleteYou're getting at memories of my very first DUMP! It was awful. His name was Mike. Go figure that God would send me another Mike, my real love and nothing like that jerk that dumped me in High School! :)
ReplyDeleteThe first dump memories are coming. God's never sent me a Mike, the other 26 letters of the alphabet are covered though :)
DeleteWe went to all girls schools so we did not get too many chances to meet boys. I just waited out until I got married.
ReplyDeletePreparing for marriage doesn't feature high in Australian culture. I'm sure under similar circumstances I would have done the same as you. It was part of my original plan. :)
DeleteVery good post, Ida. These discos are all over the whole damn planet! :-)
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed... I think they are good value, kids need an outlet, but they would be better if they had a purpose (like learning how to dance, or teaching how to spin music... rather than just sneaking in alcohol and lots of kissing. :)
Delete