I remember her for her golden straight hair that swung loosely over her waist, and her large blue eyes that lit up every time she entered a room. Since the day she transferred to our school in the 6th grade, she captured everyone’s attention.

I never understood why everyone was in love with her instantly. During study halls, the boys gathered around to listen about her weekends, and the girls lined up to braid her hair with soft giggles. They admired her all the same.

Not me. I wasn’t so easily swayed by her pretty face and fake bubbly spirit. Or at least, I didn’t want to be.

I didn’t fall in love with her until that ONE day.

That one day when I snuck out of the classroom early, she found me on the stairs alone. The project I held in front of me was torn to a disaster, and the snarling faces the boys wore while they ripped it apart was still fresh on my mind. I couldn’t go up there with what little I had. There was no way someone with a life as perfect as hers could understand.

But she didn’t need to understand. She just made me laugh and laugh until I couldn’t move my abdomen anymore. Then she said something that stayed with me forever. “You should let yourself be seen more often.”

I’ve forgotten about her since then. I’ve moved on to other crushes who were perhaps more attainable. I let myself live my life being seen, even with the little bit I felt I had.

10 years later, I’m at a childhood friend’s wedding. The venue is quite wonderful, with blue orchids spread across the floor and pink crystal lights hanging from the ceiling.

And there she is. Anyone would recognize their first love. She stands close to a middle-aged man, their fingers intertwined. Her blonde hair is now cut short to her chin and her plump lips are stained a bold red. The middle-aged man caresses the back of her hand in his grip. They look in love.

Seeing her now, I understand why we all fell in love with her so easily. It’s more than her beauty. I can tell she still holds that kind heart and bubbly spirit that made her stand out in the first place. She just has a way of making everyone feel special