The Worst Valentines Day I Have Ever Had.

With Valentine’s day approaching, I was thinking back to previous years; remembering the good times, the plain times, and the disasterous time. Are you ready for a little story? Sit back, grab a beverage, and hang out with me 😉.

The time period is the Summer of 2004. I had just “graduated” from middle school and was preparing to enter into high school. During the summer, AIM was the big thing at the time (AOL INSTANT MESSENGER). Do you remember those times? Ahh, how things have changed…anyway!

I was on the computer chatting with my neighbor friend that I had grown up with since I was 6 years old. I don’t remember the exact conversation, but at some point he accidentally sent me his entire friend’s list! First we laughed about it and as I was scrolling through the names, deleting one by one, I came across one that stuck out to me. I don’t remember the exact spelling but it was something like EvnscncFan. I was a huge fan of the band [Evanescence] at that time. Amy Lee was like my hero, a woman singing in rock music. I idolized her so much during that time frame. Without even thinking about it, I messaged the person. I didn’t know who it was, their identity in any form. I just had to tell them I loved the band too.

Eventually I found out who it was, by realizing it was actually my crush’s older brother. He also happened to be one of my older brother’s good friends from our neighborhood [I hadn’t met him in person yet]. I will call him Bill. We kept in contact for the whole Summer. I was going into 9th grade and he was going into his senior year. We officially met in person before school started when he picked my brother and I up (my brother didn’t realize we were becoming a thing yet) and we went to Best Buy. I remember Bill bought me the New Found Glory cd because I had helped him write his paper for summer school. It was an awkward first meeting as neither of us knew how the heck to act around each other, especially knowing he was my brother’s friend. Sometime around then he had asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I said yes. My parents said, absolutely not! [Oh p.s. Bill and I traded cds I gave him New Found Glory and he gave me Simple Plan].

We snuck around it, making up code names and lying about who I was talking to. I think my mom secretly knew the whole time. It was still awkward at school in the beginning, but eventually we were pretty obsessed with each other (especially behind the screens). Rolling into the winter months, February came up, as it does every year. Which then brings us to Valentines day 2005.

Because this was a secret relationship I couldn’t make any plans with Bill. I ended up at my best friends house that day, just hanging out. Bill had sent me a text that he had gotten me a present. I was pretty excited; my first relationship and my first valentine that meant something “real”. My best friend lived literally right next to the high school. Somehow we decided that we all 3 would meet there so he could bring me said gift. We walked there, it literally took 2 minutes. We stood there, freezing cold, waiting and waiting and waiting. I started to think surely he must’ve gotten lost, gotten hit by a car, or just changed his mind. I thought he would be driving over right away. Still, we waited.

It was quite awhile that we stood there talking and waiting for Bill to show up. At some point we saw someone walking from the other side of the parking lot coming our direction. My eyes have always been terrible, so I wasn’t sure if it was Bill or not. Eventually he got close enough I could tell it was him. We greeted each other and then just kept awkwardly standing in the cold. The whole time I am thinking, where is my valentine gift? Shouldn’t he of had something in his hand? His pocket? Something? Hmm…

I don’t remember the conversation, but I do remember I ended up slapping my best friend in the arm. I don’t remember it being a mean gesture, but I do know it hurt her a lot as it was freezing cold and I came at her full swing. The whole vibe was awful by this point. He clearly had lied about the gift, he didn’t know how to act around me still especially around other people, I don’t know what he was expecting when he asked to meet up, even to this day. Then on top of it I just hurt my best friend. I remember her arm welting. I said bye to Bill without mentioning the disappointment of the empty gift and my friend and I walked back to her house.

I didn’t think about it at the time and hadn’t thought about that day in a long time. It dawned on me that that was actually my first Valentine’s day, ever, in a relationship and it was horrible.

I do find it humorous now to think about and all the stupid nonsense I went through with Bill. Teens just think they know it all. 🤣

Have you had a horrible Valentine’s day experience? Do you remember your first one outside of exchanging valentines in class? Let me know, I’d love to hear your stories!

💌jenn