Who Was It With? 

His name is Alex.

When Did You Realize It was Love? 

I realized it was love when he was there for me when my dad died.

What Did It Feel Like? 

We were 11 when we first started going out. But we ended up having an on and off relationship and falling in love by the time we were 15. It felt like I was on cloud 9, literally. I felt like there was no other guy I would love as much as him. I've never felt more amazing and miserable at the same time. On the days we did not talk or see one another I became really sad and detached. It was pretty intense. Falling in love is so exciting, but it really is an emotional roller coaster.

What Happened Next? 

My father died in 2007, we were best friends, and so I began to look for someone who I could talk to and who would make me feel secure like my father did. It turned out Alex was there beside me the whole time, he listened to me and it was then that I knew I was in love with him. I would tell him everything and we never had secrets. I felt so safe with him and he was always sensitive to my feelings. We got together and he slowly but surely fell in love with me. It was as if nothing and no one else existed, we were in our own world. During the summers we'd spend every day together just holding hands and staring at each other. He was and still is one of my best friends. When we weren't beside

each other we would be on the phone for hours. Every New Years we would have a date and it seemed like each new year marked a higher point in our relationship. During the school year we would break up, because of distance, and rarely getting to see one another but, of course, we'd get back together and it seemed like we were deeper in love. He never ceased to make me feel like I was the only girl in the world he could ever love. In August of this year his mother passed away and I was there for him like he was for me. Every day during that first week I was beside him holding his hand. He told me that he was glad that he had me and that I helped him because he and his mom were also really close so, when I was there it was as if although he lost his best friend, he still had me there as his other best friend for comfort. We both were dependent on each other for comfort and love during our times of need. So you could imagine how tough our final break up was, we'd decided to be friends since I'm leaving for college in another state in January 2011 with our past issues

with distance in the past, a long distance relationship was out of the question. It's funny because all of this happened last night, we just broke up and here I am telling my story. But I have a feeling we'll work out all of these feelings and end up getting back together. Next time, I honestly believe it will be for the long run. But, for now, we are giving each other time to cope and slowly we will become only best friends, until we both feel we can handle a long distance relationship.

Lessons Learned

• Always have an open heart to people, because your first love could end up being the person you least expect it to be.
• Once you start a relationship, know it is no longer all about you and your feelings, you have to also think of your partner and what he/she may be feeling.
• If experiencing heartache because your love is not returned or you went through a break up, know that it gets better in time and you will love again.
• Work out any differences you have and be open to compromise and communication with him/her.
• Keep your best friends close because, they can turn out ot be the love of your life.