I was 13 and my life was all about youth group and friends. I was going to a Church called Word Of Life with my sisters and best friend. Things started to fall apart there and kids started leaving the youth group one those kids was best friend. She started going to a church called Praise Cathedral and I followed. I can still remember my first time there. As my mom and I pulled into the parking lot I was telling her how nice some of the kids that went here were and than Brad, Justin, Jacob and T.C. walk in front of our car with their ripped up bleach spotted pants and Mohawks. I can only imagine what my mom was thinking. It only took a few weeks for me to notice Jacob and than he was all I could think about. He was so cute. I remember thinking about how much I liked him and how I probably had no chance of getting him to ever notice me. That was usually the case with me. I remember the day I gave up on him so clearly. My friend and I were at my house hanging out and she asked me who I liked. I was afraid to say Jacob because I had a feeling that she liked him too. So I said to her " let's say who we like on three. 1 2 3.... " and Jacob came out of both of our mouths. It was a little weird at first, but like I said before I was usually not the girl that guys noticed and she was. So I told her that she could date him because I knew I didn't have a chance with him and she did. A year or two pasted and her and Jacob broke up, but he was still my best friend's ex and you don't date your best friend's ex. So I kept my feeling for him on the back burner. And than one night my sister Emily came home from hanging out with Brad, Jacob and Dave at Jacob's house and said "Crystal I was at Jacob's tonight and with Brad and Dave and I said to Jacob and Dave that you were available and Jacob said "huh I never thought of her that way." But he had a look on his face like that's a good idea." I was so excited, but I tried to hide it from her because I still didn't believe that anything would ever happen between us. I mean even if he liked me he was my best friends ex and my other best friend had a crush on him and his best friend had a crush on me. How in the world could we ever be together?
After that night Emily was in full matchmaker mode. She and Brad would take me out with them and than go pick up Jacob.
They would talk to me about him. I loved it. I didn't have to do anything. I loved hanging out with them and flirting with Jacob. Than one night the four of us were at my house and Brad and Jacob were getting ready to leave and Jacob pulled me aside and said "I think I'm going to ask my friend (the who had a crush on me) if it's ok to date you." I was so excited and nerves at the same time. But what about friends who's feeling were pretty strong towards him? How is this ever going to work out? After church the next day we all headed out for lunch and Jacob asked me to ride with him. I was excited and nerves. Before we could pull out of the parking lot he said " so I talked to my friend last night and he said he was ok with me dating you. So..... you want to?" I was so happy. All I could say was yeah. Than he grabbed my hand. My stomach filled with butterflies. The day was March 04, 2001.
