Yearlong Song Challenge, Day 11: Laura

Prompt: "The song you think of when you think about your first crush"

Selected by Laura

"Dance, Dance"

Fall Out Boy

From Under the Cork Tree, 2005

I don't remember who my first crush was, let alone a song that reminds me of him. It's hard to keep track when you've developed a crush on almost every boy who so much as looked at you across the cafeteria table. I took a liberty with this one, and instead of picking an arbitrary song that reminds me of someone I maybe had a crush on for a day, I chose a song that reminds me of my longest, most significant crush.

This crush spanned the course of at least five years, beginning in sixth grade. He went to my middle school, lived across the street from one of my best friends, and was just so dreamy. It was always a good day when I would go to my friend's house and we'd just happen to hang out with him as well. I knew he liked me too, because we danced together at the middle school dance (obvi). But at the end of that school year, he moved (only a few towns away, but a different school district).

We continued to run in my same friend group, and I'd still see him pretty often among friends. Our hangouts consisted of meeting up at the Neshaminy Mall in a large group and me blushing the entire night in his presence. We also can't forget the major part that AOL and AIM played in keeping my crush alive and well. This is basically how it went throughout the rest of middle and high school. Of course, there were other boys I liked and dated, but I would drop everything for this one if the day ever came.

The summer before I went away to college was our time. He moved back to the area to live with his dad, and we spent tons of time together. A core memory I have is driving around, him at the steering wheel, and belting out lyrics together to Fall Out Boy's album From Under the Cork Tree. It was 2005, The Warped Tour was coming up soon, and Fall Out Boy was the new hot band. We sang along to "Dance, Dance," trying to get all of the words right as we drove down Route 1, windows down, just living in the moment that I was chasing for the last five-to-six years.  

Nothing was ever official, and things fizzled out when I went to college, but we still got together here and there. My crush finally came to an end a year or two into college after not seeing each other for awhile, busying myself with college things, and meeting tons of new people. But as Fall Out Boy would say, "Thanks for memories." They were definitely good ones!