It all started Friday August 19th, 2016. This was the day I had been anticipating for many months, move in day at Marietta. I was super excited, nervous, and everything in between. We finally arrived at Marietta and had lots of help moving me into my room. I was actually moving in early, as part of the leadership program called EXCEL. In EXCEL you have different small groups, where I knew no one. We had our first meeting, and I had two options as where I could sit. By a girl with my back to the door, or next to a boy and being able to see the door. I obviously took the one by the boy. I was shy and quiet, and hated icebreakers. Tom was outgoing and and nothing like me. I remember going home this night and telling Emma that I met a boy that was kind of cute, but I wasn’t sure about him. Fast forward a couple days and then my roommate moved in. We sat on the floor and ate cookies and Cheez-Its, and talked all about Tom. April decided that I needed to show him I was interested. We went out together as a small group, and I remember purposefully trying to sit beside him and talk to him. On our way back he was showing me how to play some video game; my first attempt at flirting! April was helping me text him at night, because I had never done this before. The next night the school put on poker night, and I went with April. We sat at a table and Tom came over and sat a few seats away from me. He was having bad luck and asked April if he could sit by me, because he would have better luck. The longer we sat together the more we clicked. We ended up going to Walmart that night because we needed some things, and our friend Josh tagged along. We always laugh and think of this as one of our first dates. Tom was so nervous in the car that he curbed it leaving the parking lot. How could we have known that would be the first little bump in a lifetime together. --Amanda