CJ and I met in 2021, when I was a junior at Coal City High School and he was a senior at Seneca High School. Before meeting CJ, my friend group in 2020 consisted of a few of my close girlfriends and a couple of guy friends from Seneca. We spent a lot of time together—hanging out constantly during the summer and continuing to see each other on weekends throughout the school year. Through this group of mutual friends, CJ and I were introduced. Our love story really began when I wanted to go to Seneca’s prom. I remembered meeting CJ at a tailgate through our friends and thinking he was so cute. A few weeks later, I reached out to him, and eventually I scored a prom date. Before prom, we spent more time talking and hanging out, getting to know each other better. When prom finally arrived, we had an amazing time, and that night was when we both realized how much we liked each other. After prom, CJ took me on many dates, and on June 13, 2021, he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. He told me to wear a dress, showed up at my house with a beautiful flower arrangement, and took me out to dinner. We’ve been together ever since, including four years of long distance, and we’ll be celebrating five years together this upcoming June.