The Earnshaws

Our story began in August 2012 (6th grade) when Bradley was new to the school (Cannon School) I had attended my whole life. Although we were in the same advisory (homeroom), we never spoke until November. The first time we remember talking was during a club swim practice. Bradley was on the team, and my best friend (at that time) was too, so I tagged along, and we met that night. I didn’t know who he was when I showed up, but by the end of practice, I knew what he looked like and had his phone number. After that swim practice, we became inseparable. We were best friends. We would FaceTime every day, leave our “study periods” to meet in the hallways, and get coffee together each morning (even though I didn’t like coffee). I had the biggest crush on him, but the feeling wasn’t reciprocated until the end of 6th grade, leading to us “dating” for most of 7th grade. As all middle school relationships occur, we “broke up” after he left Cannon for 8th grade. We were young, couldn’t drive to see each other, and I lost interest since I never saw him in person. I assumed that was the end of our story, but he didn’t; he said, “Maybe we’ll try again in high school. Funny enough, his older sister was still at Cannon. She was a cheerleader, so his entire family still came to football games, leading to me seeing him in passing. I tried to avoid him, but one Friday night in 9th grade, I purposely photobombed his picture for attention, and all my walls came down. After that game, I wanted to try being friends again. We texted occasionally throughout the spring and into 10th grade, but nothing more. By the end of November, I had “made a move”, and with a few setbacks, we decided to meet for the first time (one-on-one) after school on November 2, 2017. I picked him up from school, ate PDQ (chicken tenders), and took him home. We went on a few more dates throughout the month, and then he asked me out on December 6, 2017. As you guessed, the rest is history.  There are too many memories to address within this story. However, we’ve enjoyed all the ups and downs thrown at us throughout our relationship. We got to attend one prom, graduate high school during a global pandemic, navigate our first year of college, and ultimately find ourselves at the same university, UNCW. While we didn't follow each other, we're not upset with how our lives turned out. We appreciated every moment. We got to live separate yet interwoven lives, influenced different areas of campus, found our people, and created the “college experience” we individually wanted.  Being able to have grown up together for the last 7+ years has been a beautiful thing. We’ve found new friendships, interests, and career paths, yet we consistently adapt to support and love the other person unconditionally. Even though we’re still in our early 20s, we quickly discovered that when you find the right person, you’re willing to grow with them. The little 11 and 12-year-olds we were when we first met are not the same people we are today, and knowing we have fought for this relationship and strengthened ourselves together is something we will cherish for the rest of our lives.