Ghost of boyfriends past part 2

Ghosts of boyfriends past continued (this will probably end up 3 parts, so feel free to skip if you have no interest, LOL. I totally understand haha)....back to the beginning...Once I was in high school (and dating age) I never really seemed to have too much problem either having a boyfriend (for awhile anyway) or getting asked out on dates, even though I was pretty dang shy (and still am). I was also smart, a 4.0 student, so that didn't make for the guys to come running - at least the popular guys at school, anyway. But, I wasn't straightlaced either, so I just sort of fit in with the middle of the road party crowd, of the late 70's/early 80's. It was a big school anyway (like 1800 students for 3 grades) so lots of groups to find where you fit in. I had my group of friends (kind of 2 groups that sometimes intermingled, mostly because of me being the common thread).

A couple months into sophomore year (first year of high school where I lived) of of my best friends and I were hanging out in her neighborhood and walked over to some guys house she knew. I had only moved to this area a year before, so I didn't grow up/know all these kids since grade school, like most did. There was a senior guy there, who was super cute and I guess he got my number from my friend and asked me out. I think he was actually shyer than me! He was my first date. We went out on 3 dates. One to dinner and a movie and then I think I went skiing with him. Then I totally got up my nerve and asked him to the winter Sadie Hawkins dance, but he never asked me out again. He was an odd duck, that one! We stayed friends for all my high school years and every so often he'd stop by and visit. Whatever, LOL. When he'd leave, I'd always shut the door shaking my head, wondering what in the world was his deal. You never knew when he was going to show up, either. Sometimes I wasn't even home, so he'd stay and visit with my mom, LOL.

That winter of sophomore year my friends and I were in the ski club, so we all took several buses from school up to the ski area  on Sundays. One of my friends was very outgoing and somehow she would  manage to get us at or towards the back of the bus, with the "popular crowd" haha, even though we never really were part of that crowd during high school years, but she always tried, LOL. My other friend had just started going out with a senior, who was on our ski bus, too. I remember, this particular Sunday was my 16th birthday. I also remember riding home we were all usually pretty wiped out and tired from skiing all day. A senior boy I didn't know, who was sitting in our group, gave me a twinkie (or maybe it was a candy bar), for my birthday. Then he finagled his way to sitting next to me on the rest of the way home. He asked if he could drive me home. My friends dad was the one picking us 2 up that Sunday, so I told her I was going to let him give me a ride home. He had a neat old truck. I don't even think we left the school for about an hour after every one left. We sat in his truck and he kissed me. My first kiss! So, I guess I got to just miss being "sweet 16 and never been kissed LOL. And a senior! haha. He was cute, and funny, and red head. I've always liked red hair. He only had one class in the mornings at the high school and then the rest of the day he went to a vo-tech type place, so I never really got to see him at school. But, we met at one of the entrances before school the next morning and then every morning after that he picked me up at my house (out of his way) and drove me to school. I sure did not miss riding the bus! I hated riding the bus, but I had just turned 16 and gotten my license and sophomores weren't allowed to park at school. I did have to ride the bus home, though, most days. Once in awhile he got out early and would show up and find me before I got on the bus (no cell phones back then) We dated very steadily until right after he graduated. I got to go to his senior prom with him.  I think mostly we just hung out at my house. He did have a part time job at a fast food place, too. I only went to his house a couple of times, his mom seemed to hate me, for some reason. No idea why...I couldn't have been more sweet, shy and polite. He had like 2 older sisters and a younger brother, so maybe she was just busy trying to take care of all that, so she seemed aloof. I always remembered how she treated me, so when my son got a girlfriend I went out of my way to make her feel welcome and liked. I think I did a good job of that.

Right after he graduated he just dumped me. No explanation. I guess they now call it "ghosting"? Apparently nothing has changed, LOL. I remember not hearing from him, which of course was strange, since I think he was practically at my house every single day. This was back in the day of only landlines and you know, more than likely if you called a friends or boyfriends house, a parent or other sibling answered. Again, I was shy, and hated having to call, knowing something was wrong. I think I tried to call him twice and left a message I called and he didn't call back. I don't think I ever did get an explanation from him, that I recall. This was about early July of that summer. I was heartbroken, of course. He was my first serious relationship.

But, of course we all get over our first love heartbreak. One of my best friends had started dating this guy that had just graduated. She had a sister who was a grade older than us and she was dating a guy who was this guys neighbor. Through this group I met one of their other friends, while hanging out that August. We started dating and it seemed pretty easy, because mostly it was all 3 of us couples hanging out as a group. We went out for a few weeks and then school started up and I was a junior and he was a senior. At our school each grade had their hall of lockers. I get to school and he's nowhere to be found. I finally take a walk down senior hall and he's at a locker with friends and barely acknowledged me! I was like WTF?! to myself...but again, I was shy and very non confrontational. So we never hung out at school, but evenings and weekends he acted like normal. He and his group were very into their muscle cars. He had a REALLY nice car (and he still has it to this day. I know he loved that car way more than me, haha). He was nice and he was pretty smart, but didn't want go to college. In those days it seemed a lot of kids didn't go to college, or they went to community college or vo-tech school. We had only been going out about 2 months and he wanted the relationship to be more serious than I wanted to at that time. I had already been through that with the first boyfriend, who just up and dumped me, so I wasn't doing that again. Not to mention I wasn't sleeping with a guy who couldn't even acknowledge me at school, LOL. We did at least talk about it, over the phone. We mutually decided to break up, though of course we often still saw each other with the mutual group we hung out with. There really was no hard feelings between us, with the breakup.

The whole junior year I didn't not have a boyfriend, except for about a month, but went on a few dates and usually had a date to dances. I had liked this other guy in our group and we went out twice, but for whatever reason he never asked me out again after that. I know there were a couple of sophomore boys in a couple classes I had that really liked me, but they just seemed too young to me, so I was just friends with them. Both were smart/good grades type (not usually my type, haha) but looking back, I should have paid more attention to them as potential boyfriends! Both were extremely sweet boys. I remember going to a high school basketball game that winter with my girlfriends and that first boyfriend was there. I just kind of froze, obviously still not really over him. But we managed to ignore each other, LOL. Sometime that spring that first boyfriend and I got back together. I don't recall the how of it, now. I'm sure seeing me at that game got him to thinking about me again and he called. But, it literally lasted like a month and he ghosted me - again!

I don't really remember the summer between junior and senior year much. I know I had a job (that was 3 hours Mon-Thurs nights and 4 hours Saturday mornings), so I was busy with that. I think I just hung out with my friends and went to parties. The town next to us had a "loop" to cruise back then, so that was a common place to hangout weekend nights, as well as the parking lot at the Jack in the Box in our town, LOL. Beer was common at these parties, too. That summer, I also bought a 1977 Camaro, which I loved and of course me and friends liked to use that to "cruise the loop". I had a couple other fairly good friends, who also did not have boyfriends, so I think I probably spent a fair amount of time with them, too.

A couple of months into senior year and I was at party at one of my best friends house. The one who was still dating the friend of my 2nd boyfriend and her sister had dated his best friend (though I think they were broke up by then). Somehow 2nd boyfriend and I started talking again and flirting a bit, making a connection again after over a year. I think I left fairly early, as I had to work the next morning, but I remember he walked me out to my car. We started hanging out a bit again, and after that we seemed to settle into something fairly steady and serious. He had graduated the year before and I think he was then working full time and taking some classes at the community college (which I was glad to see). We dated for the remainder of my senior year. Right after 4th of July he totally ghosted me! I mean geez, what was it with these guys? I remember trying to call him a couple times and his sister telling me he couldn't come to the phone or wasn't home. And none of my friends were saying anything! Finally, I remember saying to my best friend, well, I guess I can take a hint! I do remember a few months later, having it out with him in the bathroom at a party, LOL. I was still pissed he couldn't have just told me he wanted to break up.

Within like a week or two of dumping me he was dating my best friends sister! (who used to date his best friend). It didn't last very long, like a couple weeks. I went on a date with a guy I worked with. I think he had always liked me, but I had a boyfriend, so as soon as I didn't he asked me out. We only went out once. I think I was still just not ready to have a new relationship. And there were no sparks. I think he had been in the "friend zone" for too long, LOL. Then I went on a camping trip with this same group of friends. Now 2nd boyfriend had moved on to dating another friend of my best friend (a girl she grew up with as family friends) so they were together at this camping trip. (that only lasted a couple weeks, too) It was a bit awkward, but I was ok. One of the guys on the trip, I had known the past couple of years, as an acquaintance type of friend. He didn't hang out too often with the group. But, he was nice to me that weekend and I remember him showing me how to shoot a bb gun on that trip. He seemed nice to be around. That next week or so he had a small pool party at his house. He still lived with his parents and they had an indoor pool. Several friends were over there and my bestie called me up and said I should come over and swim with them all, so I did. I think I got there late as I had been at work. (who has an indoor pool? LOL). He was a good host and we all had fun and I was kind of thinking this was probably a bit of a set up to get us together? They all left later and I did stay awhile longer (I only lived like 1/2 mile away), just to see if he was interested. I remember he showed me around their really nice home (on a golf course). At some point that day or next two, he asked me out. We went out/hung out together quite a few times over the next couple of weeks. He worked as a cook at a deli type restaurant and I remember one time driving down there during his lunch break and having lunch with him. It just didn't seem like we were headed into an actual relationship. He never held my hand when we went anywhere or kissed me goodnight. It just started feeling weird to me and I wasn't really feeling like I was getting to know him, hard to talk to, after like 5 dates. So, I guess I ghosted him, but we were never a couple. I just let it fizzle out.

I went on a couple other dates that summer, but nothing came of them. I tended to be attracted to the guys who could make me laugh. I think the serious guys are probably the ones that ended up one date. Then you know the previous story of the Labor Day weekend boy, LOL. Shortly after that I met the one guy I ever really fell head over heels for.....