Is there a woman in the world who hasn't at some time in their life had a crush on a guy who didn't know she existed, or if he did, thought of her as just a friend?
I remember falling for a guy at university summer school. We went on field trips together, had awkward conversations and oh, magical night -- danced together once. But he didn't make a move. And I was too shy. Then suddenly summer was over. He went back to his university, and I to mine. I couldn't stop thinking about him. I was so obsessed I flew eight hundred miles and crashed a friend's family reunion just so I could 'happen' to walk through the biology department on the off chance I might run into him. He wasn't there. I never saw him again. Long after the crush wore off, every now and then I'd remember him, sigh and think, if only.
My heroine Renita in IN HIS GOOD HANDS was a chubby nerd in high school who had an unrequited crush on popular school athlete, Brett. Not only didn't he know she existed in a romantic sense but he humiliated her in front of his friends. When he comes back to town after retiring from professional football, she gets a second crack at him as a grown woman.
I wrote this story for every wallflower who ever pined after the most popular boy in class. For every girl who thought wistfully, if only he knew the real me, he'd love me, too. For every girl who wished she'd had the courage to let a guy know she liked him before it was too late. For every girl who didn't feel worthy because she thought she was too fat, too plain or too unpopular.
Renita's journey is 'revenge of the nerds' in the love department. I hope you get as much satisfaction from reading it as I did writing it.
I'd love to hear your stories of high school crushes, unrequited or otherwise. What crazy thing did you do to get the attention of a boy you liked?
Comment for a chance to win one of three copies of IN HIS GOOD HANDS, the second in the Summerside Stories trilogy.
43 comments:
"I wrote this story for every wallflower who ever pined after the most popular boy in class."
What a great line, I can't wait to read the book.
Kristin
Hi Kristin! Nice to see someone up so early. However it's late here in Melbourne and I turn into a pumpkin at midnight. I'm going to bed now but I'll be back in the morning.
Oh, I had a secret crush on a young man in my Latin class in high school...three years of being buddies and nothing ever happened. Sometimes I look back on it and think, "Why didn't you say/do SOMETHING?!?!" Ah, the insecurities of youth.
I love the sound of your story. I wish I would have passed my number to a waiter I once had. He was really sweet and I thought we clicked. But I was with my family and wasn't sure that he was really into me or trying to get a good tip. Oh well I guess we will never know what would have happened.
Great post! Your book sounds really intriguing! Love these kind of stories!
Good luck with it!
I fell for this guy in the third grade. I was the only girl who seemed to realize his potential--good-looking, funny, intelligent. I transferred to a different school and by the time we ended up in the same junior high, girls had discovered what I had known all along. Finally when we were sophomores, I screwed up all my courage and asked him to the Sadie Hawkins prom. He was very nice as he explained he was in a long term relationship. I was so out of the loop I didn't even know. Oy. They dated clear through high school. And he did go to that prom with me--duty date. Ouch.
Joan, ahh what bittersweet memories your blog brought up. I was a true wallflower in that I pined quietly from afar for the unattainable stars at high school. I'm finding unrequited love can be just as painful at middle age, lol.
Carrie
All the geek girls of the world...rise and say "Oh, Yeah"! I was tall, chubby, wore braces, painfully shy, skipped a grade (graduated high school at sixteen), and was always awkward. I had a tremendous crush on one of my teachers. He was gorgeous. Really gorgeous. He was a bachelor, new to the area, and he loved baked goods. So, I baked. Every week or so, he was the happy recipient of some type of homemade cake, cookie, brownie or pie. He was also a coach, so I became a huge sports fan. Never missed a game. I am sure that he knew of my crush, but he was always very nice and very correct in his behavior toward me. However, as nice as he was to me, he was very naughty with someone else. One of the senior girls, who was very accomplished academically, popular, and a cheerleader, set her sights on him. She caught him. Before she even graduated from high school, she was spending nights at his apartment. They married soon after she graduated. They had a child, but later they were divorced. I don't blame her--he was a gorgeous man.
I was a geek girl. One of the few in Calculus and AP chemistry. Unfortunately, the geek boys were more likely to have a crush on me and I was constantly running from these guys and their attentions. I didn't treat them well at the time and really regret it.
The book sounds marvelous.
Peace, Julie
Revenge of the nerds/geeks? Yes! I love this storyline. IN HIS GOOD HANDS sounds excellent, Joan.
I pined for a boy in high school, but never had the courage to do anything about it. He was too popular.
These days, I try not to let opportunity pass me by. I speak up! I'll let you know if it ever works in my favor ;-)
I cringe when I think of the things I did.
Too long ago! lol Your book sounds great; would love to read it!!
Yeah, I hear you jcp. Don't want to go down that road
Morning, Joan. Awesome post though!
In high school, I had an unreqited crush on our star basketball player. He was one year older than I, and I loved him from afar. He was very popular and I was a nerd! I went to all his games - both home and away and pined for him. I was on the yearbook staff my Junior year and my editor had the bright idea to give me the Basketball page. I got to interview my crush. I seriously thought I was going to die talking to him. I was so nervous, but the interview went well (he loved talking about himself!!)
I was madly in love with a cool guy in highschool. We were all at a party and he came over to me. Asked: "Wanna dance with me?" I blushed, said "yes!" enthousiastically... and then he laughed and said he sure as hell did not want to dance with ME. My hopes crushed and with a little bit of time my feelings for him disappeared. I realized I was not in love with him, but with the image of him that I had come up with in my mind.
Your book sound really good. I did some pretty crazy things in High school. Followed them around I guess I was a stalker.
I think from the time I was in fourth grade I had many unrequited crushes. In high school I started writing horrid poetry, that I may or may not have passed along to the poor guys. I shudder to think of any of it still existing.
My revenge, sort of, was to marry a wonderful man who was the short chubby kid all through high school. He didn't start his growth spurt until his Senior year. He had been the guy all the girls were "such good friends" with. He ended up being quite the catch.
Sounds like a wonderful story.
My beloved son is currently the geek in his class. He just spent ages working on a Valentine poem for his secret crush. She's the most popular girl in school and won't return his sentiments I'm sure. However, I have a great family and my son will get lots of 'mysterious' valentines through the post on 14 Feb!
Joan,
You hit on a universal subject. One that makes us all stop and think back. And realize we're all sisters when it comes to lusting after these unattainable guys. Do you think they all know and ignore us on purpose?
I was a wallflower. I had a crush on a guy named Peter. I don't remember how old I was but I had just read a article about thought transference. I sat on the side of the dance floor and said repeatedly in my head ~ Peter ask me to dance. It worked ~ Peter asked me to dance BUT it was the other Peter, the nerd Peter. Looking back now and thinking about it the nerd Peter was probably the better catch but I was too immature to see it that way. At least I got to dance.
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed Her Great Expectations. I am halfway though In His Good Hands and loving every word of it. I have to get some work done but I want to finish the book. I can really relate to Renita. I'm loving the story of Hetty and Steve that underlines the main story. Looking forward to The Taxman Cometh or should I say Two Against the Odds. I will be ordering it tomorrow. I really need to find out how this trilogy ends and how a tax man ends up as a hero.
What a lovely post, Joan!
I was much more likely to be the "crusher" than the "crushee" in high school. Junior high? A different matter and I can remember going giddy when a certain upper classman crossed my path. He was not only gorgeous, he drove the coolest car. But he got a girl pregnant his senior year, married her and they moved into a tiny apartment. I lost track of him after that, but I remember thinking "How anti-climatic!" (Although I do recall the name of their little girl: Timmi.) Funny the things we remember.
Your book sounds wonderful. Can't wait to read the series.
Deb
Joan,
Very much looking forward to reading your book...I was the "fat" girl...uh, okay, still am! I am also a writer and have a short story ebook with the same theme releasing on St. Patrick's Day entitled Angel's Luck.
Great minds?
Jane Kent janekent@live.ca
Joan,
Ah, the angst from young love. It’s great story material when the characters meet again as adults. In His Good Hands sounds like a fun read. Guess it's time to make a trip to the bookstore.
I guess I was a late bloomer... never had a real crush on any of the guys in elementary or high school. I had lots of guys that were friends during high school and I was content to keep it that way. :)
Looking forward to reading your book Joan!
I just adore the line "I wrote this story for every wallflower who ever pined after the most popular boy in class." Stunning
I cant say I ever did anything really silly to get a guys attention I had lots of guy friends that in way was more fun than actually dating any of them. We (guys and girls) hung out as a crowd it was as I said more fun and less complicated lol
I loved your post thank you so much for sharing it with us and I am simply dying to read this book it sounds amazing !And the cover simply lovely so bright and cheerful !
All the best Desere
Great posts, everyone. I can see I've touched on a topic we can all related to. If only we knew then what we know now.
Barbara, the irony is that boys have insecurities, too. Your Latin class buddy was probably secretly in love with you.
Laura, ooh, I could just imagine your parents' raised eyebrows if you'd handed the waiter your number, lol. Or maybe I'm imagining my parents. I can see why that would be hard.
ClaudGC, thanks for stopping by! Yes, it's a reunion story with extra poignancy.
Hi, Jeannie, he sounds like a sweet guy, even if he did have a girlfriend. You know how to spot the good ones.
Hey, Carrie, so true about later unrequited love being just as painful. Hope you get your man.
Virginia, I had a teacher like that in grade 12. The girls all flirted with him but one in particular was so blatant. She was gorgeous, too. I often wondered if anything was really going on. These things rarely end well.
Julie, yes, that's the other side of the coin, the geeky guys that had crushes on us. Growing up is painful!
Msullivan, you go for it! That's the benefit of getting older, you gain more confidence.
Jcp, ah, come on, spill! I'm dying to hear that I'm not the only idiot on the planet. ☺
Jackie S. I bet you still remember!
Hi, Ro. I bet you have some great stories.
Tammy, lol, on your jock loving to talk about himself. It must be hard being the object of so much attention.
Kirsten, what a jerk! That's so much worse than what my hero did to my heroine. Teens can be so cruel.
Virginia, but a sweet, harmless stalker, I'm sure.
Kristina, good on you for seeing (and catching) the diamond in the rough. You guy sounds like a keeper.
Scarlet, what a lucky son to have such a great family! No doubt that compassion and empathy has rubbed off on him. Someday, some lucky girl will benefit from that.
Joan,
This is a shared experience! I'm remembering a couple of my hopeless crushes and I'm afraid they were all in my head. I had the chance to get involved with one very compelling one and backed off. I was so hung up on him, then when I had the chance I didn't want to take it.
Oh, it sounds so good, Joan! I love those types of books. In fact, my May book is quite similar. My All-American football player's name is Brent. Pretty close, huh? But he wasn't mean and it's a different bit of a spin, so maybe not quite the same after all.
As for me, I was a late bloomer. All through junior high I was pudgy and very shy around guys. There was one many of us had our eye on - he was the cat's meow. A terrific athlete, smart and, oh those green eyes! He always had girls buzzing around. In fact the whole cheerleading squad had a crush on him.
He and I became friends first - we had a pretty good time together in our English class which led to going steady. We've been together for 25 years. So, yeah, nerdy girls give a fist pump. Cause still today, he's quite a prize. So take that mean girls who made me feel like queen of the nerds! I win.
I never had a thing for boys until my senior year in high school. Then I had a steady boyfriend----so no unrequited crushes.
I was a big fan of the ride by. On my bike, swap cards clicking away in the spokes, streamers streaming from the handle grips. Two, three cruises past the object of my affection's house, just in case he was out the front, waiting to fall in love with a curly haired girl who often got mistaken for a boy. It never happened, needless to say. Apparently stalking isn't a big inducement to romance in primary school. Who knew?
The story sounds wonderful, Joan! Great fun reading everyone elses tales of teenage angst, too. Yay Liz! And Kirsten, that guy sounds like a total jerk.
I had the most painful crush on a gorgeous guy in my class all through junior high. One school dance he came and sat next to me, and said "Hello". I was so paralysed with shyness I couldn't even squeak out a "Hi" in return. We sat in an increasingly awkward silence, until he gave up after about five minutes and walked away. Took me a long time to stop beating myself up over that one and wondering what might have happened.
Hi Roz, I think some of those guys must have known they were the object of crushes but some probably didn't have a clue. Or know what to do if they did. Watching my sons go through their teenage years made me realize how young and socially inept they are compared to girls who mature so much faster.
Hi, Kaelee! I'm so glad you're enjoying the trilogy. Your story about the two Peters is too funny. You could write a book about it. Isn't it funny, how in high school girls dance together because the boys are too embarrassed to. I went to a wedding a couple of years ago and the women were still up there, dancing by themselves. And enjoying themselves immensely.
Deb, ah, the allure of the older man! At that age a year can seem immense. I imagine you're glad now that it wasn't you who got married and had a baby right out of high school. Although, some times it works out.
Jane, it's a great theme because as all these posts can attest, it's so common. Your story sounds great. Love the title.
Mary, thanks for stopping by. Young love *is* full of angst. The challenge in writing this story was to grow the h/h's feelings into a mature love.
Snookie, congrats on winning the Kindle! It's wonderful having guys as friends.
Desere, it looks as if I'm the only one who did anything really silly. ☺ It is less complicated to hang out in a crowd, and as you say, lots of fun.
Laura, oh, I bet you had a few regrets. OTOH maybe your gut was telling you it wasn't a good idea for some reason.
Liz, love your real life revenge of the nerd girl story! Becoming friends first is so good. I'll be looking out for your book, now that I've written mine ☺ My hero didn't intend to be mean, it was just the awkward way teenage boys have of blurting things out that can be so devastating to a vulnerable girl.
Estella, everyone's experience is so different. I love hearing all the stories.
Hi Sarah! Who wouldn't fall in love with that curly haired girl? Isn't it funny how young we get these crushes? My first one was in grade four. I remember being thrilled to death when he 'washed' my face with snow.
Mulberry, my heart ached when I read your story. I was painfully shy, too, as a teenager. Just starting to get over it.... But I see a little bit of shyness in your gorgeous guy, too, or else why wouldn't he have asked you to dance or said something else? We always imagine everyone else is so much more confident than we are when the reality is everyone has insecurities.
This sounds like a great book. From reading everyone's comments it seems we all have had these awkward times in our lives. My high school years were spent watching from afar and never making contact with any of my crushes.
Gosh, sounds like we all have the same story to tell. Love a good 'comeback' story (kinda reminds me of Monica and Chandler on Friends).
Look forward to reading, Joan.
I confess, I ran with a geeky crowd. The boys did my chemistry and physics homework for me. My heroes actually understood what a mole was. Since my brothers were the most popular boys in school - jocks all, as a sister, I couldn't see what the girls saw in them.
Jan, I mostly adored from afar, too. It was easier to build a fantasy that way. :)
Anita Joy, Monica and Chandler, what a pair. That was a good story.
Linda s Ah, but sisters know too much about their brothers to see any mystique in them. I've got to say, I think intelligence is sooo sexy.
Ah, the ones that got away because you were both too shy to follow through. Looking forward to the book, Joan.
Karina
I was the tallest person in my public school. When I hit high school, all of a sudden there were something like SIX guys taller than I - although in their senior years. Back in the seventies, it wasn't cool to be tall and skinny. I was a wallflower/nerd who danced with my teachers in public school, and I stood with my girlfriends in high school. Back then, it wasn't cool to dance with other girls either.... This post has made me realize how I'm glad that SOME THINGS have changed since the "olden days", although I miss lots too....
from Marcie
Day late but had to add - I asked the popular football quarterback to the Sadie Hawkins dance. And he was a year older! Of course he said no (thank God - I wouldn't have known what to do) but I somehow sucked up the courage to ask. And he was nice about it when he turned me down.
Hey, Karina, thanks for stopping by!
Laney4, I was the tallest person in my school until grade 7. It has a big impact on the shyness quotient. Now I'm just average height. People are getting taller, no question. But the girls are, too.
Marcie, good on you for having the courage to ask the guy to the dance. I'm glad he was nice to you about it.
I was going steady (even though I was not technically allowed to date yet) before I hit high school, so no real unrequited crushes there. After high school, though, at my first job I worked with a guy named Paul who was a few years older (2-3) and so dreamy. We talked, but I was never more than a friend. Then, a year later when I worked registration at the University both of us attended, he came through registration and asked me whether I wanted to get a sandwich with him at the student cafeteria. That was as close as I got to a date with him, though his younger brother, who graduated HS with me, kind of liked me. Oh, well.
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