Actually, it’s 500.3 miles away, with him in Akron, OH and I in Graham, NC, and us being 500 miles away from each other is no change from the usual. Corey and I are in a long distance relationship. We met through Facebook, the popular college kid social networking site, and we didn’t hit it off at all. It was summer 2007, and I was too caught up in my own sophomore-in-highschool drama that I brushed his random “Hey, what’s up?” Facebook message out of my mind. He and my best friend had met on a cruise in January and had become friends after (this is how he found me on Facebook.) However, I ignored the message as the same best friend called to tell me the latest news between her and her boyfriend. I had a boyfriend at the time, too, a 6’2” blond basketball player. Although the relationship was shallow and all we did was go to movies without watching the film, I was content. However, Corey was relentless. He messaged me again through Facebook, saying something like “Hey, how are you?” This time I decided to reply and told him I was fine, and how was he? We continued talking for a couple months, and I started to like this college dropout from Akron, OH. My basketball player boyfriend and I decided to break up in September, and Corey and I began talking to each other every night, realizing how much we did and did not have in common with each other. He was an ex-baseball player that had a tattoo and a cocky, exaggerative attitude, and I was a skanky highschool kid with dyed hair and a great body. We were perfect for each other. I admit that we did mess around a little in October over an Instant Messenger. Toward the end of October, he asked if he could fly down from Ohio to meet me. I said no. This 18-year-old guy from another state wanted to meet me? Uhm, no thanks, kid. That required too much commitment and too little safety. But I had spoken with my mom about how I’d been talking to this kid over Facebook, and a week or so later she suggested that he come down to visit. I was shocked, but intrigued. Maybe for the weekend, I thought. So I told Corey that yes he could come, and he made arrangements for a flight 2 weeks later. He arrived in the Raleigh/Durham airport on November 15. I waited nervously with 3 of my siblings in the airport lobby. What if he wasn’t as attractive in real life as he was online? I’d be stuck with a loser for the weekend. Additionally, I didn’t tell my best friend that he was coming to see me. Corey and I had decided not to tell anyone in case things didn’t work out. It would be easier that way for both of us. I held my sister’s hand as I waited for the screen to announce that his plane had arrived. When it did, my palms started to sweat. What the hell was I doing? But since I couldn’t back out, I waited for him to come down the escalator, worried that I wouldn’t recognize him. I did. He grinned as he waited for the woman in front of him to get out of the way and then walked toward me. I grinned, too, because he was grinning, and we embraced and kissed for the first time in real life. The next day he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes. We’ve been dating ever since.
Now, back to Valentine’s Day.
I miss him. He and I are both working today, but maybe we’ll get some time to webcam later tonight when I get off my shift. He and I have both realized how hard it is to maintain a job, succeed in school, and tend to a long-distance relationship at the same time. He’s planning to move here in August and get a job with the Durham fire department or Durham EMS. Since he’ll be certified as a paramedic in June, he’ll already have a lot of the training required for his future career. I sent him a letter two days ago, and I hope he gets it today. It’s a Valentine’s Day card. He had asked for no gift, even though he had given me a diamond and white gold heart necklace. He’s changed a lot from when we met. We both have. We’ve talked about future kids, a future home, living together, having our own dogs, all these plans we have for each other once he’s here in North Carolina, but none of it has seemed real to me until recently. I guess because it is so close to happening. I’m 17, and he’s 19. I know it sounds young and stupid but maybe it’s better that way than not having made plans by now.
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