Have you ever been in love? Not that childish, butterflies-in-your-stomach type of love, but real, unrelenting, true love: middle school love. Fresh out of Pratt Middle School, Vera Zatlyn-Weiner and Andersen Lewis (both Class IV) told the tale of their unprecedented romance.
Although they were only together for a brief time, the pair still mourned and contemplated their decisions during the heated three weeks. Their romance was one of friends to lovers, and Zatlyn-Weiner and Lewis feel that it might have been cut too short. Despite the ease of the transition from the what-ifs about their romantic potential to what felt like a lifelong commitment, their relationship was filled with tension and passion. “Because we were friends before, the [three] weeks definitely changed things, so I would say our relationship was more traumatizing and fragile,” Lewis said.
Feelings from Zatlyn-Weiner were mixed when reminiscing about their Fifthie days; might it have been longing? Might she feel regret when thinking about the relationship’s hasty termination despite her ending it? When asked what advice she would give to middle schoolers struggling to part with their relationship, Zatlyn-Weiner said: “I think they should just pull an Anders Lewis and just date five other girls.” Regret, discontent, and a hint of frustration filled her words when asked about the depressing termination of their relationship.
Lewis’ tone was more conflicted, almost hesitant to reveal the truth of his raw emotions. Lewis was fully committed, and he discussed sacrificing his sleep and dignity. Long hours at night discussing what to do the next day at recess led Lewis’ eyes to close occasionally during Dr. Campbell-Malone’s science class. As if that wasn’t enough, the embarrassment continued when his friends encountered Zatlyn-Weiner’s face as the home screen on his phone. “I was getting less sleep when we were together, but I don’t regret it[…]because I was in good company,” Lewis said.
Unlike Zatlyn-Weiner and Lewis’ contentious relationship, Ben Walsh (Class I) and Quinn Maley (Class I) felt their relationship was more positive and lighthearted. Sparks have been flying between Maley and Walsh for the last five years, and the flame originated in the Morrison Forum in February 2021.
When looking through her roses in the middle school forum, to her surprise, Quinn Maley discovered that she had received a rose from none other than Ben Walsh. His bold and risky decision would later become the match that started their one-and-a-half-year fiery romance.
Walsh expressed that the only decision he still regrets to this day was made during his outing with Maley to the glorious Legacy Place’s Shake Shack. Maley would concur: “We were at Shake Shack together, and I ordered a hamburger, cheesy fries, and a milkshake because I was really hungry, [but] Ben had only ordered a bottle of water. So, I sat there eating, and I kept offering, and he kept saying, ‘No, I’m okay,’” Maley said.
Walsh’s head sank, and he thought back to all he could have done, haunted by his childish decisions. When asked what action devastated him the most, he hesitated. “Thinking back on it, I probably should have ordered some food,” Walsh said.
As seniors, Ricky Bates (Class I) and Rory Taylor (Class I) have spent days, even weeks pondering about their relationship’s lack of communication and face-to-face interactions. Despite having the yellow heart on Snapchat for one day and both eating on their first date at Shake Shack, it was not nearly enough to get past the communication barrier. The lack of spoken conversations at school led them to question their chemistry and the relationship’s potential. Quick glances across the forum and the occasional Snap left them unfulfilled and desperately holding on to what had the potential to be young, profound love.
Despite his indifference when they parted ways during an anticlimactic phone call, during the relationship, Bates was eager to have as many conversations with Taylor as possible. However, Taylor’s opinion differed as she believed that his effort was minimal. In addition to the inconsistencies in effort, during their relationship, Taylor struggled to get past the overwhelming nervousness and anxiety before their ten-minute FaceTime calls.
“When Gabby Simmons, our go-between person, would say, ‘You guys are going to FaceTime tonight,’ for hours before I was shaking [because] I was so nervous thinking about what I would say because we never talked,” Taylor said.
When asked whether Bates would classify their relationship as young love, he felt they needed to focus on communication before reaching that point. “I don’t think love was necessarily in the picture at that time, it was more the question of ‘can I get a conversation today?’’’ Bates said.
Although there were differences in each heart-wrenching relationship, no upper-schooler regretted their decision to take the leap of faith and dive head over heels into middle school love. So, middle schoolers, send that risky rose or tell your lover how you feel. Time is fleeting, and it would be tragic if you were standing on the graduation stage wishing you had told your Sixie crush how you felt.