Fear! Everyone is at least scared of something! It’s part of being a human. Whether you’re a guy or a girl, young or old, we’re scared of something. Heights, sharks, report cards, etc. But I know one thing most teenagers are most afraid of… getting rejected by their school crush! My biggest fear is getting rejected by HIM!

I’ve known this guy for about a few months now, and never thought I was gonna fall head over heels for this guy. I see him everyday and talk to him everyday. I met him through friends and followed him online -not in a stalking way though. My first impression of him was, I thought he was shy and a goody-goody. But then we became friends and we get to know each other. We shared laughs and crack jokes during math class. Talk in the hall ways, and mess around during free period.

At first it was just two best friends hanging out, but then one morning I started doing my hair. I worried what I wore, if he thought I was pretty, if I was cool enough for him, etc. Then every time I saw him I got butterflies in my tummy, palms were sweaty. Suddenly, every little thing started to matter. I finally realized I had a crush on him, and started to get scared what might happened!

I eventually told my best friend, Sierra how I felt about this guy. We started to freak out every time we caught him staring at me. I told her everything I liked about him. About what we did over the weekend. The more I talked about it with her, my fear of rejection came to mind, and the more I hung out with him, the bigger it got. I worried if should tell him. If he liked me back or not. If I told him, would we still be friends. The more questions I asked myself.. the more I feared rejection.

“You have to face your fear” is the motto I kept telling myself. I wanted to face my fear, so I can stop wondering around if he liked me or not. So I told myself I would tell him and then ask him out. But everyday at school when I saw him in math class and he smiled at me, the butterflies came back and I remembered the fear of rejection.

Finally, I was tired of guessing and stressing over him. It was exhausting! So, while we were walking back to our lockers, I asked to talk to him alone. Not thinking straight I just blurted out, “Hey I really, really like you, and I get these butterflies every time I talk to you. I was just wondering if there’s a chance for us to be more then friends.” Exhaling everything I had said, the fear of rejection was no longer there. At that point I just wanted to know if he liked me or not. A long pause was between us, and he finally spoke. “I’m flattered that you like me -a bit shocked.. but I don’t see you in that way. I just want to stay friends” he sighed. A part of me was upset that he said no, but at the same time I was proud of myself for facing my fear.. of rejection.

I moved on and stopped stressing. It was awkward seeing him everyday at school and slowly we drifted apart. I guess part of my fear was losing a friend and getting my heart broken, but I recovered and realized it was going to be okay. Middle school crushes are a bit terrifying but one thing I learned is that I rather live life in “oh well’s” than in “what if’s”. In a way facing what I feared the most, boost my confidence. So next time I like another guy I won’t be scared to tell him!