Shortly before the beginning of my freshman year of college, I broke up with my high school sweetheart. I wanted to allow myself the whole “college experience” without being tied down. Thanks to a new social media website called “The Facebook” I knew there were a lot of cute guys at school and I wanted to be able to flirt without guilt.
I was getting friend requests from future classmates the same day I was given my college email address — the golden ticket to “The Facebook” back in its infancy.
At my school, incoming freshmen were strongly advised to sign up for an “interest group” that connected students with others who shared the same hobbies on campus. On a whim, I selected theatre club and was excited to find multiple friend requests from other theatre kids in the weeks leading up to my big first day of college.
In the final week of summer, another new friend request popped up. A handsome, tan-skinned stranger stared back at me through the screen, just begging me to fall in love with his mysterious grey eyes.
As I stalked his profile, I learned Ryan was a junior and a theatre major at my new school. I assured myself he must have been adding all the incoming theatre group kids on Facebook, as I tried to stop my heart from rattling straight out of my ribcage every time I looked at his profile picture.
In the early days, Facebook only allowed users to upload one solitary picture. I studied Ryan’s like it was a work of fine art.
His Facebook wall was filled with messages — mostly girls — excited about seeing him on campus. I knew I’d never stand a chance with someone so attractive and popular so I pushed the thought from my mind.