The Beginning and the baseball game

Then, the crush hit. I had never met a guy so entertaining, so Godly, such a kind leader. Now, I am not talking about some cute little girl thing that kind of bloomed into deeper interest. I am talking, I knew, in my heart, almost instantly (though on a very very subliminal level) that THIS GUY was the guy I was going to marry.

That’s when things got weird. Now, in the internship, guys and girls are heavily heavily heavily encouraged to NOT hang out one on one, or in small groups. This is a good policy aimed at helping people focus on their time with God, and on the intense level of study this particular internship requires. So, what hang out time looks like, is big groups of people wandering around together. Alot like a big school of fish, aimlessly wandering the mall because there is nothing else to do in big groups.

Well, like Aaron already said, it got to the point that we were really only interested in talking to eachother. Everyone seemed so boring! So uninformed! So stupid!

That’s when the problems started. I could tell I was seriously interested in this guy. Being not a moron, I could also tell he was seriously interested in me. Thing bad. Do not want! I came to this internship with a serious drive to focus, and not be distracted. It wasn’t working.

When the internship went to the baseball game, the crap hit the fan. Aaron and I were sitting with all the other interns, talking in groups (right..) and then, his phone rang. He looked upset. He gave his phone a few curt answers and then hung it up, abruptly stood up, and blurted “I have to go.”

“Oh, ok,” I said. “Is everything ok?”

He just stammeringly repeated himself and made a beeline away. My feelings were hurt, as, again, not being a moron, I figured the call had to do with me. And we were just sitting there! I felt as if this was all unjustified. I was mad. I’m not saying it was a mature response, I’m just telling you what happened.

Later on I went and found him about half a stadium away, with the leadership team, watching the game while Sliker and Mosack yelled insults onto the field at some random player for some random reason. One of my com leaders led me away by the elbow, and gave me the “yeah this is all going to have to stop” lecture.

“what? end what? there is nothing going on!”

Nat just looked at me with a knowing smile, and let me angrily vent. She was right.

Later on that evening Aaron and another intern “went to look at the sunset.” Caving under the pressure of my glare, he grudgingly said “you can come too if you want.”

I jumped up and followed the two of them out. Half way out to the railing to watch the sun go down, Aaron turns to me over this other interns head and blurts “we cant’ hang out anymore!”

The intern with us, simultaneously with me, froze solid. This was awkward. Aaron, perhaps realizing there was no where to go but forward pressed on, through the wall of embarassment and over the other girls head “I mean. uh. I just..can’t.”

“Is this really the time you want to talk about this?!” I can not believe this boys manners, and am trying to ignore the red alert alarm going off in my head.

The other intern girl slid away from us, being as low to the ground as possible, Aaron took this exit for permission that he was handling this well, and plunged onward into the abyss of my panic…

“I mean, I really like you, and after the internship I’d love to take you out but… we just can’t hang out at all anymore.”

Turns out the call earlier had been from the internship director, laying the Godly and rule following smack down. Aaron, being obedient, decided that immediately following her instructions would be the best for everyone. Thing bad.

I stopped listening about half way through his sentence. Me?! He liked ME?! HOLY CRAP WHAT?! None of which I said out loud. I only managed to squeak out an “you really want to take me out?”

He looked at me like I’d sprouted horns, turned green and anounced my name was Priscille, Queen of the Jungle.

“Uh. Yeah? Of course?” Like I was mentally impaired for not realizing he’d want to take me out.

“Oh. Um. Ok” I replied. Now the warning alarm was joined by balloons dropping from my mental ceiling, a fan dance, and monkeys juggling winning lottery tickets on unicycles.

And here is the best part.

I said good night and walked away.

I didn’t realize until later that I had completely left him hanging.

Served him right.