This was the first entry I made...

Song: R Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly

When you're not the coolest kid in school, your first dance can be a very traumatic experience. Fortunately, my first school dance was a very positive one that I can look back on without regret.

It was late October, 1998 and that can only mean one thing: Halloween! That year was special, though, because not only was it Halloween, but it was also the night of my sixth grade Halloween Dance. I spent hours getting dressed up in my Gypsy costume, and perfecting my make-up (the first time I'd ever worn heavy make-up as well!). For five minutes before I was rushed out the door I just sat staring into the mirror admiring myself. I was hard to recognize with bright red lips.

I went to the dance with a group of friends, my own clique, the four of us did everything together. When we went inside the school building, I expected there to be tons of decorations and for there to be people everywhere, but as it was, the decorations were minimal and we were close to the first ones to arrive, so we sat in the cafeteria for a little while and drank soda, the smell of the earlier lunch still hanging around. Tacos just don't smell as great six hours post microwave.

It didn't take long for more kids to show up in their costumes, which, in my opinion then, weren't as cool as mine. As much as I was enjoying spending time with my best friends in their ridiculous outfits, there was one person who I was looking forward to seeing more than I wanted to see any of them. My first secret crush!

He was one of the last to show, and he looked amazing in his bibbed overalls and flannel shirt, dressed as a farmer. Of course, he wasn't part of my normal circle of friends, so he came through the cafeteria and disappeared into the gymnasium much too quickly. I convinced my friends that I was bored of the cafeteria and we went into the gym as well. The three of them stood by the bleachers and talked about something that I couldn't hear as I craned my neck and strained my eyes in the dark trying to catch a glimpse of him. Suddenly one of my friends grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the conversation they had been having, which, oddly enough for sixth grade girls, was about boys. They outright asked me who my secret crush was, and with a smile, I denied that I had one. Of course, they could see through that and they pressed and pressed. Finally I just blurted it out.

They nodded and kind of laughed, but the topic faded away quickly, and I thought I'd heard the last of it, but later that night, one girl from my group went over and talked to my crush's friends and they decided it would be fun to get me and my crush to dance. When I heard this, my face went bright red and I protested for more than a half hour. My crush protested as well. But soon I finally gave in and they pulled me over to the center of the dance floor and his friends pushed him over to me, and we just stood there like fools after they walked away. He said, "I guess we have to do this." And I laughed and nodded.

R. Kelly's famous song "I Believe I Can Fly" began playing from the DJ's booth and he put his hand on my hip and I rested my hand on his bony shoulder and we swayed gently back and forth. I think maybe I left my own body for a few minutes and just floated above the two of us, therefore making the song more memorable than the actual dance, but the song ended too quickly, as slow dancing songs typically do, and he walked away as fast as he could, and I did the same. I don't remember speaking to him ever again after that, but the memory still stands as one of my favorites.