crush/boyfriend imagines

𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖

October 2014
In sixth grade, I was in my middle school's production of The Wizard of Oz. I was one of the twelve munchkins. I was eleven years old and it was my first play. I was very nervous, especially excited, and beyond terrified all at the same time. All my life I'd been a pretty shy child. Still was, but I'd really wanted to do this after seeing one of my best friends in the play the previous year.

I had a few friends in the play so that was a big help but one of the things I remember most from that point in time was the kid who played the wizard. I remember scouring the cast list for his name. Charles Connors—Charlie, better known as. I remember he had such a charming smile for a twelve-year-old.

However, I never saw him again—until the next play.

November 2015
The next play was Rapunzel. The Brothers Grim version, not the Disney's Tangled version—which I remember threw me off at first. In that play, I was one of the eight wood elves. What are those? Hell if I can remember. I do, however, remember that Charlie Connors was Rapunzel's dad—the king—and I remember slight jealousy when Rhiya Harrison got to play the queen because she got to act like she was married to him. I brushed it off though, considering I'd had a crush on someone else for years. Not to mention, at that age, I hardly understood the feeling or concept of jealousy.

Once again, after the play was over, I never saw him.

November 2016
The eighth-grade play was Aladdin and I was only an assistant director that year. I have no memory of him being in that play but what can I say? I had my head wrapped around a new crush. There was no way my mind was going to spend its time anywhere else besides on that crush.

During auditions, we all sat in an alphabetically ordered circle, waiting for the directors to decide on who was cast and who was not—considering auditions and first practice were all within the first night, as the play was always put on in a week's time. In that circle, I was sat next to a girl named Iris. She mentioned how Charlie wasn't doing the play this year and I remembered who he was but not much else considering I'd only seen him twice in the past two years. She must've known him on a more personal level.

I think once or twice the thought of him crossed my mind after that—simply just wondering why he hadn't been there that year—but that was the extent of it.

October 2017
The play during my freshman year was Cinderella. And as he didn't the previous year, Charlie Connors did not audition once again. But I didn't even notice that or hardly remember him until I was walking through the school's foyer with one of the kids in my section to keep track of (being an assistant director, each of us in the position was in charge of a certain group of kids). We passed through the commons and he, the kid (Bryan was his name), pointed to the walls and windows that were littered with project posters.

"Hey my brother did that one, him and his best friend," he said pointing to a poster made by a Charlie and Evan.

"Oh yea, I know them," I half-lied. I knew of them, I figured that counted.

I didn't have a class with Charlie Connors but I did with Evan Newton. I had Earth Science with him. Evan Newton was the smartest kid in our class.

Thinking about it, I knew I recognized the kid somehow. I'm even more surprised I didn't pick up on the same last names let alone the fact that they looked much the same. Bryan was only three years younger and when Charlie was his age I honestly don't believe I would've been able to tell them apart.

"He's an asshole though," Bryan stated and walked away. Taken aback, I hesitated but followed him anyway. I figured it was just a classic sibling relationship where they considered each other assholes.