Ron Mosley's Regret

Ron Mosley had a great fear of heights. Well, not only heights, he was pretty much scared of everything. From standing out in the sun too long to the kids at school that always bullied him. They never called him by his name. In front of their teachers they would refer to him as "Ron Mo" but behind their backs they would switch it and call him "MoRon."

He hated everything in his life, especially his dreaded, school-wide nickname. But this all changed when puberty finally kicked in. And it wasn't kind.

Middle school. Besides the itchy volcanoes of pus, and the voice of a scratchy record, there was something else. He started noticing girls. To him, this was the scariest life changing event that could possibly happen. Ron noticed everything, even his life-long neighbor, Jenny.

At first he tried to suppress his desires, and refused to look at her. But it's hard to avoid the girl that lives right next to you.

"Hey you! You ninny!" A high pitched voice ran past the school's noisy hallway, which caused Ron to spin around and face the freckled yeller, who walked right past him.

Jenny smiled and turned around and smiled, "Hello Amber. And yes, I sent you the notes from yesterday."

"Great! You're the best, Ninny."

Ron was utterly disgusted. He normally walked behind her to get to his next class, but for the first time in years he decided to talk to her. Ron tapped Jenny's shoulder and questioned, "Why do you let your friends bully you like that?"

"Bully me? They don't bully me."

"Calling you a ninny isn't bullying you?"

"Ninny? OHHHH, you mean 'Nini.' That's my nickname, silly."

That one conversation changed young Ron Mosley life. From then on, his existence was more meaningful and full of color that Jenny brought in. Strangers became friends, and friends became best friends. At least the hormones were at bay. UNTIL 8TH GRADE!

Jenny and Ron took the same bus to school, and often sat next to each other. One day Nini's hand brushed against Ron's, and the hairs at the back of his neck rose. Well, the hairs weren't the only things that did, but I'd rather not get into that.

He couldn't hold it back anymore, the hormones flooded in. His first experience of puppy love consumed him. Day and night, all he could think of was her. The way her smile lit up the room, the way her hands felt like soft warmth, and how her eyes sparkled and filled him with happiness. He really wanted to fill her too. He wanted to provide her with all the joy and tranquility she brought him.

In eighth grade he finally confessed his love to her. They did try to date, but that got the entire class's attention.

"You're dating the MoRon? Ha! LAME!"

The pressure grew so bad, they apparently broke up almost before their two week anniversary. And for the rest of 8th grade, they avoided each other. It was too awkward.

But during Freshman year, the inevitable happened. They were forced into the same class. They both learned their feelings hadn't really died off, but laid buried under their thin skin.

Puberty had taken hold of everyone by now. Voice cracks, B.O., and acne was so common that no one really cared about each other anymore. All they cared about was trying to make themselves look good. And because of this, Ron started to care less what others thought of him. For one last time, he asked Jenny out.

And at first she was about to deny him, but it's hard to deny the boy who will hound you constantly if you refuse. Especially if he's your neighbor. So again their dating started.