I have always been an observer but in grade school that just gave some kids a reason to pick on me. I wasn’t usually picked on but there was one thing that they did point out that embarrassed me at the time. I stared. “Stop staring at me”, said Tyler. We were in line in the cafeteria and I was bored. He happened to be in front of me in line. Easy to stare at someone in this position. I had no idea when I was doing it so that was the issue. I couldn’t stop something I wasn’t aware of. I was a space cadet. I would space out and not realize I was staring. I had a little crush on Tyler so it was upsetting when he told me not to stare at him. Whitney told me not to stare at her too but that didn’t bother me as much. But with Tyler, it made me feel bad. He had an air of confidence about him that was beyond other kids our age. Probably because he had older siblings that were cool and they rubbed off on him.

I remember one day getting to hang with him and his older siblings Bud and Melissa at their pool. It was a day after camp and my Dad was busy at the garage so he couldn’t get us. Bud was a counselor at the camp and must have offered my Dad for us (my sister and I)  to come over since Tyler and I were in the same class.  I remember Bud making fun of Tyler and throwing him in the pool. It was funny to see him get picked on by his older sibling. I got to stare and no one noticed because they were too busy. Tyler was doing flips and dives into his pool and picking fights with Bud and Bud was too busy sunbathing with his eyes closed. I’m pretty sure his brother Bud was drinking too but I was too scared to say anything about it. The next day at camp where Bud was a counselor and Tyler was a camper like me I felt extra cool. Like I had an inside peek into the world of Tyler and now I understood why he could be a jerk. His siblings were jerks to him.

One time on Tyler’s birthday I was invited to his party and we all went to Crane’s beach. We ran around and had fun at the beach and then went back to Tyler’s house afterwards for chicken nuggets and tater tots.. It was still too chilly to go swimming but some kids got wet and I remember him asking for clothes for a friend of his because he was uncomfortable. I thought that was sweet. Then when I gave him his gift, a Ski Stowe VT sweatshirt, he loved it. He even said, “How did you know I love Stowe?  Then I pointed to his shirt which was another Stowe shirt. “Oh yeah, good point” he said. I was over the moon that I had given him a gift he liked. I decided then I was happy to be one of his friends. Last of all, I didn’t even stare at anyone once. I was too busy having so much fun.