Drama

I told the story of my Jenny & Braden Drama here.

MiMi asked me, "Whatever happened to Jenny and Braden??"  Just in case anyone else was wondering, too, I thought I'd post a little follow-up.  It's too long to post in a comment, besides.

Jenny
Jenny graduated the year that the whole drama took place, which was really good for me.  For one, I was set to head on up to the high school the following year, and had Jenny still been a student, I seriously don't know what would've happened.  I can only imagine how badly it would've sucked, considering how my freshman year had gone.  For another, music was such a huge, ginormous part of my high school life, and being kept from it for the better part of a year really, really sucked big, hairy, smelly yak balls.

I don't remember what Jenny did after graduation.  I know she was local, because every once in a while, I'd see her somewhere.  But then, after I graduated, I moved around a lot and ran in some pretty diverse circles which were about as far removed from my high school as you could possibly get, without actually leaving the state.

Then, a few years ago, I ran into Jenny at Homecoming.  I was playing in the stands with the band and some other band alumni, and she was there with her family -- she's married (to a pretty hot guy, too!) and has a daughter who, I believe, is now in middle school -- and her best friend from high school, Annie.  Though she and Annie are both band alumni, like me, neither one of them had showed up at Homecoming to play . . . but they were sitting right behind the band section.

At halftime, Jenny, her family, and Annie were talking to yet another band alum, and as I was walking by, Annie literally pulled me into the conversation.  (Annie and I have always remained friendly, despite her friendship with Jenny.)  Jenny then introduced me to her husband and daughter . . . trying to ease the awkward tension, I suppose.  Annie mentioned that Jenny's daughter played an instrument, and I said that my oldest kid did as well, and had actually just joined her high school marching band.  I spoke with Jenny's daughter a bit about marching band, and then she asked if I had been in the band with her mother.

Oh, the things that I wanted to say!

I said yes, and then, looking Jenny right in the eye, I told her daughter that her mom and I went waaaay back and had quite the history.

Later, after the game was over, I happened to be walking to the parking lot at the same time as Jenny, her family, and Annie.  Jenny came over to me, asked if she could talk to me for a minute, and proceeded to apologize.  She said that she'd gotten some serious help after high school, and had spent a lot of time in therapy.  However, she said, she never did quite realize just how serious her actions were back then until that very night, as she watched me speak to her daughter, and considered how she'd feel if her daughter was ever in the position I had been in all those years ago.

A few weeks later, Annie told me that having looked at it all from a mom's point of view had really fucked with Jenny's head.  I don't feel vindicated or anything, though.  I mean, in all honesty, I viewed the whole thing as an incredibly embarrassing experience, but not much more.  Looking at it with my "Mom Eyes", however . . . ?

Yeah.  I could definitely see how that would fuck someone up.

I told Annie to pass it along to Jenny that it was all a LOOOOOOONG time ago, and no one really needed to think about it ever again.  EVER.

Braden
Ah . . . Braden.

~sigh~

Braden and I dated all through the ridiculous drama my freshman year, and then some.  Braden was my first . . . in lots and lots of ways.  I lost my virginity to Braden.  Braden was my first BJ.  Braden was the first guy to cheat on me.  Braden was the first (and only) guy to give me a gift that was stolen.  Braden was the first (and only) guy to make me an accessory to multiple criminal acts without my knowledge.  Braden was my first physically abusive boyfriend.  Braden taught me how to drive, his car was the first I drove, and it was because of a drunken Braden that I first acted as a DD.

Oh, and Braden was my first love.

I'm sure there are more firsts that I experienced with Braden, but I don't want to bore you to tears.

Braden was an ass.  He was cute, but he was an ass.  I loved him, but he was an ass.  He was an ass that I stayed with for ENTIRELY TOO LONG!!

And after we finally broke up, we kept getting back together, on and off, until the summer that I met my Ex (the one who knocked me up with my two older littles) and Braden moved to New Jersey . . . and even then, we still kept in touch.

Hell, we still keep in touch NOW.

There's something about your first love, I suppose.

Braden is now a real estate agent, living in New Jersey, married to a former stripper, and the father of two beautiful children, of whom he's sent pictures to me throughout the years.