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"I never had a love that I loved so much."

Annie was seventeen years old and had been in love at least six times. Her friends didn't find it amazing anymore. Her parents actually found it amusing. After all, Annie was a good kid. She kept her grades up, stayed out of trouble, and did her chores. What more could parents want?

So let's see.. There were Mike and Jay her freshmen year. Both were upperclassmen, both ended up being scumbags, and the "love" for both lasted about three months each. Sophomore year the "love" was even briefer, lasting only a few weeks for Thad, Danny, and Henry. Junior year was a bit more deceptive. Annie and Aaron were together for six months before everything fell apart. So of course no one was surprised or particularly interested when Annie came home from her first day as a senior and was head over heels for a boy named Sean.

Annie met Sean outside her trigonometry class. There outside the most dreaded classroom on campus stood the most amazing boy. The two had chatted and when class ended, Sean was outside that door waiting to talk some more. Annie's friends rolled their eyes, nudged each other, and murmured non-discreetly: Annie had found her new "love" for the school year. They wagered if this one would last as long as Aaron.

But Annie was absorbed in something else. Sean. Not his popularity, his car, his athletic abilities, his smile or eyes, his style, or his wide group of friends. It was him. The way she had to fight back the urge to hold his hand as they walked side by side. The way his voice made every organ in her body do cartwheels. The illogical and inexplicable safety she felt in his presence, as though she were shielded from all harm and free to share her deepest secrets. This breathtaking awe that surrounded every movement he made.

Suddenly all the trivial conversations about movies and grades and teachers and parents and video games and celeb gossip seemed ridiculous. Inconsequential and an utter waste of time. Annie wanted to talk about her dreams and wanted him to encourage her. She wanted to share her fears and wanted him to help her conquer them. She wanted desperately to share her soul with this complete stranger because some part of her just knew that to do so would complete her. Would fill that empty spot in her life that she suddenly realized was loneliness.

The only real question was if he loved her too.