Everyone has had a life-changing experience. It could be a small thing, like the first time you tied your shoe or the first time you blew a bubble. Perhaps, it could be a huge thing, like getting your driver’s license or getting accepted to college. We are living in a world of temptation and leisure. If you don’t do or act a certain way, certain people don’t like you or ridicule your character. This is a common problem for some people and was for me growing up.

I was born in Birmingham, Alabama on August 8, 1991. We lived there for a few years, and then moved the Richmond. It was a bit of a culture shock for me and I wasn’t used to the atmosphere. To be honest, I had never seen so many white people in my life. Sure, I had plenty of confidence, but I was a bit different then the other kids. I was a black, chubby, buck- toothed southerner mixed in with a group of white, upscale children. Eventually, I made friends and became comfortable with the others.

I wasn’t exactly the most attractive adolescent, so I had trouble with the girls. Talking to them requires a certain swagger and confidence that I didn’t have. Middle school was a challenge for me; not academically, but socially. The weight from my elementary years had increased. Girls would talk to me, but it would just be as friends. I had a crush on plenty of people, but never had the courage to tell them.

As middle school passed, I began to slowly gain enough confidence to attempt to flirt with girls. The problem was no one liked me more than a friend. Eight grade year was fun, but not as fun as it could have been. I had liked this one girl the entire year. Finally, towards the end of the year, I was going to ask her out, but chickened out.

Ninth grade year was the new beginning. Everyone likes football players and it had been one of my favorite sports, so I had decided to play once I entered high school. I had continued to lose weight because of the football conditioning and it had showed. My confidence had been rising more and more. There was a plethora of girls in high school. As a matter of fact, too many to choose from, but I had focused my sights on one. Her name was Aubree. Aubree was not extremely popular, but she was well-known. She had the dark brown hair of a stallion, body of a goddess, deep hazel eyes of bliss and a face of an indescribable beauty.

Luckily, Aubree was in two of my classes. We had been talking for a little while, but never dated. I finally gained the courage to ask her out on a date. We decided to meet up at the movies. This was my first date, so I was a little nervous. I had been thinking smart because I had chosen a scary movie. Everyone knows how it goes; the girl gets scared and jumps into your arms. About ten minutes into the movie, Aubree jumped into my arms like I had planned. I had known that this was the moment I had been waiting for my whole life. We had both leaned in for a kiss! It felt as if time as stood still. This was my defining moment.

That single kiss had changed my life forever. It allowed me to break out of my comfort zone and venture out into the world of romance. I have no problem with ladies, now. My life has been filled with challenges and even failures. I’ve had triumphs and even heartaches. I have not had many things to brag about, but the moment Aubree’s lips had touched mine, the pleasure was all mine.