a case for dating someone different - by Ashley

When I was 15 years old and frantically trying to make it through honors chemistry, I developed a habit of FaceTiming this one classmate whenever there was an exam coming up. His name was A and I liked him because he was smart and patient and funny but most of all, I was curiously enamored by the way his brain worked so differently than mine. Our differences presented themselves as we tried to study chemistry together, but as the year went on they became obvious in all aspects of our teenage lives. At the time, he was known for talking back to teachers, never backing down from a debate, and quitting the cross country team after hitting a sub-5 minute mile time. Meanwhile, I was an intensely shy, conflict-averse, and fearful rule follower who ran a secret blog after school. Somehow a few weeks into delirious study sessions balancing reactions and forming chemical bonds (hehe), we fell in love and proceeded to date for FIVE YEARS. By age 21, A and I had been together for a quarter of our

When I was 15 years old and frantically trying to make it through honors chemistry, I developed a habit of FaceTiming this one classmate whenever there was an exam coming up. His name was A and I liked him because he was smart and patient and funny but most of all, I was curiously enamored by the way his brain worked so differently than mine. Our differences presented themselves as we tried to study chemistry together, but as the year went on they became obvious in all aspects of our teenage lives. At the time, he was known for talking back to teachers, never backing down from a debate, and qu