Okay, to be honest, the only thing I know about Romeo and Juliet is that they were in love and then somebody died.

My love story begins around a year ago, when my best friend Yvonne introduced me to one of her friends. His name was Paul. He seemed pretty awkward at first.I mean, he wasn’t exactly a ladies man. Months passed, and Paul and I got closer and closer. We passed notes in classes, had tons of inside jokes, hugged each other, vented to each other, we had become best friends. And, as it would go, in about March, I fell for him. His humor, his smile, his laugh, his hugs…

I decided to keep it a secret from everyone but my two best friends. Turned out, Yvonne the one who had introduced me to him, herself had a crush on him too. How could this ever get more complicated?

So now there was a mind war going on between Yvonne and myself over Paul, oblivious to everything. Don’t get me wrong, Yvonne’s a great friend but I never thought that her and Paul would be good together. Perhaps it was bias. Anyway, on May 27th, middle school ended for my friends and I. Everyone was happy but me. I had fallen so hard for Paul, and I thought I’d never know how he felt about me. I was positive that I was so hideous, and stupid, and loud, and obnoxious and fat. Paul would never like me. He’d choose Yvonne. I was sure of it. Continuation was hell and I couldn’t get my mind off of my Romeo.

It was about a week after school was let out that I was over at my grandma’s house watching TV, ranting about all of the world’s problems, when I dropped the cracker I was about to munch on between the stand and the chair. I looked down to retrieve it and throw it away and guess what I found there?

A book that my friend had given me a year ago, a book that had a huge impact on me before, it was The Secret. It was waiting for me to change my life. It was fate.

I spent the entire summer reading, studying, and practicing The Secret, mostly for small things. That summer was my happiest summer I’ve had in awhile. Everything seemed to be going my way and Paul just seemed to be a distant middle school memory that I had lost to the sands of time….

Then high school came, and, once again, I had fallen for Paul. In Spanish and Marching band which were the classes that he and I had together, three hours a day we would talk and talk and pass notes and joke… and I decided to test out The Secret for something big.

I imagined Paul and I as a couple, imagined us holding hands down the hallways and staying up ’til midnight talking to each other, watching movies together. I thanked the Universe for my perfect guy, and even started to draw out the 6 month anniversary card I’d give him, full of our inside jokes. I knew the Universe would bring him to me.

And now we skip to a couple nights ago. I had just found out that I couldn’t go to a football game where my best friend who went to a different school would be performing at in the marching band. As we were driving home, I asked dad if we could stop by somewhere to get something to eat, and he just happened to pull into the Chinese restaurant that Paul and his good friend KC were working at! We ordered our food, Paul and I talked, all of that… and as I was about to leave, KC was standing outside the doors.

I didn’t know KC very well, but the times I had hung out with him and Paul were fun. I guess I considered him a friend.

“Bye, KC,” I said, planning to follow my dad to the car, who continued without waiting.
“Wait,” he said. “I want to ask you something.”
He slowly walked me to my car… said that Paul said I was single, and wanted to know if I would like to go out with him.

“Sure,” I said. We smiled and said goodbye and I got into the car.

…Wait, what?

This was not part of the plan…
Did I just agree to be KC’s girlfriend?
Oh my gosh, what’s wrong with me!?

Paul’s reaction to what happened wasn’t much different. He got on MSN after work a few hours after the incident and completely freaked out. We talked about it for a little bit, and by that time I was in tears. Paul said, “The only reason he asked you was because I didn’t…”

And then everything started to come together.

“Well, it’s not like you wanted to ask me out, right?” I said.
“Well, I mean it’s not like I haven’t thought about it…,” he replied. And then I realised why everything that had happened that night had happened. What can I say but that my Romeo has finally declared me his Juliet? Thank you, Rhonda Byrne… I finally live the life I want to, and it’s all thanks to The Secret!