An interesting observation I've made about the girls of this campus: You are either engaged or anti-boys.

And "engaged", of course, constitutes everything from dating to married.

Nicole (this is a Nicole from my school, not the one I've mentioned previously), Jenny, Jana, Kelly, Jayna and I are all anti-boys. I didn't know Nicole was until today. I showed her the shirt I got Kelly as a silly graduation gift, which says, "Celebrate your independence-from boys!" And Nicole laughed, "We should get Jana that shirt! She is so anti-boys! I thought I was anti-boys until I met her." And so I learned that Nicole could also be part of our anti-boys club. :)

(We don't really have an anti-boys club, but we should.)

Lauren (RA) and Rebekah (roomy) are also anti-boys, in a way. Lauren likes someone, but she would rather not become attached to him in any way. She'd rather pull pranks on him right and left.

Rebekah likes someone, too, but that flame's dying because she know she won't be here next year. She joins Jenny and me in our boy-bashing jokes all the time. :)

There are a few rarities who don't fall in either category--namely flirts and people-lovers.

Mindy! Mindy could also be in our club. Gwen, however, could not; she is one of the lucky people-lovers (they love everyone equally and don't let bitterness about romance get in the way of that).

Michelle is anti-marriage. She's come from a really broken up home life where marriages never last or are never happy if they do last. So she's sort of in the anti-guys category, but a step up. :( The rest of us girls do hope to get married one day, but right now don't need guys.

I think most of the anti-guys fire is fueled by how many freshman engagements there are. "Stupid engagements," I prefer to call them. No! I take that back. They aren't just freshman engagements (though that's the majority). There are two seniors who got engaged after dating for a month. They had known each other for four years before that, but still, a month!) They are getting married at the end of this week, the day after finals end, the day before graduation--no joke! Can you imagine the stress??

Another Jenny, the sweetheart with opinions who is dating a guy named Neil, could easily be part of our club, I think. She disagrees with all these girls' engagements at so young, too.

Maybe we should just be an anti-engagement club.

Anyway... A lot of us are afraid of commitment, in different ways. Lauren is just terrified of a committed relationship right now. Her outlook is, "I have so much to do still! I can't have a guy keeping me from my dreams! I'd never forgive myself."

Rebekah is afraid of finding someone who will love her. Yes, you read that right. I have asked her to explain this to me a couple times and still don't quite understand. I think it's something like, he'll turn out to be different than she thought and she won't be able to get out.

I'm afraid of picking the wrong guy again. It was so hard to get out of that last relationship. I'm still fighting that battle, for crying out loud! Do you know, I still think of getting back together with Nate? After almost a year. I hate hurting people. I hate being hurt. I hate what I did to him, and so my heart still wants to make up for it.

And I am truly terrified of picking the wrong guy again.

Kelly... Poor Kelly. She's put iron walls around her heart, because she doesn't want to be hurt again. She's only had 2 boyfriends, but she's like me. She's sensitive. It makes her a sweetheart, but it also makes her real vulnerable to hurt. It's a weakness we both share, and it'll be tough to lose her.

I don't know Jana's story (or Jayna's, for that matter). It's something I would love to learn, because it's such a great mystery to me. If we really had an anti-boys club, she would be president. She doesn't even want to get married. Kind of like Michelle, but different somehow.

She has a bit of Lauren's ambition, too. She has big dreams she wants to see fulfilled before getting settled down.

This is my group of friends. A lovely bunch, aren't we? :) We understand each other, though. We can support each other, even if one girl does get so lucky as to find love. We'll hug her tight, wave our goodbyes, and be happy for her, and then wait patiently till the next one is chosen and leaves.

And to the ones who never do get married, we will love her much and be just girl friends with her, and pray for her when she needs it.

That's my hope, anyway.

Friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And friends will not say never
Because the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go,
In the Father's hands, we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends.

-Stephanie

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