Jamauri Amir Bogan got Kaylah Kasmir Howard’s attention the only way he knew how in fifth grade.
“I teased her,” said Mr. Bogan, who had a crush on Ms. Howard in 2008 at Central Five Jefferson in Union, N.J., and tried to stay cool in front of his friends when he saw her at lunch or recess. They are now 28.
In sixth grade, at Burnet Middle School, he was a bit more courageous, and asked her to be his girlfriend.
“She became No. 1 on my Myspace top friends,” he said.
Otherwise, they were clueless.
“I was very, very nervous,” she said, “and shy.”
After two weeks the relationship fizzled out, and they went back to being friends.
“We couldn’t get the words out,” he said. “They came out later in life.”
In 2011, they frequently met each other at outdoor Union Farmers track practice in the spring of their freshman year at Union High School. During the summer, they even shared their first kiss on the field.
“I was focused on being the best football player possible,” said Mr. Bogan, who played running back and became Gatorade New Jersey Football Player of the Year in December.
