The Wal*Mart aisles are doused in red and pink, bins are overflowing with massive stuffed animals, and shelves are stacked with all varieties of chocolate. February 14 is upon us once again. While Valentine’s Day is not for everyone, it is a holiday of love and in the spirit of that, we have pinpointed a handful of Delphi’s cutest couples. They are, nonetheless, #GOALS.

It wasn’t difficult to come up with two people for the freshman class. Seth Waters and Maddie Crowel are a precious pair. They were first introduced when Seth moved to Delphi in the eighth grade. They shared the same first period and the rest is history. Like any other couple, for their first date they “went out to B-Dubs, ate some wings, and watched some UFC.” Nothing says love like mixed martial arts. *insert crying face* Since then, Maddie and Seth have stuck it out for eight months. Seth said, “I like that I can be myself around her, and I appreciate that she is always there for me.” Maddie said, “I like that he makes me laugh. Every day is amazing with him and fun. He is there for me also.”

Chelsea Whitfield and Luis Nieves are hard to bypass when it comes to naming the cutest couples in Delphi. They met on the field, for Luis played football and Chelsea cheered (just like Friday Night Lights).  When they went on their first date, they went to see Escape from Planet Earth in 3D. Since they met while still in middle school, they are one of the longest-standing couples going on 3 years and 1 month. “She is always there to pick me up if I need it and it’s always nice to have her around,” Luis said. Chelsea said, “He makes me smile and laugh all the time and he is always there for me and for that I am very grateful.”

Juniors Damon Blankenship and Krista Jones have been together, as Krista puts it, “Too long!” With their shared love of all things Patriots, these two are definitely a Delphi favorite. “I appreciate how Damon listens to me and how he can make me smile when I’m feeling upset. I also appreciate how he always smells amazing. I wouldn’t ask for anyone else to be my best friend,” Krista said. Damon said, “I appreciate how Krista always makes me feel happy when I’m mad or sad. I also appreciate how she helps me with my homework and gives me the wrong answers. She’s just the best girlfriend ever.”

One of Delphi’s most recent up-and-coming relationship is between Danielle Swayze and Jacob Rider. They started dating on January 23 but have known each other for awhile through school. On their first date, they also went to see a movie and ate dinner together. “Danielle is funny and great to be around,” Jacob said. “Not to mention she is stunning,” he compliments. “Jacob is funny, very caring, and Paul Rider’s son and boy that’s hot . . . and I kind of like him,” Danielle added.

If one were to look up the definition of bromance, a picture of Hunter Mote and Clint Rude would appear next to it. All of this love started at football practice. Clint said, “It was a bright summer day and Hunter was looking great in his pads and that’s when I knew he was the one.” Clint said that his favorite thing about Hunter was his eyes and “his butt in a singlet.” Hunter said, “I like the way his hair glistens and watching him run up and down the field.”

When it comes to teaching twosomes, Delphi has seen a couple of the cutest. The Tonsonis, the Landises, and last year’s pick, the now Mr. and Mrs. Ballard. This year, Parnassus picked a pair who have been all over the Delphi school district map. Mr. and Mrs. Gasser met in Kohl’s parking lot back when Mrs. Gasser was only a seventh grader. Although the two met way back when we fast forward a couple of years to 1993. On their first date, Mrs. Gasser attended Mr. Gasser to his Fraternity Rose Formal. Ever since that night, they’ve never stopped dancing all their dances together. Mrs. Gasser said her favorite thing about her husband is that “he puts up with my antics, and we like to do things together.” Mr. Gasser added, “She’s always there for me and the second best math teacher I know.” Nothing like a little banter between husband and wife.

The only relationship we could add to top the love between the Gassers would have to be the one shared between Mr. Gear and Mr. Kline. Although they’ve only known each other for six months, they have already created an everlasting bond. “At work, by the turtles, working on our tans under the heat lamps” is the place the two first met. On their first date, they shared a lovely lunch hour underneath the big umbrellas eating Mitchell’s. Their bromance is fueled by their shared love of knowledge of technology and hilarious one-liners. I couldn’t think of a cuter, better-suited pair for a bromance between teachers.

Delphi sure has some of the greatest love stories *cue T-Swizzle*. A big thank you goes out to all the pairs who shared their personal testaments that true love may actually exist outside of original Netflix series and frozen pizza.