With Valentine's Day looming on the horizon, there's no bitter better time to reminisce about first crushes and their often nearly tragic outcomes. eMusic convinced more than 30 indie rockers – a group of musicians collectively known for their endearing awkwardness even as adults – to recount tales of their first loves. The result is a series of stories that are sweetly and sadly touching, darkly funny and wholly relatable. Among the puppy loveless are members of Superchunk, Peter Bjorn and John, Deerhoof, Fucked Up, Ponytail and Vivian Girls. My personal favorite is from Maria Taylor:
 
The one story that comes to mind was in 2nd or 3rd grade. I had the biggest crush on this boy who played the lead in Johnny Appleseed. I would come home from school every afternoon and put on "Crazy for You" by Madonna and daydream about holding his hand and, of course, our wedding. It never occurred to me that he could like me back until one day when the phone rang. I have always had a phone phobia, but the wave of nausea and panic when I heard his voice on the other end was unforgettable. I did the only thing I could think of: I hung up on him and ignored him from that day on.
 
For more of these wonderful stories of grade school yearning and heartache, visit eMusic.