Traci Abbott and Danny Romalotti: Traci returned from boarding school in the summer of 1982 to spend time with her family before going off to college. The self-conscious teen was drawn to rising rock star Danny Romalotti and became president of his fan club, even choosing to enroll in a local college to stay close to her crush. Danny invited both Tracy and Lauren to perform with him, and they vied for his attention offstage, too. Hoping to shed pounds quickly, Traci got hooked on diet pills, but kicked her addiction with Danny’s help. In 1985, when Traci found herself pregnant by her philandering college professor, Tim Sullivan, she attempted suicide, so Danny offered to marry her so the baby would have a daddy. They wed, but never consummated the union. Traci realized Danny wasn’t in love with her, so when she miscarried, she granted him an annulment, but they remained close friends.
Nick Newman and Sharon Collins: In 1994, Nick was dating Amy Wilson when he took a shine to her best friend, 18-year-old Sharon, who was seeing jerk jock Matt Clark. As Nick and Sharon’s bond deepened, his mom, Nikki, was disapproving, dismissing Sharon as a gold digger. After the duo was named king and queen of a school dance in 1995, Matt tried to drive a wedge between them by revealing to Nick that Sharon had given up a baby for adoption. Sharon confirmed this to Nick, but in time, he forgave her secrecy. The young pair was poised to wed when Sharon confessed that Matt had raped her. Nick went to confront him and found Matt bleeding profusely from a gunshot. Matt fingered him as the culprit and Nick was sentenced to 15 years in jail. In 1996, after Nick was exonerated, he and Sharon tied the knot. They divorced in 2007; nowadays, after a series of makeups and breakups, they are platonically co-parenting their offspring, Noah and Faith.
Billy Abbott and Mackenzie Browning: When Katherine’s granddaughter, Mackenzie, and Jill’s son, Billy, both 16, met in 1999, they instantly disliked each other; he thought she was a goody two-shoes while she deemed him spoiled and reckless. In 2000, Billy was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning after too much partying, and Mac, surprisingly, kept a bedside vigil. When the junior prom rolled around, Billy wanted to ask Mac to be his date, but his best friend, Raul, beat him to the punch, so Billy took Brittany. Billy and Mackenzie were crowned king and queen and as they shared the obligatory dance, their mutual attraction was obvious. Jill opposed the relationship so they dated on the sly, but went public in time for their senior year. After two more breakups, the pair tied the knot in 2003. However, the union was annulled because they were led to believe they were first cousins. In 2009, after it was confirmed they were not related, Billy and Mac took another shot at romance, but it didn’t pan out.
Lily Winters and Danny Romalotti: In 2005, 16-year-old Lily flipped for Daniel, who was a year older, but their sweet teen romance was torn asunder by the accusation that his drunken driving caused the death of Cassie Newman. Although Daniel was innocent, the evidence against him was stacked, so he and Lily went on the run. They were eventually picked up in California and Danny went on trial, but was ultimately cleared of the charges. Lily had to face the legal music for aiding and abetting a fugitive, and for her punishment, she was sent to a New Hampshire boarding school with the stipulation not to have any contact with Daniel. While she was away, however, the young couple secretly kept in touch and when Lily returned home in 2006, she and Daniel pretended not to be into each other so as not to violate the terms of her probation. When her parents, Neil and Drucilla found out the truth, Lily and Daniel eloped. Married life was rocky for the newlyweds. Daniel’s addiction to Internet porn sank the union, and they split in 2007.