A question about face-book privacy?

Hey, i have long resisted the urge to get Xanga, Myspace, and Facebook accounts because i find the idea of internet socialization to be sort of weird and pathetic. I am really "traditional" even though i am a teen still, and i dont like the idea of joining these social networks. I have made my feelings clear to my friends, even though they constantly pester my to get a facebook account. The issue is that recently, my potential-girl friend has asked me to get facebook, and i have to admit it would be really easy to get to know her better, even if i still prefer to "hang out" in real life. I wanted to know if when i sign up for facebook, my other friends would know that i had done so, cause i have my pride to keep intact :P. I just want to sign up to get closer to this girl, cause i really like her and i want things to work out, even if it means going against my stubborn pride. To restate, will my other friends be able to search for my profile on facebook or can i prevent that? Thanks!