The Flirting Conundrum

There are three rules when flirting in high school. These three rules are simple and very easy to follow, they are: 1) Know the name, first and last, of who you are flirting with: 2) know what grade they are in: and 3) know who their relatives are. Failure to follow these rules will lead to disaster. My disaster happened when I forgot all three rules.
My schedule for my senior year of high school was set. I had all of the classes I needed to graduate and the classes I wanted to take. But when I looked at my “perfect” schedule I realized my 7th period was open. I scrambled to find a class to fill the empty space. When I looked at the master schedule there were two options still available: auto shop and beginning welding. I had wanted to take both for a while but my mother was dead set against it. But I finally persuaded her to let me take welding.
I was excited for the first day and for about the first five minutes of class. I was one of two girls in the class, and while I knew no one she knew half of the boys there. For the first half of the term I was not my usual perky, energetic self, but a silent, shy girl. But then some of the boys started to make comments I could play off of and then start conversations with them. I was surprised it was so easy to talk to them since I usually avoided boys.
I hadn’t really paid any attention to their names at first and so it took me a while to figure them out. For a while I nicknamed the boy who sat in front of me “Football Player,” even though that described half the boys in the class. The boy who sat next to me was dubbed “Tall One.” Since everyone talked to the boy diagonal to me I had picked up on his name the first day, Evans, though that was his last name.
I felt bad about not knowing their names, so I would listen every day when the teacher, Mr. Hill, would call roll. Football Player’s name turned out to Jacob: Tall One still remained nameless. He was first on the roll so I always missed it. Then I heard it, James. I stored it away for future reference. I needed it too. That day I couldn’t loosen some equipment so I called out to him but for some strange reason he didn’t respond: I thought it was because he didn’t hear me, so I got his attention by yelling “Hey!” in his direction. Surprisingly it worked.
Later, I heard the boys calling him something else and I figured out he had another nickname. To bad I had no idea what it was, even though I tried hard to catch it, so to me he stayed Tall One.
We started talking a lot in class and talking turned into flirting, and after a term the flirting started to turn into a small crush. I wanted my friends to see who Tall One was so I always looked around for him when I was with them. The day came when I was walking back from the courtyard after getting my lunch. I looked at the small Credit Union branch enclosure to wave at my friend, Abby, who interned there. That’s when I notice that at the other window Tall One was getting money. I made a sharp turn to Abby’s window and whispered that Tall One was right there. She glance over and did a double take.
“That’s him?” she asked as he walked away.
I leaned further into the booth. “Yeah, isn’t he cute?” I laughed: why did she have a funny glint in her eye?
She fidgeted and looked around, “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yeah, how could I not be?” I gave her a funny look. You think she would believe I knew who I had a crush on.
“Um, Michelle, I don’t know how to break this to you,” she paused for a second, “uh, but that boy is Curtis’s little brother.”
I stood shocked, and then defensive, “No, it can’t be. His little brother’s a freshmen. James is a sophomore.” I couldn’t, wouldn’t, believe that James was Curtis’s little brother. I had had a crush on Curtis for two years: he was a guy that I could actually talk to and not feel like an idiot.
“I’ve done a transaction for him before, he has the same last name.” she gave me a sorry to have to break it to you look.
“Cadshire’s a common last name,” I said casually, trying to appear calm and composed.
“In your dreams,” she laughed.
“You know, I will prove you wrong. I have Metals next, I’ll ask then.” I held out my hand.
“Ten bucks?” she asked, shaking my hand. I nodded and hurried back to the Commons. In the process I ran into a group of dancers and then almost fell into a trash can.
I looked at both my wrist watch and the wall clock constantly until Ronnie, one of my best friends, started hitting my wrist every time I went to look.
“What are you so uptight about? Ready to burn your fingers again?” she teased. The week before I had picked up a metal plate I had just welded on. It left some nice burns on my left hand: 6000 degree metal will do that.
I gave her a sarcastic smile and rolled my eyes. “Yeah, the other hand wants some too.”
“Really? You know it’s easier to heat up a curling iron and do it that way.” she gave a know-it-all-smile.
“Like I would do that. At least I have a cool story to tell about my earned burns.” I wiggled my injured fingers.
“Oh yeah, stupidity. That’s always a cool story.” I stuck out my tongue and she just smiled. Luckily for me I had a friend I could banter back and forth with and take my mind off of James and Curtis. Then the bell rang so I slung my book bag over my shoulder and booked it to Metals. I didn’t even wait for Jen, another best friend, who I usually walked to B wing with.
I sat in my usual seat and tapped my foot, letting out the tension. The class slowly trickled in the door before the two minute bell. Well most of the class was there before that bell, but there were always a few slower ones, and James had decided to be one of them. Today of all days! I was going crazy. I felt bad for Jacob because while he was trying to talk to me I was off in a different world.
The door opened and James strolled in and took his seat, leaning against the wall with the air of a jock, had he done that or only since wrestling season started? He gave me a nod and I figured I had to get it done then, before I lost my nerve.
“So James, what’s your last name?” that was about as subtle as I could come up with to ask him.
“Yeah, what is your last name, Romo?” Devin piped in: apparently I was not the only one curious. Or was he just being helpful?
“Cadshire, you went on a date with my brother last week.”
My mind froze, but my mouth said cool while my head nodded. Luckily Mr. Hill started class before anything else was said.
My mind was going a million miles an hour trying to cope . How could that be possible? Why did it happen to me? A freshmen? Now it made sense why he wasn’t in last year’s yearbook but why, oh why, did this sort of thing happen to me?
“Go to work,” Mr. Hill’s voice cut into my thoughts. I automatically went into the shop and got my safety glasses. I fumbled for a moment with what I was actually supposed to be doing and remembered, Arc, you need to do arc welding. I slowly went about getting a plate and setting up my booth still stuck on the fact that James, Romo, was Curtis’s little brother. While I did a pretty good job stopping my shock showing in my face my welds gave it away. It was the worst day I had had so far.
Fortunately the bell rang and I raced out to the cars, once again forgetting about Jen. I paced in front of my car waiting for the rest of the group to show up so I could tell them the horrible news. They were supportive as usual. Jen just shook her head in silent pity while Ronnie and Rachel roared with laughter. Abby could only tell me she told me so, and asked for her ten bucks.
After going home and trying to figure it out I remembered the three rules, and how I had broken every single one of them. If only I had followed them, even remembering them would have helped, but being a typical teenager I had ignored them until it was to late and I was in a conundrum: to flirt or not to flirt.