Hate You, Love You. | Jenlisa

83

Immediately I got into school this morning, I ran into the counselor and she reminded me that I still haven't seen her to follow up on our last meeting about colleges. She asked if I had read the college brochures and I said yes. Now, I have to see her in her office first thing tomorrow morning.

"The Sadie Hawkins dance has been scheduled for February."

"Ah, no wonder the school is buzzing."

If it's the Sadie Hawkins dance, then the pressure is definitely on. This is the one time when girls get to ask someone to be their date and to say they take this ti the next level would be an understatement.

Last year, Doyeon, a colleague of ours bought her boyfriend a Rolex just so he'd go with her to the dance.

"Yeah. We were supposed to celebrate it in November, but you know, we were all preparing for exams, so Yang postponed it." She hands me her books to hold. "Aren't you excited?" Rosé asks, giddy as we prepare for what is going to be a long school Tuesday.

"Not really if I'm being honest. That tradition is so sexist."

I stopped attending the Sadie Hawkins dance when I found out it's origin. Of course, I wasn't even too keen on attending it in the first place because I had no one to ask but reading about the history and how the tradition became engraved in high schools is a little unsettling.

Sadie Hawkins was actually a comic strip character created by Al Capp in 1937. Sadie was the daughter of the wealthiest man in town and she was 'ugly'. Her father was afraid that she wouldn't be able to bag a husband (she was 35 at the time) and would end up being an old maid so he took matters into his own hands.

He called all the eligible bachelors in town and ordered a race: Sadie would chase after the eligible bachelors and whoever caught would be her lawfully wedded husband. The comic was not just a hit in the newspaper for over 40 years, it became a hit in real life because over a thousand high schools celebrate Sadie Hawkins.

Don't even get me started on the man who created the craze. Al Capp has quite the reputation for being an alleged misogynist, a womanizer and an accused rapist.

I wonder why this isn't taught in American history. You don't need to have a degree in Women's Studies to know that celebrating this is sexist and demeaning to women.

"No, it's not." Rosé objects. "I think it's liberating for women." I roll my eyes. "We get to ask someone."

"It's not liberating. My advice is you Google the history of this dance."

She slams her locker shut. "Maybe you can ask Lisa. I'm sure she'd love that." She teases. My face turns bright red as I remember Nancy's confession.

"She likes you. She has always liked you and I could never compete."

"No, she won't be asking her," Hyejun scowls. "Not as long as I'm here."

Rosé narrows her eyes. "Quit the big brother act, Hyejun. Don't you see that she likes her." My eyes widen and I smack her on the arm. "What the hell?! You're not meant to blurt out something like that!" I haven't explicitly told Hyejun that I like Lisa and for good reason.

He doesn't like Lisa and he has made his position known on more than one occasion.

"I'm not going so it doesn't even matter who I ask." I shrug. Hyejun visibly relaxes and I shoot hin a glare. "Or, I may change my mind."

"If you do, I'm going with you and you're not dancing with anyone."

"Uhm, no."

"Uhm, yes."