𝑬𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑴í𝒂 | ᴮᵒʸ ᴹᵉᵉᵗˢ ᵂᵒʳˡᵈ

34: Sweet-ish

"Turnaround dance, huh? Girls ask the guys." Shawn said. "Merry Christmas to me."

"Eh, it's about time the girls had to worry and sweat and write out a list of conversation topics on their hands." Cory replied.

"I think that's just you, Cory." I said. "No, never." He replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm just glad the pressure's off. We just get to sit back and wait." Eric walked around the corner.

"Is that what you think? The pressure's off? Dream on, girls." He said. Cory grabbed his hand before he could walk away. "Wait, wait, come back. What?" "Look, a turnaround dance tells you where you stand. The type of girl that asks you tells you who you are." Eric said.

"Well, who are you if nobody asks?" Cory asked. "Then you're you." "Well, how do you get asked by a cool girl?" "Positioning." "Huh?" "Look, you want a cool girl. Hang near her locker, stay in her direct vision. If she can't see you, she can't ask you. Remember— position."

Eric turned around and leaned against the corner as a girl walked by. He extended his arm and hung onto her as she kept walking. "Hey, Jaclyn, where you headed? You know, I was just going that way." He said to her.

"Okay, positioning. We're in a main hallway between a bathroom and a drinking fountain. There's good foot traffic. Alright, let's do it." Cory said.

A girl walked in his direction, and Cory shuffled to keep her from moving until she dodged him and walked away even faster.

"Shawn, come on. Positioning. How do you expect to get asked out with your head in a locker?" Cory asked.

"Relax, Cor. I'm always in a special girls' line of vision." He replied, pulling his head out of his locker and staring at me. "In your dreams, Hunter. I don't like you anymore. I've moved on." I said, crossing my arms. "So I'll see you Friday?" "Is eight o'clock okay?" "Perfect." "Yay!" I said with a smile.

"You have got to be kidding me." Cory mumbled. "Well, at least the pressure is all off you... and all on me. Okay, okay, positioning. Positioning."

"Hi, Cory, Shawn, Adriana." Topanga greeted. "What are you guys doing?" "Oh, I... we're just standing and being here..." Cory said. "And hoping a girl asks you to the dance?" "Could be." "Well, I'm not going." "My only hope." Cory mumbled.

"I mean, why?" "It's a protest. The concept of a turnaround dance implies that all the other times, only the boys can do the asking. That's destructive gender-biased thinking, and we have to get beyond that." She said.

"Nuh uh, I've said yes to all the other times Adriana-Camila's asked me since preschool." Shawn said. "That's because you're my only hope." I replied. "Well, don't I feel cheap." He said, crossing his arms.

"Besides, that weekend, my daddy's taking me to New York for Christmas shopping. I'll see you in class." Topanga said with a smile before walking away.

"Aw, man. Now I've got to find an above average girl who's into destructive gender-biased thinking." Cory looked over at three girls. "How about Allison?" "Allison Cheever? She only goes for the top tier guys. You're lucky if you can even reach the top shelf." I replied.

"Just because she's the coolest girl in our grade, you don't think she'd ask me?" "Not a chance. Dream big— just not too much, or your head'll explode." I said.

"If a bomb dropped and killed every other boy was killed except you, she'd go with the most popular dead guy." Shawn told Cory.

The bell rang. "Come on, man. We got class." Shawn said. "Go. Learn. My place is here." Cory told us.

♥

"Shaw's play Pygmalion is filled with strong opinions on class prejudice. You guys agree or disagree?" Mr. Turner asked. No one answered. Let alone moved. "Wow. I didn't know they were taking the class picture today." He said.