It was my junior year and homecoming was just around the corner. Up until then, I hadn't attended school dances. I practiced my speech and built up courage weeks in advance of the day I would ask a girl to homecoming. My heart was beating out of my chest and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. With a trembling voice, I asked the question I had rehearsed in the mirror over and over the night before. There was a brief pause … I held my breath.
“I wasn't really planning on going to homecoming. Sorry.”
For the first time I had reached inside myself for the courage to ask someone; I wouldn't give up now. Instead of falling into despair, I decided to ask someone else – someone I hoped might give me a chance. After a day or two, I gathered my nerves and repeated the process with an air of optimism. But I was promptly rejected … twice more.
What was I doing wrong? Was the problem with me or them? I went to the dance anyway with a group of friends. Two of the girls I had asked were there without a date. I avoided them. I had struck out this time, but I wasn't calling it quits. I decided I needed to focus on being more social and learning to talk to girls.
Later that year I was preparing to ask another girl to prom. I had a crush on her and had become comfortable talking with her – a milestone I was proud of. In a similar ritual to homecoming, I spent days building up confidence and practicing in front of my mirror. Head held high with attempted courage, I approached her locker nervously.
“So, uh … I was sort of wondering, would you like to go to prom with me?”
An eternity passed before her response. My heart stopped. I think I forgot to breathe.
“Um, okay. Sure.”
At last I had succeeded! She said yes! Wait. She didn't say yes per se. What did she mean by “Okay, sure”? Did she really want to go with me?
