Flashback Friday: Jr. High Vow Returns To Bite Me In The Butt!

Dec 1981:
Recap:  I'd been dating a trumpet player for the past six weeks, and recently sparked the unwanted attentions of a guy in my PE class, who made fun of my boyfriend K.  However, K was none too thrilled B continued to walk with me from the gym to the double-doors of the academic wing, where he and I would meet before his next class and my lunch hour.

K and I continued to argue over B's sudden need to talk to me every day in the two short minutes it took me to meet him after class.  I tried lagging behind; I tried walking ahead.  No matter what I did, B was there, waiting to ask me about my knees, discuss our PE class, or hassle me about K.  And he laughed when I told him it was  making K angry.

Finally, December 5th, the day of the Christmas parade arrived.  I was thrilled to discover my spot in line beside the trumpet players....until we got on the bus to head downtown.

K:  This isn't working for me.  I'm tired of seeing you with HIM every day.

M:  There's nothing going on!  He won't leave me alone....and besides, the semester's nearly over; I probably won't have him in any more of my classes....can't you wait one more month?

K:  No.  It's over; we're done.

And so I marched in the parade, slamming my flag around and nailing the routine.  K managed to switch his position around so he was not in my line, as originally planned.  Mom has a picture of me during the routine; I have a very angry look on my face!

Monday morning, after PE, I walked ahead of B, but then turned around and ran right into him.

B:  Whoa.....where are you going?

M:  I forgot; I don't need to go this way anymore.

B:  What happened?  Are you mad at No-Neck? (One of his friends laughed.

M:  Didn't you hear?  We broke up over the weekend.  Thought your radar was working better than this.  (I couldn't help being a little sarcastic and snide)

B (drapes an arm over my shoulder and pulls me beside him):  Tell me all about it.

Friend:  Are you going to take his place, B?  Good man!

At this point, the only thing I can think is how much this is going to piss K off.  But serves him right, yes?  I know there's nothing going on; and I'm not usually the type handsome boys put their arms around in the hallway.  So I didn't object and we kept walking.

We passed K, whose jaw promptly hits the floor.  And as soon as we passed through the double doors, B dropped his arm, but accompanied me to my locker.  By that time, we were still talking, so I followed him to his locker and back down the stairs (our lockers were on the 3rd floor).  When we reached the main floor, he went one way and I went on to the cafeteria.

Good Gossip Travels Fast!
I stood in line to go through the food line and to meet my friend Kathy for lunch.  A girl in front of me turns around and asks me if I'd just walked down the hall with B.  I said yes.

"Oh wow..."

I shrugged it off and went to sit with Kathy.  As I'm eating, another girl pauses beside our table.

"Is it true B walked you all the way to your locker?"

I swallowed and said yes.

"Oh man...." She sounded disgusted and walked off.  I looked at Kathy and we both shrugged.

Half an hour later, walking into my Algebra class, one of the girls who was in the band with me asked, "So is B your new boyfriend now?"

I exploded.  "What is the big deal about B?  He's a jerk in my PE class; he helped me get back at K for breaking up with me....who cares if he walked me to my locker?"

She nearly swooned.  "He walked you to your locker?  Ooooohhhhh, what did you talk about?"

"Does it really matter?"  I stomped off to my seat.

Two Weeks Later:
I had joined our Pep Block, and we had to be there a half an hour before the varsity game began.  I always arrived an hour early, since my mom always sat with the Pep Band.  I noticed my friend Gwen up in the stands, and went to talk to her.  Neither one of us was paying any attention to our (lousy) JV team, until I heard "Cross in for Jeff."

I looked up and saw B heading out onto the floor.  I yanked the program out of Gwen's hands.  "Let me see that!"

I flipped to the team photo....and sure enough, there was B!

"Holy crap....THAT'S why I've been getting strange comments from random girls!  B's on the freaking BASKETBALL team!"


"Oh heck yes!  He was Mr. Popular in junior high.  I thought you knew!"

I handed her program back to her.  "I do now!"

Monday morning, I made a beeline for B's locker before school.

"Cross, you didn't tell me you were on the JV basketball team."


"I thought you knew.  How'd you find out?"

I explained what had happened.

"This explains those crazy comments I've been getting.  I'm officially ending this 'friendship' with you.  See you in class."


"Hey, wait a minute!"  He slammed his locker shut and caught up with me.  "Why can't we still be friends?"

"Because I grew up two doors down from Mr. All-Around Popular Jock and do not intend to go through that association ever again.  I vowed in the 7th grade to never be friends with a jock, never date a jock, and certainly never be seen in the company of a jock!"


"But that's crazy....what does my basketball status have to do with anything?  And what comments?"


"Go ask your fan club."  And I ran down the stairs and went to my first hour class.

He continued to try to be friendly with me, and after a week, I relented.  Maybe he'd prove me wrong?  And for my birthday, he bought me a Snickers bar and even called me during Christmas Break.

Next month:  Second Semester Mishaps.