He Wasn't the One

A senior year of high school is supposed to be filled with high expectations and plenty of opportunities for making memories. You are at the top of your game, the upperclassmen, the leaders of the pack, kings and queens of the school even if you weren't one of the popular kids. You got respect just for being a senior! It was great and a little scary. You wanted to be on the homecoming court and have a date for the prom. You didn't want to be the one that the yearbook called "most likely to be alone" or "nerdiest". Classmates can be cruel, and you wanted your senior year to be everything the last three years weren't. Your schedule consisted of dances, parties, football games, senior nights, make-out sessions, banquets, pajama parties (with unexpected guests), and even blind dates. Some of us even had jobs! Fortunately and unfortunately, I have experienced all the above. But the most memorable was a date that should never have been.

I was not the most beautiful or talented senior girl back then. My dad was a preacher so my reputation was that of a "good girl". I had my share of good friends, and more than enough acquaintances. In a school as small as ours, we knew just about everyone in the building. It was the typical small town, hick high school from the 80's, divided into three groups of people. There was the popular kids: the jocks, the cheerleaders, and the beautiful people. On the other side was another big group: the burnout's: the kids who came to school looking like they were on drugs or knew where to get it. You never mixed the two. Jealous of one, kind of scared of the other although as I said, we knew everyone and basically where they lived. I was in the third group. The ones in the middle. Not quite popular, but too good of a kid to do drugs or get into fights. I was average in both looks and talent, although I did get "class musician", I didn't party much mostly because people who knew my dad, just wouldn't ask me. So, when a long relationship with my first love ended badly, some of my friends felt sorry for me. They decided I needed back on the wagon and vowed to set me up. They said it would be the best time I ever had. I vowed it would never happen again.

Jim was a tall blond, "older" boy of twenty to my 18 years. He was even less average in looks than me but happened to be the best friend of my best friend's boyfriend Steve. Figures. How do you say no? In hindsight, I couldn't believe I actually said yes, but being the person I was, I went. We were introduced at Jodi's house. She was beaming with excitement at the prospect of me and Jim getting along and she was the one to bring us together. She and Steve were already there sitting practically on each other's laps. Jim was waiting for me, but the look on his face when I was a few minutes late should've set the red flag waving. Well, when you don't own a car and have to walk everywhere, timing is everything. Not my fault I had to tell a white lie to my parent's about what I was doing that night. They thought I was going out with the senior class. Jodi wasn't one of their favorites of my friends, and if they knew I was on a blind date with someone she picked, they might have tried to talk me out of it. Boy hindsight is twenty-twenty. Jodi and Steve fully expected Jim and I to hit it off quickly I think because we were both just "so nice". Yeah, I was one of the those people, nice and average. But, Jodie and I didn't hang out so much together after this date... I guess she realized she didn't know me as well as she thought.

The date.

The four of us went to dinner and a movie. The guys picked it. Jim paid for me which was a nice gesture but I think he was planning on me giving him a special tip later. He opened my car door and he pulled out my chair, but then he ordered dinner for me. Every time he passed me he took the opportunity to touch me. (uh oh), When we got to the theater, we sat boy/girl/boy/girl, so Jodi and I couldn't talk during the movie, (um really, you're my date, not my dad). So I'm on one end of the group but trapped between people I didn't know. One was my date and the other really needed to learn what soap was. I don't remember the movie, I think I blocked it out because of what was happening in our seats. The perpetrators of this date were having an intense make-out session and being left alone, I was not allowed to have my hand. which he was fondling aggressively like he was making out with it. My stomach was churning now with thoughts of the remote possibility that I would have to kiss him good night. It wasn't that he was a horrible guy, he was just so into himself and so touchy-feely, and so darn in control of me, that my only thought was how to get out of this. I may be average, but I did have my own mind and knew what I wanted. I wasn't interested and he was creepy. He was a horrible guy. He was the complete opposite of my ex. Well, the ex was a nice guy, just more of a bad boy type not a slimy-I'm-going-to-tell-you-how-it's-done-type. What seemed like years later, the movie ended and we got in the car to go back to Jodi's house. He wouldn't let go of my hand. I had to use the bathroom as an excuse to get away from him. Jodi got us drinks and then went straight to the couch for her make-out session again. They figured we were hitting it off and would eventually have our own. It didn't happen. It wasn't long after the small talk was done, nothing to say to each other, nothing in common, and obviously no interest, Jim left in a huff. This definitely was the worst date ever, and to make it even more worse, he called me a tease and a bitch for wasting his time. Then my so-called best friend yelled at me for messing up such a great opportunity to have a great new boyfriend. Said friendship didn't last long after this.

A couple of hours later, another friend called to tell me about a party they went to with the popular kids in our class. They had beer in the woods and it got raided by the cops, and they had so much fun running away. Where did I go, cause I missed the best party of the year that we were actually invited to? Yeah thanks for the call. This is one night I'll regret forever by choosing to be a good girl.