school dance

If I Could Blog Back Time
is hosted each Thursday by Lola of Lola's Diner.

Today's topic: School Dance
What was your first school dance? Or memorable Homecoming Dance or Prom? Tell us about it. And if you've got photos of the event, post them.

In thinking on this subject, I realized that I have several occasions I could write about. I also have pictures from the last two year's worth of high school dances, but I think I'll save those for another time.

There was one dance that will forever be etched in my memory. It was my sophomore year and it was a Sadie Hawkins dance. [For those who might not know what that is, it is where the girls ask the guys to go to the dance with them.] The theme at my high school for Sadie Hawkins was country or cow boy/girl, which made this situation a little better since I didn't put a lot of money into a dress and all that goes along with that.

There were a couple of guys that I had my eyes on to invite to the dance. I was excited (and nervous) to ask one of them but really looking forward to the dance. I remember sitting around with a group of my friends in youth group discussing the upcoming dance and who was going with who. As the group thinned out, an old boyfriend came up to me and convinced me that I should ask him to the dance - as friends.

I was a little surprised. We had our time together but it had passed. We had remained friends and he was one of the cutest boys at church and in school. There was a little part of me that was flattered that he wanted to go with me. I even entertained thoughts that he had deeper feelings for me than I thought. But there was a bigger part of me that didn't want to ask him because there was another boy I really wanted to ask. This was my chance to act on my feelings without it becoming "weird" to let him know that I liked him.

To make a long story short, I agreed to inviting this boy. my old boyfriend. We met at the dance and went in together. I think we even danced a dance or two. I don't remember all the details because what I do remember is that he ended up ditching me for another girl. He deserted me and when I finally found him, he was having his picture taken with this other girl. I then watched him dance with her and sip punch together before I called my mom to come pick me up.

What I didn't know at the time was that this boy and girl had liked each other for some time but had only shared their affection for each other after the girl had already asked another boy to the dance. My date needed a way to get into the dance so he could spend some time with her. I was his way in. It didn't really help my hurt feelings to find out that the guy she took to the dance was dumped in much the same way as I was. Nope, my feelings were pretty well stomped on.

The boy and I didn't talk much after that. He knew he had been a jerk and even though I didn't hold a grudge, I had no need for someone like that in my life. Some lessons are harder on us than others.

Okay, to end this post on a positive note, I'm including pictures, even though I cringe at them, from the next two Sadie Hawkins dances (1976 and 1977). By my Junior year, Don and I were seriously dating and I attended all the dances with him. They were all happy occasions.