Things That Don't Matter

Maybe I’m just bitter for lack of having one, but high schoolers in relationships annoy the hell out of me. There’s a kid I know who about two weeks ago got a “girlfriend” and his Facebook status updates were all “I love her so much”. That lasted for a number of days I could count on one hand. Then it was “I made the right decision” and everybody was writing sympathetic things on his wall. Two to three days later they were back together again, and once again it lasted 4 days max, and once again everyone was saying “Oh, if you need to talk just call me”. Jesus Christ, they were together for a total of 10 days maximum, probably less. How attached can you get to someone in that period of time? I could maybe understand if it was something that had lasted a while, like 5-6 months maybe, but 10 days? Get over yourself.

I don’t get high school relationships. They all end when you go off to college, unless you’re one of those sad people who stays in your home town bagging groceries in which case your girlfriend will probably dump you and look for someone less pathetic. So all high school relationships end. So why do people bother? I guess maybe the reason people like it is that there’s no real commitment, it’s expected that you’re going to break up, there’s no two ways about it. I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t think I’d want to stay with my high school girlfriend, no matter who she was. I’d want to go off and try other things, no one wants to be tied down right at the starting gate. Now, all this criticism of people high school relationships is a bit hypocritical, because if given the chance with um, shall we say, the right person, I would totally have one. Until then though, I remain ever the critic.

Short story I wrote about all this:

The Beginning of the End

She lay on the bed, which was a mess, and he sat in the chair by the desk at the computer. The silence was penetrated every now and then by bursts of clicking from the mouse. She picked up one of his computer magazines from the floor and flipped through it.

“What do you find so interesting about all this?” she asked after a minute.

“I don’t know, what does anyone find interesting about anything?”

“Well this, it just seems like a bunch of numbers and names that don’t make any sense.”

“It makes sense to me,” he said, and then it went quiet again, the clicking resumed. But after a few minutes he stopped, and then he spoke.

“It’ll have to end someday,” he said.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He swiveled around to face her.

“Our relationship, it can’t go on forever.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re in high school. We’ll go off to different colleges, have different lives. Marry different people. That’s what happens. You don’t expect us to be together forever do you?”

“Oh, well thanks, it’s nice to know I mean so much to you.”

“Hey, don’t take it like that. That’s not what I meant. You mean the world to me.”

“Well how am I supposed to take it? You just said our relationship is doomed to fail.”

“Isn’t it?”

“I… I don’t know. I never thought about it much.”

“Well I do. You know me, I think about stuff, I think about us a lot, this comes up once in a while.”

“I wish it wouldn’t. Yes, all relationships end sometime, you’re just supposed to enjoy the ride. It isn’t any fun if you’re pointing out the end all the time.”

“Fine. I’m sorry I brought it up. I’ll never bother you with anything again.”

“Oh no, don’t be like that. You know I love how we talk about stuff. It’s just that there are some things better left unsaid. Things people don’t want to hear.”

“Then those people are avoiding the truth. I’m sorry but I’m always thinking about this stuff. I never stop, even when we… you know… get intimate. When others’ minds would go blank I’m still tossing it all around in my head.”

“Great, you have no faith in our relationship, and I’m bad in bed.”

“That’s not what I said at all. This is silly, we’re both just trying to one-up each other at misinterpretation. I love talking with you, I love being with you, I love you.”

There was a pause in the conversation, “I love you too,” she said. He turned back around to face the computer, but didn’t resume using it.

“How do you think it will end?” he asked.

“I honestly have no idea,” she replied.

“Do you think we’ll go quietly, or will it be one of those messy breakups?”

“I really don’t know, and I’d rather not talk about it. You act like you’re looking forward to this.”

“No, I’m not at all.”

“Then quit talking about it.”

“Fine,” he went back to the computer. “Wanna go out somewhere this weekend?”

“Can’t, I have stuff to do.”

“May I enquire as to what?”

“You may, but I may not answer you.”

“Oh.”

“I should go now,” she said. And she left.

The guy is actually mostly a self projection. I suggest that no one ever have this conversation with their girlfriend.