The Friend Zone and other High School Atrocities

After graduating from high school, I've found it easier to reflect on the social stigmas and regulations. When you're in the midst of all these teenage taboos, separating yourself from them can be a risky move. It's a tricky situation, fighting the system in five minute class changes. My legs would get far too sore. I've gone against the idea that curly hair makes girls look like they've stuck their head in an oven, or that a Friday night is lost if you don't watch two hundred pounds of aggression fling themselves at each other, but the one high school injustice I've yet to voice is the world of dating.
Watching these relationships is like watching re-runs of The Bachelor, sometimes with a mix of Jersey Shore (drinking, sex, massive regrets...it's all one giant party!). It's either "I hate you, you bastard, go die," or, "I love him so much, he's definitely the one, and I'm picking out my wedding dress after school." Sometimes both these statements are uttered, in the span of three class periods. High school seems sorely lacking in the friend zone, or, in other words, dating.
You don't need to be next to your soulmate to watch a quality film. Your future husband may be sitting across your overpriced cup of coffee, but he could also be that guy who makes for great punch lines over drinks. The most common explanation I've heard for not going on a date, is that they didn't know the guy. With facebook and texting on hand 24/7, there's an expectation that people know everything about their love interest's life: where they grew up, what their hobbies are, and what they had for breakfast. Where is the fun in live conversation if both people have already spilled their hearts, in 150 characters or less? First dates have gone from seeing face to sucking face.
I'm all for relationships, but I've always been uncomfortable with the idea that you blindly dive into them, like an impulse buy. When you skip from acquaintances you text when you're bored, to each others' world, it's like realizing you bought a house without actually looking at it; it was just the first available home you saw. There's something slightly off with planning your kids' names with someone whose middle name remains unknown. Dating helps with the natural progression to relationships. It's not cold or heartless, nor is it "cheating" to go on a few dates with a few different people. That instant attachment to the first guy you see isn't true love, it's a lovely little something called hormones. You might be the lucky sort who meets "the one" in the first few outings together. Or, more likely, he'll be the one of several, and then you'll have a lot of amusing stories to tell those other first dates.