Hermes Middle School is probably very similar to thousands of middle schools across the country and across the world. The young adolescents like Chloe and her friends are given all kinds of cues to tell them they are older and more mature than they were just a few months back in elementary school.
There is no playground equipment. Instead the school has outdoor sports fields next to the campus and an indoor gymnasium with a full basketball court. The kids change classes for different subjects and see a different set of peers in each class. Teachers do not escort students like they did in elementary school, and in general the number of rules and the strictness of those rules have been greatly relaxed.
However, the Middle School does introduce a set of rules that did not exist at the elementary school. These are rules to rein in developing adolescent urges. The dress code for girls is the most obvious. The school requires at least two finger-widths of fabric covering each shoulder. Undergarments and midriffs cannot show, and the list seems to go on and on. Additionally, there are rules that forbid public displays of affection such as holding hands.
And the rules seem to be arriving at just the right time. The developing romantic interests are indeed becoming common. Most but not all of Chloe’s friends really want to have a boyfriend. And there seem to be plenty of boys who have discovered they are interested in girls as well. While the interest may be large, few of Chloe’s peers of either gender have even the beginnings of relationship skills. And they seem to know it. The vast majority of boys seem to hide behind the handful of guys brave enough to hold a conversation with a girl. Occasionally, members of the nervous boy crowd will tease and say, “Is she your girlfriend?” Girls likewise seem to prefer the vicarious enjoyment over the actual experience. Whenever a boy and girl pair off in any way there seems to be a crowd of girls hovering around trying to get a word in with the same guy. For girls, perhaps only one in every twenty guys qualifies to be anyone's boyfriend. It is a case of many "crushing" on the same few.
A new student named Eddie moved to Hermes from the other side of the country. He seemed to catch the attention of Chloe’s entire peer group. Soon he was the lone boy sitting at the table with Chloe and a bunch of girls. The kids had to share computers and Stephanie was the first to act. “Do you want to share mine, Eddie?” And suddenly every girl present wished she had the idea before Stephanie as the two pulled close together in front of the computer screen.
Not long afterward, a different boy named Lars caught the attention of Chloe and her friends. At home, Chloe told me about getting to know Lars. Chloe and Lars shared their morning classes with one another and as the school year got under way, the two began walking together between classes. The found they were attracting a lot of attention from other kids. Boys would walk up to Lars and say “Is she your girlfriend?” Likewise, girls began to hover around them trying to find reasons to talk to Lars.
At some point, Lars got sick enough of the hovering boys and girls to do something brave. He whispered into Chloe’s ear and said “let’s ditch them.” They managed to scurry off but they only managed to leave a handful of their followers behind.
The next day when Lars suggested they ditch the others, Chloe was prepared. “Meet me at the bleachers,” she whispered back. And they pretended to go separate ways.
At the bleachers the two managed to earn a small time of privacy. And during that time as they shared their first few minutes alone at the bleachers Lars asked “Will you go out with me?" to Chloe.
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