Call Me Pathetic

While getting supplies at Zurcher's party store, two teenage boys walked up beside me and began sifting through the balloon bins. It took very little time for me to detect that they were on a quest to woo young ladies into going to a high school dance.

"Okay dude, help me think of all the letters I need balloons for," one said to the other.

His buddy put on his thinking cap. "Well, you need one for H... O..., M..." the boy trailed off. Then silence. The two of them stared at each other vaguely.

"E ?" I suggested.

"Oh yeah, thanks," said one. Counting slowly with his fingers, he went on. "Then you'll need a C... O... M...." More silence. Their eyes shifted blankly at the air.

"I," I urged.

They smiled gratefully and and were able to piece together the final letters N and G on their own. Well done.

"Grab ten balloons," said one. "Then I can get them to Kristy's house." My keen senses led me to the conclusion that Kristy was going to be the recipient of the Homecoming dance proposal.

I couldn't resist. "I heard that she's going to say 'no' if you asked her," I said casually.

The two boys turned and looked at me with mixed expressions of shock and concern.

"Really?" said the kid.

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's what I heard."

The two boys looked questioningly at one another, and hesitated to select any more balloons from the bins. I hadn't actually planned on them believing me, but for some reason they seemed to put stock in my gossip. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I initially came across as an all-knowing genius. After all, a woman who knows how to spell the word "Homecoming" must be extremely intelligent.

I'm not quite so mean that I would let this go too far. Of course I set the record straight that I was only joking, and the boy with the Kristy crush breathed a sigh of relief. As I exited the store, I shook my head and told myself I need more adult interaction. Messing with high schooler's heads should not be this amusing to me.