I sat there at the computer, thinking about him again. He was so hard to read...I just couldn't tell if he felt the same way I did. Wishing I understood guys' minds, I suddenly had an idea. I pulled up Google, my fingers flying across the keyboard and rapidly spelling out: 'how to tell if a guy likes you.' A link to seventeen.com popped up, so I clicked it. After all, Seventeen couldn't be wrong, could it?
I drummed my fingers on my desk as I waited for the page to load. When it finally did, a long list of quizzes appeared on the screen. I grinned from ear to ear. There were quizzes on there about everything! I'd be able to find out if I was turning guys off, if I was good at flirting, if I would make a good girlfriend, and even if my crush liked me. So, I set off with high hopes as I clicked on the first quiz. When I finished, I held my breath as I anxiously waited for the results.
'Yes, guys are trying to avoid you!' The grin slid right off my face. There had to be some kind of mistake. Not sure whether to feel hurt or angry, I began the next quiz.
'You're a flirt flop!' A lump rose in my throat. Still torn between hurt and anger, I proceeded to the following quiz.
'You should stay single!' I could feel tears beginning to well up in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. The fourth quiz was my last chance at redemption. All the pain that this stupid website had caused me could be erased if this quiz told me what I wanted--no, what I needed--to hear. Willing to take one last crack at it, I pressed the left clicker button, and the last quiz appeared.
'Just not into you.' The tears were brimming in my eyes, threatening to spill over onto my cheeks. I slammed the laptop shut. Stupid Seventeen magazine! What did they know anyway? As if I didn't have enough self-esteem issues already! Then, all of a sudden, I had a thought. Why on Earth was taking advice from a magazine that gave girls advice on 'How to Hook Up' and 'How to Tell if You're Ready to Go All the Way'? Everything they advocated was wrong! They weren't making girls feel better about themselves. They were just encouraging them to go out and make dumb choices!
I stood up from my desk with my chin up and my eyes dry. It wasn't worth crying over. I was smarter than that.