We all have those boys—you know, the ones from our past, who make going home for breaks worthwhile. Maybe you dated him in high school, maybe you hooked up once or twice, or maybe he graduated before you ever got the chance. Whatever the history may be, you are EXCITED to see him next Wednesday night.
The game is simple: a week before break you lay the ground work by texting (or this year, SnapChatting, apparently) the boy, even though you probably haven’t spoken to him since August. This way, you can figure out if he’ll be home and available to “hang out,” or if you should move on to your second choice. If all goes according to plan, you flirt text a little and confirm that both parties are DTMO.
When you finally do see each other, after a week of witty banter and ;)’s, things are inevitably super awkward. You don’t know how to bring the text chemistry that you have been obsessing over into reality, and wind up trying to kill time with small talk until you can find somewhere to hook up. This poses a problem because your options are either 1.) Your car or 2.) Your parents’ basement — talk about feeling like your 14 all over again.
Each year, we hope to return home older, wiser and most importantly, hotter, than ever before. These boys are the reason why we single people diet like crazy before every vacation (well, them and the fear of being THAT GIRL who’s gained 40 pounds since senior year), and give us something to look forward to when family time becomes a little overwhelming. They may not be as cool as they were in high school, but there is something about them that makes us keep coming back year after year. They remind us of a version of ourselves less jaded by the world of college hookups—and probably less experienced in them.
Use this Thanksgiving break (conveniently placed smack in the middle of No-Shame November) as an excuse to relive your teenage dream. Make out with the 2009 quarterback on the 50-yard line, just don’t let things go far enough that you feel obligated to drive him to work at the mall.