We all have those awkward moments on campus- and no, I’m not talking about when you trip and fall, or when someone overhears you saying something embarrassing to one of your friends- I’m talking about that moment where you spot one of your past hookups across the room and make
that horribly long, anxiety-ridden eye contact. Sometimes these moments are just amusing, but sometimes you just wish you could be invisible for
those two seconds of awkwardness- I know I wish I could just dig a hole and hide in it.
No matter where you go on campus, you’re bound to see SOMEONE from one of your previous weekends. I know for me–and I’m sure most girls can relate to this–you always end up seeing your ex-hookups when you’re a) wearing sweatpants and no makeup b) making a fool of yourself with your friends or c) when you’re just realy caust off guard. Wherever you are on campus, here are some tips for how to handle these way-too-frequent encounters:
1) The quick and easy reaction: Duck, duck, duck- whether it’s behind your friends, the dessert station in market, or behind a person walking in
front of you in the quad- whatever works, just do it. This may be the worst way to act, especially if they notice you ducking (because that just makes the situation ten times worse) but hey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. Sometimes, it’s just natural instinct to hide and avoid any confrontation.
2) Pretend like you don’t see them, speed up, and KEEP MOVING: This is just the classic “looking at my phone even though I don’t have any
messages but I just don’t want to look up” move. If you panic when you spot a hookup from across the lobby before they’ve spotted you, simply
just pull out your phone, or pretend you’re looking for something in your backpack- it may sound silly, but it works. Some days I’m just not in the
mood to deal with small talk or having to say hi (especially if he’s with a group of his friends!) so I just act like I didn’t see them. Later on,
if he says something to me about how he waved and I didn’t do anything, I just act surprised…
3) When you’re at a party and he’s with another girl…: These situations tend to be more funny than awkward (the alcohol helps). If you’ve been
lucky enough to have one of your past hookups make out with another girl standing right next to you- and then have him realize you’re there- just
say hi, wave, and laugh with your friends about how funny the situation is. Whether you’re on good terms with them or not, you don’t want to
start drama, or say anything you’ll regret. Just do your thing, enjoy the party, and have your own fun.
4) When you see the one that was more than just a one night thing: It sucks when things don’t go right when you finally think you’ve found
someone that can be more than just a college hookup. What sucks even more is having to run into them every day. This campus may be big, but somehow you always see the people you don’t want to. Whether you’re not over it yet or you’ve moved on, just be the bigger person and give a little wave- I know it hurts, but you don’t want him to think that, do you ladies?
5) And lastly, the brave, dirt-off-your-shoulders approach: When you see someone you’ve hooked up with, stand up tall, act like nothing bothers you
in the world, and give a nice wave and smile. It’ll show that you’re cool and accepting of the situation. Don’t act like it never happened- embrace
it and stop the awkwardness.
College is fun, college is a place for new experiences, college is a place to make new friends, and college is a place to hookup. Not everyone does it, not everyone thinks it’s for him or her, but at some point in our lives we all end up single and ready to just have fun. Everyone has those hookups that they always see in Market (so annoyingly unavoidable,) walking through campus, Towers lobby, or at those frat parties. We all do questionable things in college, but isn’t that what college is for- to experience new things? Before you instantly write off a hookup and regret it, cut yourself some slack. We’re all human; and it’s these awkward moments that keep life interesting.
Credit to: theatlantic.tumblr.com
Photo cred: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m97ucoV5eD1qcokc4o1_1280.jpg