Go Team.

Back in junior high, Friday's meant one thing: high school football games.

That is, if there was a home game that week. If there wasn't a home game then we resorted to one of two things: someone's birthday party "dance" or a movie party. But on the best Fridays, it meant going to the high school football game.

Junior high kids are, what I call, "loosely chaperoned". That is- they are (obviously) driven somewhere. For junior high girls, the preferable mode of transportation was a suburban with a minimum of 3 people in the passenger seat and a baker's dozen in the back seats. The chaperone will not be addressed by the offspring unless the chaperone needs instructions on how to drive or directions. Duh. The offspring's army of friends may address the chaperone but if he chooses to reply, he will likely be asked to cease and desist by the offspring.

Now, when arriving at the destination, the chaperone must not address his/her offspring and must maintain a safe distance of at least 20 yards distance to avoid death rays/rolling eyes by aforementioned offspring.
The 20 yard rule may be breeched in the event that the daughter forgot to ask for money and is in need of sour punch straws or mountain dew. However, the breech will be conducted in the following, orderly manner:
1. Daughter waves and yells, "Daaaaaad" or "Mooooom" until the parent disengages in conversation with other adult.
2. Parent raises eyebrows to say "yes, dear daughter?"
3. Daughter says, "C'mere!!!" In most annoyed voice and then rolls eyes and stomps over to parent since, obviously, parent is incapable of understanding ANYTHING about ANYTHING.

Moving on: going to high school football games was a taste of the independent life. Even though our chaperones were an arm's throw behind us, we could pretend like we were there alone! Junior high was when boys and girls started "going together". ("Where are they going?" my dad would ask. Oh, dad...) I never had a junior high boyfriend (I don't think that 2 days count since we didn't actually speak during that time- more wrote notes and had a very dramatic breakup which was conducted through friends, obviously.) But other than my one 2-day relationship, I didn't have a junior high boyfriend, but I remember having crushes.

If you had a crush, you immediately told your 8 closest girlfriends. Because they would, like, never ever tell. I mean, unless, like, you wanted them to say something....
Anyways, the second thing you did to move along the relationship was sit RIGHT behind your crush at the football game, but DON'T talk to him. Instead, talk to your girlfriend (who has come along for moral support) really loudly and giggle a lot. If your crush turns around, then look away quickly, take a sip of your mountain dew, but don't say anything. Duh.

It's a wonder that i didn't have a junior high boyfriend, right?

Anyways, the point is, I loved going to football games in junior high. Even though they were the most awkward years to ever exist, I had so much fun drinking cokes through my sour punch straws and giggling like only 12 year old girls can do. I don't believe I ever saw an actual play of any game I attended but that wasn't really the point, was it?