By Kara Hallam

Staff Writer

Not a week goes by since the beginning of August that my friends do not talk about being worried about not getting asked to homecoming. And as stressed as they are and after hours of talking out these fears the solution becomes simple: why not just ask a guy to homecoming?

As my boyfriend reached for something in his bag, I knew this was it; I was being asked to homecoming.

I had been dreaming of this day since the beginning of high school. Unfortunately since, I had spent the first two years at an all-girls private school, Ursuline Academy in Dallas, I never got the chance to fulfill that dream.

Now here I was at Outback Steakhouse with the loaf of bread sitting right in front of me with the words “Homecoming?” carved into it. My boyfriend pulled out a rose as the young waiter shrieked with

excitement when I responded with a “yes.”

Was I thrilled? Of course, but given I had been dreaming of this day for two years, it was not exactly as I had imagined.

So then I figured why not just do it myself then. Here I had this awesome plan for someone to ask someone to homecoming and I was just going to waste it because I always figured it was the guy’s job to ask the girl to homecoming.

I am sure we are all quite familiar with the idea of breaking gender roles in the 21st century. I acknowledge there is an almost unbreakable ideal the guy always asks the girl out, and I do think it adds extra fear on the girl’s part to reasons why she does not want to ask a boy out.

In all reality, girls do not ask guys to homecoming because we are absolutely terrified of being rejected. This tradition that the guy always asks a girl out does hold us back, but it is not a rule that cannot be broken. It is the fear of rejection preventing us from following through with this, not the rule.

There are people who just believe that it is the guy’s job or obligation to ask a girl out and the other way around is mind-shatteringly unacceptable. The idea that a girl could ask a guy out has not even crossed their minds. I will admit there is some reason in that.

Sadie Hawkins, however, offers an opportunity for girls to ask guys to a dance under the comfort blanket of tradition. Unfortunately, Coppell High School did not host a Sadie Hawkins dance last year while New Tech High@Coppell did.

This is for the girls who are terrified of not having a homecoming date. If you cannot bear the fear of being one of the girls without an overhyped mum when homecomings comes around, then just ask a guy out. I know how scary it seems but just think what almost every teenage boy has to go through as they muster up the courage to ask one of us girls out.

Rejection is scary, but you will never know if a guy returns your feelings unless you ask the guy yourself. The worst he can say is no and if he says worse than no, then he was not worth your time.

Girls, I will give you a tip about teenage boys. Sometimes they are oblivious. What I mean is that they do not always take the time out to consider pursuing a relationship the way that girls do. A good majority of them will not consider making a move on you unless they truly believe you are interested in them and have somewhat of a chance.

So sometimes a friendly text or a flirty conversation is not enough to let them know you are interested in them. Guys are just as afraid of rejection as girls are. Just think what would it take for you to securely know if a guy was interested in you enough for you to make a move?

If you are really worried about not getting asked to homecoming, you might as well just ask someone. Maybe even right now that person is wondering why no one has asked them yet. Just because you think they are does not mean they know that.

So tell them.

Also do not forget the option of just going with someone as a friend. It could just be simple as getting a group of friends together and making mums together with no two people specifically each other’s dates. That way there is no pressure to make this one night super romantic and special, but just to make it fun.

Plus if it is just a friend, there is way less pressure to ask them to the dance.

You could even go without a date and dare I say make your own mum. From my experience at an all-girls school, we all went to dances by ourselves. I always had the best time despite the five random girls who brought dates slow dancing off to the side.

Homecoming was originally intended to be about school spirit, not a scramble to find a date within the first two months of school. So get your friends or that cute guy in math or even your boyfriend of three months and enjoy one of the biggest traditions CHS has to offer.

As I write this right now, my homecoming cupcakes are cooling on the kitchen counter. I have a CD ready with the cliché song choice of One Direction’s ”What Makes You Beautiful” for my big plan to ask my boyfriend and already homecoming date to homecoming. I think he will say yes.