I was in high school. I was single. I was thin and kind of pretty.

And I was desperate for his attention.

His name? John. He was in my year and totally shy. I have thing for shy guys; I think it's all about the hunt. I had first started talking to John about a year previously, and I fell in like with him almost immediately. Hey, he was hot. And did I mention he was shy?

The chase

The first time I ever had a conversation with John was at a school Christmas party, held at his neighborhood clubhouse. I know the only reason he was there is because his mom was hosting the party and wouldn't let him leave. Well, we ended up sitting next to each other, and just talking. He was actually surprisingly chatty - I remember him telling me that he and his last girlfriend didn't work out because she wanted to talk on the phone every day. I also remember getting into my mom's car that night and saying, "Well, he would definitely never date me."
No matter! The chase had begun.

The stunt - and how it came about

I won't bore you with details about our budding friendship, but I will tell you this: at the end of our junior year, John left the school. He wasn't coming back. I wasn't exactly heartbroken, but I was really sad. I never thought I would see him again.
Well, at the beginning of the second semester in our senior year, lo and behold! John is back. I tell you, I couldn't even talk properly that first day. Something was different; I was smitten.
I knew that I had to go out with him. I knew that I would do everything just short of a pole dance to get him to go out with me.

So, I had my hair straightened. Not a big deal. I also put in highlights. Mind you, I didn't do this for him, and it isn't the stunt, but it certainly set things in motion. The next time I saw my friends, I received a ton of compliments, so I decided that if a change in hairstyle could get me such great attention, a change in clothing style could certainly do more.

Here's the thing: this school John and I attended? It was technically a one-day-a-week school for home school students. It was held at a local church, and it had a dress code. You had to wear khakis and a solid polo. Girls could wear appropriate skirts or dresses if they so chose.
Well, I decided to shake things up a bit. I arrived at school wearing, I kid you not, a plaid schoolgirl skirt, laced-up black shirt (with a polo-type collar!), stockings, and boots.
Oh, yes. I did.

When the teacher saw me, he was literally speechless. As soon as I left the room, I heard him say to my cousin, "What was that?!" Well, fine with me.

One of my friends told me I looked like a prostitute. That was okay, too, because I knew it meant that I had a certain effect on him.

Anyway, I dressed like a complete, well, skank (and looked damn fine), which earned me a lecture about staying in dress code.

How did John react? I'm not entirely sure. Shy guys are good at hiding their emotions. I will tell you this, however - we've been dating now for over three years. So I guess I made a good impression after all.