How can I meet people outside of Lakeside and start relationships?
If you’re involved in extracurricular activities or a part-time job outside of school, that’s your perfect avenue to meet new people! They’ll have a shared interest you can bond over, and you’ll have reliable times to get to know them. If that’s not applicable, ask your friends for some contacts that they can put you in touch with. Or maybe you’ll experience love at first sight with a special somebody you see across the street… you never know.
Should I ignore looks if the personality is there?
Personality is definitely more important than looks in a relationship, but you should also be attracted to someone enough to want to date them. I’d say it’s up to you to determine your level of attraction to this person to decide whether or not you want to be in a relationship. This attraction can stem either just from their personality or also include their looks.
Best romantic gestures I can do on a date (e.g. flowers)
If you’re thinking of bringing your date flowers, then you’re already off to a good start. Consider some chocolates or candy roses (look it up on Instagram!) as gifts. Even better, hand-make some sort of creative note or token. If it’s raining, bring an umbrella to share. If it’s sunny, take them out to ice cream after the date. The best romantic gesture on a date, though, is just to show respect and listen attentively to what your date is saying — let them know you appreciate their company.
How do I find out if someone likes me (without them finding out that I found out)?
Do they sneak glances at you during class? Do they try to initiate frequent text conversations with you? Do their eyes light up in heart emojis when you’re talking to them? If so, then they probably like you. You could also do the classic ask their friend through your friend technique (but there’s not much subtlety in that one). Alternatively, just bite the bullet and ask them yourself. If they seem unreceptive or are about to say no, just backtrack and do some quick-talking to save yourself the embarrassment.
Is it okay to stay friends with your exes while in new relationships?
Yes, especially when you’re in high school relationships, I think staying friends with your ex (now your peer) is okay. As long as you are open and honest with your new relationship partner, you are free to be friends with whoever you want!
What is a good non-romantic candy to get for myself/my friends?
I love this question! I think we need to normalize getting friends candy on Valentine’s Day: bring back the elementary school Valentine’s goody exchanges. One of my tried-and-tested candy favorites is flavored chocolate bars. Check out Theo’s Chocolate for a variety of chocolate bars with flavors ranging from peppermint to coffee, and have fun picking out the perfect chocolate bars to match your friends’ personalities. And, of course, if you want to buy something for the author of this advice column along the way, that wouldn’t hurt either.
Should I still ask someone out even if I feel like the other person is not putting as much effort to talk to me, spend time together, etc.? How can I move forward from that?
You deserve better than someone who only half-cares about you, so if you’re already in a relationship and that’s what you’re feeling, then have an honest conversation with them about the next steps of your relationship. But it looks like your question is pre-relationship, so the other person has no obligation to spend effort talking to you or spending time with you. There’s no harm in casually asking that person if they would want to go out with you, but if they’re already not showing too much interest, then be prepared for rejection. I know it’s hard to move on from rejection, but my advice for that is to spend extra time eating ice cream with your friends and watching Gilmore Girls. I wish you the best of luck!
