HIGH LIFE : Most Find Butterflies Prevelant

Dating is something that one can’t wait to experience, but when that first date finally arrives, your stomach is often full of butterflies and your hands become all thumbs.

First dates, for many, are simply unbelievable.

“I remember my first date,” one Anaheim High School student said. “When I went to pick up my date, I passed her house twice. I finally made it and her entire family was there to meet me--mother, father, brothers, everyone.

“I was real nervous. I hadn’t planned on where to go, so when they asked what we were going to do, I kind of stammered. We went to the movies and I was a total wreck. I didn’t know what to talk about or anything, and the movie turned out to be pretty bad too.”

Sometimes the hardest part of the date is doing the asking.

Jason, a recent graduate of Magnolia High, shared his approach. “Well, I casually start into a conversation with the girl and when she seems really in a happy mood, I pop a question like, ‘Do you want to go on a date before we get physically involved?’ I usually get a ‘yes,’ though sometimes I do get slapped, but it’s worth it.”

But it’s not always the guy who has to do the asking.

“I think that if a girl asks a guy out on a date that it’s cool,” Lorie, a senior at Magnolia, said. “I don’t think that the girl should have to wait around for the guy she likes to ask her out. That’s like living in the stone ages. If you like the guy, then go for it. The worst he could say is no, and guys have been getting turned down for years.”

John, a sophomore at Savanna High, said the line that often gets him those first dates is: “Listen, I like you and I think we could have something. So how about a practice run tonight?”

Mike, a recent graduate of Kennedy High, said his most effective line is: “I know a great little restaurant down the street. Are you hungry?”

High marks for imagination are given by Lisa, a senior at Western High. “Using creativity when asking a girl out is impressive,” she said. “It makes one feel special because some time has been put into the asking.”

Perhaps the second hardest part of dating is deciding where to go.

“Well, if it’s the first time we’ve actually gone out,” Athena, a senior at Westminster High, said, “we usually go to dinner and a movie. I like to get to know the guy first without his friends around, because people usually act different with them around. After that, if I really like him, I don’t care what we do as long as we’re together.”

Many teen-agers said they liked to go the movies, the beach and parties when they’re dating, but others said they preferred more quiet, one-on-one dates such as going on a picnic or taking a ride.

Michelle, a sophomore at Savanna, said she prefers movies, “but nothing too depressing.”