Observing teenagers in action

[pegkerr]

My nephew Jackson (son of my brother Chet) is growing up into quite a strapping sixteen year old. Last night, my siblings and I took our children down to the pool at the activity center. My girls were there, along with most of their cousins.

A teenage girl at the pool noticed Jackson. And I mean, she REALLY noticed him. We thought she was about fourteen or so. She started zeroing in on him like a heat-seeking missile.

What she didn't realize was that Jackson's father, in the pool, and his mother and several of his aunts sitting over at the side of the pool were observing and commenting, with a great deal of amusement, on everything she was doing.

It was fascinating to watch. She watched him carefully, everywhere he went in the pool. When he started rough-housing with his young cousins, dunking them and throwing them in the water, she slowly worked around the edges of the group, talking to the young kids Jackson was dunking, obviously trying to insinuate her way into the group. But her gaze kept turning to him. One of my other nephews, Steve, was also there, and he caught her gaze once or twice. But her attention always returned to Jackson.

Eventually, she started making comments to him. Meanwhile, Cindy, Betsy and I were predicting her next moves in the flirting dance she was doing, and offering up our scores for how Jackson reacted. "If she thinks he's the high noon of young manhood," my sister Cindy remarked with a smirk, "maybe we should point out Chet over there" [my brother, also in the pool, busy dunking kids] "so she can how much the package . . . deteriorates by 5:00 or 6:00 p.m."

Jackson, it soon became clear, was aware of his aunts' avid, amused interest in the little mating dance that was going on. He was gracious to the girl but continued his horseplay with his young cousins. Cindy accurately predicted that she would approach Jack's sister, and the girl did. "Is that your brother?"

"Yeah."

"He's really cute."

Leigh stared at her, and then squinted at Jack, peeling cousins off his back and dunking them. "He's not," she said with all the insouciant insolence of a little sister. "It's just the lighting."

When we all left, the girl, undeterred, was still watching Jackson hopefully. I hope her heart isn't completely broken that he didn't give her his number.

Comments

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

"He's not.... It's just the lighting."

Leigh's the one who's going to be a terror with the other sex. Or everyone. :)

[skg.livejournal.com]

She's hilarious. I love it.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Cindy's pretty funny too. All things considered, it sounds like family afternoon at the pool was far more entertaining than the average sitcom. *snicker*

[psychic-serpent.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! Sisters and brothers are priceless. That's exactly the sort of thing Rachel says if a girl says that Ben is cute. ;) Interestingly enough, if a boy shows interest in Rachel he tells him that she already has a boyfriend. Even though she no longer does.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's priceless! I remember too vividly being in her shoes... I just hope I was a tad less clueless/obvious, but probably not.

[embereye.livejournal.com]

Awww...that's so cute! (And I definitely was that girl at some point or another.) She might sigh for an hour or so, but hopefully will see some other adorable kid to fawn after for an hour or so. :)