Wait a second. Do boys “peacock” as much or more than girls at our school? Do they use the same tactics to get the people they have crushes on to like them back? In a previous article, Chad Croell described the methods in which girls attract attention; however, what do the students of Broomfield have to say about the guys of the school trying to gain attention?

By and large, the main way that guys obtain attention is simply flirting; be it doing things as elementary as stealing girls’ things for the meantime or ensuing with playful banter. The fear of other people’s opinions about us shrouds our judgements to what we really want to do and how to act.

So what is the deal? Why is it that the same guys we see on the athletic fields, stages, and classrooms who are acting completely composed and serious suddenly morph into giggling idiots? “Guys will do anything to get a girl’s attention if they think they’re pretty enough,” sophomore Sawyer Giles said. This certainly has something to do with it.

“Since I am a cheerleader,” said Cole Napp, “tumbling is something that not many people [males] do, so it helps me interact with girls.” Considering Cole is always around girls at school and cheer practice, talking to girls is easy: he has loads of practice talking to the opposite sex. Imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by a ton of girls. For others, not so much… But, being a cheerleader has made such a big impact on Cole’s life.

In contrast, some boys are simply more willing to put themselves out there. “It just comes naturally to me. I try to be funny around girls by doing weird things, and I try to make them laugh,” sophomore Andrew Mercure said. Andrew is not a shy boy who is quiet; he likes the attention that he draws to himself. He is proud of his certain set of social skills that allow him to be the life of the party.

But the question still remains. If a boy wishes for attention from girls, why do some go to such great lengths to stray away from a simple “hello”? All one simply needs to do is to just go and talk to her. While this may not apply to all the school’s male population, it is a large amount.

Importantly, I do not think that there are many girls who could honestly say that a boy has not been mean to them. But, why? Well, ladies, think about this: Have you ever noticed that boys who are best friends with one another constantly talk smack to each other or beat one another up? If you did not know it already, this is how high school boys demonstrate affection. So, when they do not possess the social skills to simply say something like, “Hi, you look nice today,” to the girl they like, they are more likely to say or do something mean, not realizing that girls do not interpret meanness as a compliment.

Even this morning, a boy threw an orange at me. Did he want to hurt me? No. What he was really saying was, “I think you’re pretty; I want to talk to you; I don’t know how to do that. Urg…me throw orange!”

Junior Taylor Gilmore noticed this as well: “Boys are rude to girls; if they like you then they will purposely try and make fun of you.” Boys can be mean and take things too far sometimes, and it can tend to make a girl upset.

So, boys, here are a few steps to help you out in your pursuit of love and attention:

-According to Adam Sandler in Big Daddy and Mr. Lay: “Remember: Initiating conversation is half the battle.  What does that mean? It means that once you have a girl’s attention stop being mean. Talk to her like she is your friend who you like and appreciate.”

-My (Megan Quinlan’s) advice: “Do not act like a complete idiot trying to make yourself look cool. If you take it too far, you end up losing cool points instead of gaining them.”

-Newspaper editor Natalie Gwinn said: “Just be yourself and don’t try too hard to impress us. If it was meant to be, you wouldn’t have to act like someone you’re not.”

In the end, if you want the girl you like to like you back, be a gentleman. Believe me, we all notice.