As the festivities of homecoming spirit week draw to a close, Lake Forest High School students are focusing their attention on one of the most memorable nights of the school year: the dance. 

Whether the dance has proven to be magical or miserable for you, it is undeniable that homecoming is a night full of surprises. As a freshman, I entered high school with lofty expectations for a “picture-perfect night” filled with music, dancing, and tons of pizza. While there was definitely plenty of pizza to go around, I quickly realized many aspects of the homecoming dance did not fit my preconceived notion of it in the slightest.

LFHS students were asked to compile their best homecoming stories, whether they be cringy, heartwarming, or otherwise, and share them with The Forest Scout. These anonymous submissions only scratch the surface of hilarity that goes on behind-the-scenes of every pre-party, proposal, and awkward encounter at the signature dance.

“In Spanish last year, this kid came up to me after class and asked if I wanted to go to hoco with him. It really caught me off guard because I had literally never talked to him before, so I immediately responded with, ‘Oh, is that a real question?’ He said, ‘Yes,’ and I got so nervous that I bolted in the opposite direction down the hallway. I really hope he found a date.”

“Freshman year, I went with a boy who thought that I had a crush on him even though I didn’t. He tried to ‘friendzone’ me the whole night. I didn’t really know what was going on at first, but after he threw the boutonniere I gave him into the mosh pit and ditched me before going to the post, I totally got the hint.”

“One year, I danced so hard that my shoe flew off and hit my date in the face. He ended up with a bruised cheek and a great story to tell his parents.”

“I had been wanting to ask this girl in my English class to hoco since the beginning of the year, so one day I went to her house after school with a poster and flowers. Nobody told me she had a twin sister, so you could imagine how confused I was when she opened the door and said yes. I got a text later that night from the girl I was originally asking saying that it was her sister, but she still thought I was cute and wanted to go with me. I ended up taking both of them as a joke, and now, they are two of my closest friends.”

“I got asked and promptly un-asked within the span of a day. I’m pretty sure that’s a new record.” 

“I was so tired after the dance one year that I ended up passing out on my date’s couch. I woke up at around 6 a.m. with a blanket over my body and a pillow under my head. My mom almost killed me for sleeping over at a girl’s house without her permission. She still doesn’t believe me to this day when I tell her it was purely an accident.”

“A girl who I didn’t really know showed up at my house with a pizza box my freshman year that had ‘want a pizza dis at hoco?’ written on it. I only said yes because she came to my door and I figured it would be awkward if I said no to someone after such a grand gesture. And because I definitely wasn’t going to say no to a good Ferentino’s pizza.”

“After my first hoco, I was super nervous to go to the post-party. It was going to be the first time I had ever gone to a high school party and I didn’t really know anyone there so I had no idea what to expect. The minute I walked through the door, I was handed a bag with a pair of slippers inside. Slippers. From then on, I knew it was going to be a good night.”

“I asked a boy to hoco my freshman year with a box of doughnuts and a doughnut pun, quickly finding out that he has a gluten allergy. My face had never gotten so red.”

“Throughout high school, I had always been afraid to put a boutonniere on someone else because I didn’t trust myself with the pins. I literally had to have my mom do it for two years before I finally attempted to pin one on one of my dates. I didn’t end up touching him, but I stabbed my own hand as I was finishing. That night, my wrist was decorated with a beautiful corsage and an equally as elegant Hello Kitty Band-Aid.”

“The summer before sophomore year, I had been talking to this guy for a while. We had become really good friends, and I introduced him to my best friend to see if she could covertly figure out whether he was gonna ask me to homecoming or not. He ended up asking my best friend to homecoming and they started dating two days later.”

“Right before the football game one year, my friends told me I was going to get asked to homecoming but they wouldn’t reveal who was asking me. As it turns out, the three other girls I was with were also getting asked. Before I knew it, four boys all came out at one time with four different posters. The only problem was that none of us knew who was asking whom; it literally felt like four arranged marriages were about to occur without anyone’s knowledge.” 

“Junior year, I ended up briefly kissing my best friend’s date in the senior parking lot after the dance―and she found us. I convinced myself she was going to hate me, but she ended up giving me a high five and a ride home. 10/10 night if I do say so myself.”

And with that, I leave you with these parting words: I hope your night is a 10/10 as well. #OhanaMeansHoco