Not So Sweet in art stix

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is popularity. As is so often the case with me, this'll take a bit of explaining.

In my high school (and, I'd expect, in many other high schools) they often used holidays or special events to do a little extra fundraising for the Students' Union. At Valentine's Day or Christmas or other days like that they'd pre-sell gifts that a person could have sent to a boy- or girlfriend's class on the day. At Christmas it would be chocolate or something like that, but at Valentine's Day it was generally roses. You'd order your rose the week before, and then on the big day the Students' Union executive would spend the first class period delivering flowers to the lucky recipients. Names would be called, and the blushing, giggling, or (in the usual case of the boys) embarrassed people would head up to the front of the room to get their gifts from their special someones.

I wasn't popular enough to get one. Ever.

Not a surprise, really. I was a misfit in a small town. Well, I'm still a misfit (in a city now), but the difference is that I've since found out that there are plenty of other misfits out there and we generally -- or eventually -- find each other out. If you'd told high-school-me that, though, I wouldn't have believed you. I just kind of gave up on popularity.

Here comes the ironic part.

I went from my small town to a university whose population was literally six times the size. Shock to the system, for sure. Gradually, though, I discovered that a bigger group of people means a much bigger chance that you're going to find people who share your interests. Suddenly I had more friends than I'd ever thought I'd have in my life. I was happy. I even dated, which I hadn't done since junior high. And when the Students' Union Valentine's rose sale came up?...

I completely ignored it. It was, honestly, barely in the periphery of my mind. Things like that didn't matter away from high school measurements of popularity. Thank goodness.

You can imagine, then, that as I sat waiting for my computing class to begin, I wasn't even listening to the roll of names being called. They had to call me twice before the friend I was sitting with gave me a nudge. I, of all people, had been sent a rose.

Happy ending, right?

Welllll...

It turned out to be from a probably nice but completely not my type fellow who'd been chatting me up outside that classroom for a few weeks. It led to absolutely nothing, but I definitely give him credit for the effort.

And didn't someone say that a rose is a rose is a rose?

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On another note, this is my first go with Prismacolor Art Stix, so obviously I need more practice. They're kind of fun, though. I think they'll get some use.