By Jamil Oakford/managing editor

TCC students share Valentine’s Day fails

NW student Justin Lee recalled when one of his Valentine’s Day gifts just wasn’t that romantic.

“I got the bouquet of flowers or whatever, and I went to open the little box message, and it wasn’t my name.” he said.

Valentine’s Day can be filled with all the romance one can imagine, but it can also be a dreadful countdown until the end of the date, and TCC students shared what they consider to be some of their worst Valentine’s Days.

But for Lee, the bad Valentine’s was just beginning.

Once school was done, he went back to his house to ask his boyfriend why he received flowers addressed to a guy named Ethan.

“I was like, ‘Oh, were these for me?’ and he said it was for his brother,” Lee said.

Except, he didn’t have a brother named Ethan.

It was a blatant lie, and Lee took a look at his boyfriend’s phone and found the flower delivery app used. Then, he discovered the crushing blow, he said.

“He had two orders. One of them had my name on it, and the other had Ethan,” Lee said. “He got the addresses mixed up.”

He said it was his worst Valentine’s Day having to deal with that revelation and the breakup that soon followed.

NW student Chloe Clark said her worst Valentine’s experience ended in embarrassment.

“I was talking to this guy in high school, and we thought we were going to date and everybody knew,” she said. “And then on Valentine’s Day, he let me know he wanted to date his ex-girlfriend instead.”

Clark said it was awkward, and she felt embarrassed because so many people knew about his relationship with her.

TR student Jarett Niestroy said while he hasn’t experienced a bad date on Valentine’s Day, the worst date he could think of would be if someone took him to a meaningless place for a vacuous date.

“If they didn’t pay attention to me or it looks like they didn’t put a lot of thought into it, I would be like, ‘Are you serious?’” he said.

Along with ignoring him and not putting enough thought into the date, Niestroy and TR student Ally Nolen both agreed going to a strip club would be a dealbreaker for a date regardless of the day.

“I mean, it’s obviously bad, but I would’ve never agreed to it in the first place,” Nolen said.

Both also agreed that group dates can be sketchy for a romantic date.

“Don’t take them [your date] on a group date especially where they don’t know each other,” Niestroy said. “They did not agree to that. They agreed to come with you.”

Nolen also said sporting events wouldn’t be the best date idea either.

But the two friends diverged when it came to alcohol consumption on a date.

“It should be a sober date, there should be no veils,” Niestroy said.

No one wants to hear that their date can’t remember them because they had wine that night, he said.

Nolen said it’s not a veil, though.

“A couple of drinks is different from like getting wasted,” she said. “Just to loosen the nerves a little. I have a filter problem.”

South student Kristen Alvarez, married for 19 years, doesn’t have too many do’s and don’ts for a date, but she said she couldn’t imagine a Valentine’s Day without a card.

“I’ll take the card,” she said. “He doesn’t even have to get the chocolates. Just don’t forget the card.”

The lack of chocolate will keep her from eating something she shouldn’t, she said.

“We’re still recovering from Christmas cookies, right?” she said.

For NW student Jacob Davidson, every Valentine’s Day has been less than savory.

“Every Valentine’s is the worst if you don’t have a date on Valentine’s,” he said.

Although the date might be an important aspect for some, TR student Yasmyne Webb said it’s not all that important.

“As long as he put effort in during the day, it’s OK if the date isn’t all that special or enjoyable,” she said. “If he doesn’t say anything or if he doesn’t at least acknowledge that it’s Valentine’s Day, I’d have a bigger problem with that.”