Since 2006, people everywhere, including me, have been dreaming of meeting someone over winter break at a ski lodge while in high school. While sitting alone at a New Year’s Eve party, we would both be called on stage to sing karaoke, creating an instant bond. After singing together, we would exchange phone numbers and watch the fireworks explode in the midnight black sky. After reminiscing about him for awhile he will transfer to my school and we will date for the remanding years of high school and throughout college as well.

In High School Musical, Troy Bolton would surprise his girlfriend, Gabriella Montez, with surprise trips to the school rooftop, showing up to her balcony with pizza and standing up for her and their relationship regardless of what his friends would say. High School Musical gave young girls everywhere false expectations of what relationships are like. Sophomore Amanda Schless said, “Troy and Gabriella’s relationship in High School Musical is the best thing ever. They are always each other’s biggest cheerleaders and were always there for one another. Also, they broke the status quo to be with one another. I was very heartbroken when I realized that their relationship was nothing more than a fairytale that everyone longed for.”

With people spending so much time hiding behind their phones, they have forgotten how to have a true, genuine conversation with another person. Schless said, “It is nerve racking to meet someone who you have only talked to through social media because you don’t really know what they are like.”

With the boom in video games, boys have no time to do homework and hang out with their friends- let alone have a girlfriend. They prioritize their video game consoles, which allow them to play Fortnite, Minecraft and Call of Duty. Senior Jack Berman said, “Although my parents may not approve of my obsession, I spend a lot of my time after school playing different video games. My favorite is Fortnite because it is a different scenario every game and they come out with updates very often that change the whole game.”

Not everyone struggles to find a happy, healthy relationship. Despite the amount of time we spend on social media or “hiding behind our phones” and the amount of time people spend playing Fortnite, there are same actual relationships. Although not everyone is comfortable with PDA, there are signs of real life relationships up and down the halls. Junior Alexa Kantor said, “I always see couples together in the halls, more than I would like to sometimes. It is nice to know that people are in happy relationships though.”