Young Love (In the 21st Century...)

We stood in line at the cinema watching the two teenage couples, linking arms and whispering into each other's ears. Shirts and jeans - that's smart for 14 year olds. It was a sight that made you believe in young lovers and romance; in risk of sounding incredibly patronising it was adorable.



That was until...

I was reminded that we were living in the 21st century, the boys had their jeans around their knees and the girls were caked in orange make-up, they swore at each other and anybody who came within one hundred yards of them.
"Am I paying then, or what?" one of the girls said to one of the boys.
"... Obviously." he rolled his eyes at her and she looked at him like a love-sick puppy.

They reached the front of the queue.

"Hi guys, sorry, this film is a 15… I'm going to need to see some I.D"
"I don't even need to show ID coz I look well old." the girl said slamming down her money. "I'm only 14," the boy said. Honest, I thought. Then he followed it up with.
"But I’m taller than you, so give me the tickets, you get me?"

My bubble burst. Those ideas of puppy love and romance went straight down the drain. I guess that kind of young romance only still happens in films -
- Too bad they’re not old enough to see those films, they might have learned something.