Picture this: you’ve just gotten an A on a math test you spent all night studying for. Proudly walking down the hallway with your head up high you see your best buddy, give him a fist bump and shout, “Today has been such a great day!” Then something unexpected happens. Seconds before entering your next class, you see two individuals tongue wrestling against a locker. Feelings of horror and disgust fill your brain as you try to comprehend what is happening. They part after a few moments and walk away as if this was a normal, routine occurrence. As you gather yourself, you begin to wonder why public displays of affection have become common among some couples.

Don’t get me wrong, dating relationships can be fantastic for certain individuals. It is only when those feelings for one another are publicly shown does it become unacceptable and inappropriate. Multiple times I’ve encountered students showing their love so affectionately one could assume they were never going to see each other again, only to meet 50 minutes later and dramatically repeat their actions once again. I, along with most students, don’t come to school to find love. I’d prefer not have to see a couple eating each other’s lips for lunch as I’m on my way to buy cafeteria food. Even as I’m eating my daily pizza and fries, I still can’t avoid people in the lunchroom getting in a quick make out session with their “special someone”. This is the type of appetite-ruining behavior that not only affects me, but a vast number of students at school.

Publicly engaging in sloppy hallway kissing, however, is seen as fine to some. Partakers simply choose to broadly show their love for one another and ignore the thoughts and opinions of others. While it is a great accomplishment to have achieved such immense connection and comfort within a partner, there is a time and place where one’s affection can be cherished outside of a school setting.

If you’re a student reading this and have to second guess your hallway activities, you are most likely a victim of publicly displaying your affection. Next time you see your boyfriend or girlfriend at school, for the sake of the cringing student body, remember these three words: it can wait.