LOL! Oh Jules! Dear lady, I suspect your experiences with the hyper-confident male schmucks of that period probably skewed your worldview, but for a certain subset of male teenagers sex was totally freakin’ scary. Never mind actual sex, just the bits leading up to it were frightening. And a self-confident good-looking young woman like yourself who was comfortable with her sexuality (or could fake it enough to fool a virgin nerd teenager — and how much effort would that take?) would be a physical embodiment of all that.

This would be the me of my high school years, who took all summer to plan how to ask a girl out (summer jobs cutting grass and delivering books are great for contemplation), took another two months to actually pop the question, and then totally blew it (she laughed in my face). So while the old(er) me could maybe see your vulnerabilities and your pain, the teenage me would have been terrified of you, not because of anything you necessarily did, but just because you represented Yet Another Chance To Screw Up Big Time.

But you’re not scary now, dear lady. You’re a wonderful person and a pleasure to read, and the old(er) me is glad to know you. :-)