High school relationships take us through important parts in our lives, a few short years that shape the coming decades. Because of all that change in such a short time, most high school couples do not last too long. Today we talked to Daniel Pak and Hannah Rose, who when asked if they have been able to stay friends, Pak immediately replies “no” — while off camera we all laugh. They may not be dating anymore but they have managed to keep a connection.
When did you date? And for how long?
Hannah: “We started dating in November of eighth grade, November 2016, and then we broke up around April 2019”
What were some great date destinations you discovered while dating?
Daniel: “We went to the Space Needle, that was cool. We also went to the pier.”
H: “We couldn’t go on many good dates because we couldn’t drive, we were like babies.”
D: “Yeah, we went on a lot of group dates and some of the classic early high school spots like Uwajimaya and Pike Place.”
Any date locations you’d recommend staying away from?
H: “We went ice skating one time. It wasn’t bad, but it was awkward. Oh I’ve got a better one. There was that one time we went to see Spider Man,”
D: “Oh and your parents were there! This is a good story.”
H: “So my whole family showed up and sat in the row right in front of us, I think they did it on purpose, and it was an anniversary date too.”
D: “It was supposed to be this really nice date where we’d go alone, because the independence thing was still a big deal.”
H: “Yeah and then they all sit right in front of us.”
What was the worst/weirdest gift you gave to each other?
D: “We actually gave really good gifts.”
H: “Yeah I can’t really think of anything bad, we really were good at gifting.”
Best and worst personality traits in each other?
The two couldn’t think of any bad traits in each other, so Hannah started with what she considered as Daniel’s best, “He’s very thoughtful. With plans and gifts he was always really creative.”
D: “Hannah’s very kind-hearted. One thing I really appreciated was how she liked to share things that made her happy, like her music and art. I have a much deeper appreciation for arts and creativity.”
Who put more effort into the relationship?
They take some time to think about this question, then Daniel starts, “In the beginning it was definitely Hannah and then towards the end it was probably me.”
H: “In the beginning it was definitely me, when I asked him to date his response was, ‘yeah, sure, why not’ and it wasn’t until about a month until he was more into it.”
D: “At the time you were one of my best friends and I thought it would be cool to date one of my best friends, and then that’s exactly what happened.”
Last question, where do you see yourselves in five years?
H: “Probably still living in Seattle. We’re both going to the UW and for me personally I have no clue what I want to do as an adult so the safe bet is in Seattle right now.”
D: “I’m basically going to get super rich and hot.”
This interview was supposed to be weird because it was between two exes. They hadn’t been together for a long time, so the expectation was unavoidably awkwardness. Unlike some exes, Daniel and Hannah were comfortable with one another. The half decade since when they started dating in middle school to now had made them different people. That’s probably the most important part about high school relationships, the way it helps us grow us as people.
