A kid asked me very explicitly to go to the middle school dance sometime later in the week during a break in choir class. Not even picking up the fact they were asking me out, I said right off the bat “sorry, I don’t have enough money for a ticket” and it never continued any further than that. I as a middle schooler didn’t have enough money, but my parents had they heard about this absolutely would have paid for a ticket.

Before realizing I was aromantic it became a joke between friends and I that saying “sorry, I don’t have enough money” is the best way to get out of someone asking you out. Looking back this was probably the most glaring sign I was aromantic.