Dylan was intimidated by girls. He did the sound board for theater, where he liked being around other “weirdos,” but in general did not know how to interact with other people. He liked learning, but not school. He had girl friends, but never a girlfriend. (Tom Klebold says Dylan would go out with a group of friends; what Tom called “group dating.”)
It wasn’t a romantic relationship but in the summer of 1997 Dylan met Devon Adams through friends she had at Blackjack. Devon, two years younger, would be entering Columbine as a freshman. Eric and Dylan would be juniors.
By the time school started Devon was friendly enough with Eric and Dylan to have breakfast and lunch with them. Dylan was not a morning person, and would sleep until noon or 1:00 p.m. on the weekends if he could. For breakfast he would eat donuts and orange juice, or soda pop. Sitting in the middle of the cafeteria, Eric and Dylan would do class work. Or at least pretend to. They could quote every line from the movie Natural Born Killers and Dylan, usually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, preferred to talk. (Eric’s AOL profile listed his favorite movie as the mysterious Lost Highway by David Lynch.) Devon also says she was marked for speaking with Dylan: A jock would say, “Why are you talking to that faggot? Are you a dyke?”
But the Dylan that remains in Devon’s mind is “Mr. Nice Guy. Mr. I’m just trying to make my way through high school.” And funny Dylan. When Devon was confirmed in the Lutheran church, Dylan gave her a yellow greeting card: “Now you can become like a voodoo priestess and have a temple in Africa and cast spells and shrink heads,” he wrote. Dressed in jeans, and a red Chemical Brothers T-shirt with a rainbow, he gave Devon her presents before the party started because a couple girls he didn’t like were going to be there.
At Devon’s sixteenth birthday in July 1998, Dylan wore a gray Chemical Brothers T-shirt and baseball cap with the Boston Red Sox symbol sewn on the front. (Dylan was obsessed with baseball.) The cover of the pre-printed birthday card Dylan gave her reads, “What are the chances you’re getting a birthday present? Inside, the card says, “Between slim and nun.” A tall slim cowboy is next to a nun.
“Ahh a nice dab of mildly distasteful prewritten, pointless humor to brighten yer day AAAA?!!,” Dylan wrote. And because Devon had totaled her 1973 Pontiac Ventura one week before her birthday Dylan added, “Happy B-Day. Don’t run me over or you’ll lose yer license and ill be pissed he he he.”
Devon recounts, without any irony, how she had a murder mystery party at her house called “Lethal Luau.” Her mom made friend rice, and carmelized onions. Devon pushed Dylan to wear a Hawaiian shirt; he would otherwise think he’s too cool for that, but wore one out of respect for her. He played a tourist named “Les Baggs,” and had a good time.
-excerpt: Columbine A True Crime Story – Jeff Kass
The Everlasting Contrast 