So my 10 year high school reunion in coming up this October. My first gut reaction was, no I'm not going. But then for a brief moment I thought, well...maybe I should go. There are a few people from high school that aren't on Facebook and I have no idea what happened to them after high school and college. There are two people I would like to see what they've done with themselves. Elizabeth Grace and Michael Pennington. They were two of the nicest people I've met. Elizabeth was a quiet red head that had a very unexpected Celtic tattoo on the back of her neck. Michael was one of the "popular" skater type guys that was nice to just about everyone that I know of. I saw them both in college and had the opportunity to get to know them both a little better. Elizabeth was very soft spoken and polite. I wish I knew what happened to them both. The only thing I heard about Michael after college was his father passed away. And it wasn't long after my own father passed so I felt awful for him. But anyway...
I didn't have a terrible high school experience. I mean it had it's moments that sucked beyond belief but it also had some moments that I hope I never forget. There were the snobs, the preps, the stoners, the loners, all the typical stereotypes for high school teenagers. I like to think that I was friendly to everyone when in reality I probably wasn't. I wasn't and still am not a huge people person. I have a few people that I love to talk to and see occasionally. We all have our own families and jobs and things so it's hard to see each other as much as I'd like. But I think we are closer now then ever. (You all know who you are!) But I had a variety of different types of friends but I didn't have a huge social life with them. Most of the people I did stuff with outside of school were people I didn't go to school with. Either people I worked with or people I met through other people. Usually older then me because they were friends of my sister's. I enjoyed my junior and senior year of high school. I had good friends and some awesome teachers in that time. No boyfriend drama like in 10th grade. I had a boyfriend for part of junior year and all of my senior year but it wasn't the same drama as 10th grade when I was dating someone in high school. I don't recommend dating people you go to school with. It gets ugly and then the whole school knows about it.
The main thing I didn't like about high school were the "preppy kids". Not because they had more money or because they had nicer clothes. But because of their attitude. They treated other people like dirt or ignored them completely. I honestly didn't care if they ignored me but it would have been nice to be treated like I was worth their time. Some of them were polite but standoffish. Especially if their "cool" friends were around. I think that was worse the being ignored completely. The ones that were your friend in a certain class but then as soon as you stepped out of those doors they acted like you didn't exist. I hope I didn't do that to anyone. If I did I didn't mean to. Another thing that bugged the shit out of me was the so called "skater guys". They dressed grungy, messed with skateboards all the time and usually were involved in bands or art in some way. Usually there were one or two that I thought were hot. They listened to the same kind of music as me, they watched a lot of the same shows as me and attended some of the same concerts. But they never dated the girls that acted like them. Instead they wanted the cheerleaders and the preppy girls. I can understand they wanted to be with hot girls but what about the girls that actually had things in common with them? That's what I don't understand about the teenage boy. They want the hot girl but when it comes down to it they have nothing in common. So instead of going with the equally hot girls that just happen to dress a little different they waste time on the girls the rest of us despise. Oh well...it's one of life's mysteries that will never be figured out I guess.
Well I was recently told that I would be seen as a coward if I did not attend my class reunion. I call bullshit on that one. Just because I don't want to make myself uncomfortable and be around people that haven't changed one bit since high school doesn't make me a coward. I think it makes me..well me. I don't like crowds, I don't like a lot of the people that are organizing the reunion and I don't like most of the people that are attending. They still make fun of people that they haven't seen in a decade, that tells me that it wont be a good time. I would hate to snap in front of all these people and give them something to talk about for the next decade. I could try to lose 50 lbs and walk in there looking awesome like I'm Andy from Pretty in Pink, "I just want them to know they didn't break me." The truth is they didn't break me in high school, they aren't going to break me now. I like who I was then, I love who I am now. I am a college graduate, I am a mother of two beautiful children, and the wife of an amazing man. I have a comfortable home full of things I love and while things may not always be perfect I wouldn't change anything. I don't know what all of my classmates are up to but if they are happy, then I'm happy for them. I don't have to have their successes rubbed in my face and I wont rub mine in theirs. I think while they are having their little party I'll be home with my family knowing that I am just as successful as the rest of them. And for the ones I missed that I would truly like to see, I'm sorry and maybe someday we'll run into each other.
I probably sound bitter, and in truth I probably am. I have friends that were treated much worse then I was, I was fortunate to be surrounded by friends that watched my back. But some of them didn't. Some people were made fun of for stupid things, some were ignored because they didn't belong to the right church, didn't go to the right parties and weren't involved in school activities. I did none of those things, I didn't go to a church, I didn't participate in anything other then choir and I didn't have money. I was lucky enough to get a car my junior year because I had a job. I was lucky enough to have friends that were always around me. And I'm lucky now that I can still call some of them friends or even best friends. It's ten years later and while not much seems to have changed I know that I have. I hope when my children are in high school they are the type of person that wont judge others based on how they look or dress but by their actions. I want my kids to not suffer the torment so many of us endure through our school years. But I know that at some point they probably will. I just hope they can handle it and move on knowing that high school isn't forever.
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