You Never Leave High School

       This sentence is probably the saddest thing I ever heard. Unsurprising considering how much I hated High School. I utter those words –or in this particular case write those words and the first thing people say in response “Were you unpopular?”. The answer to this is “No!”. I was not unpopular. I was not popular.

       I was content socially. I had friends; I probably had enemies/haters. But to be honest, I truly did not care. High School was this thing I did because my parents, as stated in an earlier blog, had an expectation of college from me. High School was that stepping stone. I was nerdy and quiet. I did not belong to one clique. I just fluttered around oblivious to the etiquette rules associated with being apart of a particular social circle. I had friends, some of whom I still speak to, and did the whole prom thing.

       Those parts of high school were not horrible. They were fun. What was boring… What was truly annoying… Was the political structure within high school. Everyone is campaigning to be the head of their social circle and to ensure they are not the bottom of the food chain by creating a victims. Gossip was like food and privacy was none existent. Drama was in great supply. Friendships could be made and broken in the span of a period. High School was exhausting and when I left I thought I had escaped the rat race.

       College was relatively uneventful. I went in with mindset that I was only there for four years and needed the grades for graduate school. I did not really buy into college life. I had my friends. Participated in a couple of movie nights. Went to a couple of plays, there were very few solo cups in those days. I was not the one to hang out on campus or go to the parties later busted up by the cops. That just was not my seen and I had a low tolerance for things I thought would create unneeded drama. Graduation was a great day in my life. I had survived four years of repeated high school relatively unscathed and without a fistfight or police interaction.

       Grad School or should I say the “greatest gossip mill known to man”. Grad Students live for gossip. It feeds their souls and provides them with much needed entertainment. No one is exempt from the wheels of that mill. It swallows people whole. The amount of backstabbing, fake friendships, and fake smiles can drown people. The hidden grenades can blow a leg off. Or blow off your face.

       The few people I do allow into my space always say the same thing when I mention just how cliquey people seems to be, “You Never Leave High School.” Jeez, I hope not.

       When did the need to have something over others become so consuming? We stopped seeing people as people and started seeing them as threats? I have no desire to wallow in other people’s misery or their drama. I do not need to trade in the lives of others.

       High School for me. Was good people. Bad and good teachers. Exams. Homework. Friends and a little innocent romance. Drama was kept on my television screen.

Jen A. Durand

Author of The Secrets, Lies, and Betrayal Series and The Virgins Club, www.Durandpublishing.net

Completed Works

The Secrets, Lies, and Betrayal Series:

Wintr’s Homecoming:

Secrets

Jaguar Nights:

Lies

Pearl Moon:

Betrayal

Shadowy Lights

Fear

The Virgins Club:

The Planner

The Fixer