Turns out? I was the Rhoda.

[stoney321]

High school reunion talk! Before I got there I started having that feeling of standing with my lunch tray wondering where I would be allowed to sit.

First I REALLY REALLY want to stress that a) I was not popular by any definition of the term. Like, how your Grandmother who is supposed to love you and tells you that you're an unblossomed flower and all of that? Not even by her definition. B) I had a SUPER POPULAR older sister the grade ahead, and people knew who I was by that, mostly. C) My nickname by my sister's friends (and my mother) was "Adopted" because of my lack of awesome. No, really. C) I was in orchestra for a while. I was in all advanced academic classes. I was in theater. I was a VIRGIN MORMON. IN TEXAS.

Have I painted the picture of No, really, I was made fun of a lot and did a lot of "library at lunch time?" I had a small group of people I hung out with in school, but most of my after school activities were with my church friends, barring like, three people.

AND I HAD A BLAST. Turns out? Not as dorky/hated/reviled as I had imagined. It also could be that my husband is awesome so people lied to him, but I am sticking with the original thought.

1. I looked pretty cute. Nope, I didn't take a single picture. Sorry. I did have some fabulous 5 inch silver pumps, though and wore an older dress as the one I bought for the occasion was WAY too prissy. I usually like prissy but this one.. Okay, it didn't go with my hair. I never said I was right in the head, people.

2. Holy CRAP have I aged well. I mean, I'm no Angelina, but wow. Moisturizer, no smoking, and not passing out from booze every night could do you wonders, ladies. True story, and totally cliche, but the "popular girls" were some of the roughest looking. That's because they partied hard, so who's making fun of the Mormon now? Lol. Save your excessive drinking for your 30s is what I'm saying. Ha. I'm saving a whole point for the boys. A lot of the girls that were just "cute" (nothing wrong with that) in school are now freaking beautiful. I made a point of telling each of them that, too.

3. I didn't flit about the room a lot because I was having a hard time remembering everyone's names (but mostly I didn't want to be a weirdo that walked up to someone just because I knew them from school when we weren't friends in school. I HAVE ISSUES.) So neat to see people and have that "flip" of their current face to their high school face and names came rushing back, and classes we shared came rushing back. CRAZY.

4. OH MY GOD THE BOYS. You know that douchey popular guy that was just a dick? HE'S EVEN GROSSER IN 20 YEARS. Karma is a thing of beauty. A "ha, ha!" story and a "wow, am I glad you turned it around story."

The evil laugh/point story One guy who I'll call Blonde Mullet was on the football team, popular, ladies man. Except for how his steady girlfriend was my lab partner and I didn't like him hitting on chicks. And got in his face to tell him so. He haaaaaaated me as a result. Whatever, he was grody and she deserved better. All of those tall, hot blondes he cheated on her with have left for good for he is now an older Grimace married to a goblin with Meth mouth. WOW. They were grinding on the dance floor, too. BLECH. I felt some gratification, as small and petty as that may be. *shrug*

The Wow you turned it around! story Another guy, I'll call Richard Marx-Hair, was The Guy in junior and high school. Super handsome, super rich, and super popular, and a super jerk. I was new at the junior high (moved after my parents divorced) and thought he was totally dreamy, as all the girls did. Problem was, he was really mean. There was a girl in our Spanish class who sat behind me, and she was in front of him. He was relentless with making fun of her to the point where she started crying in class one day. She and I weren't particularly friends, but we knew each other. I told him to shut up and quit being such a jerk or someone might start making fun of his Brillo pad of a hair do (or something like that.) I don't think any girl had EVER gotten in his face before, but holy crap, you don't make people CRY. (I had been that girl too many times to let it happen to someone else, you know?) Anyway, he hated me from that point on, and hated me hanging around him in any capacity. After high school he evidently had a massive drinking/drugs problem, spent some time in rehab, and now is an interventionist. Was so very friendly and happy-faced and came up to ME to say hello (only 2 people did, now that I think of it, hmm) and was such a genuinely sweet person, I could barely believe it.

Awesome.

5. I reconnected with my oldest friend, the other Mormon girl (who wasn't.) Turns out that our friendship continually soured because of our other friend, who we both lost contact with. That was really the best part, remembering those quiet friendships where I didn't necessarily hang out with people (because of my religion and nerves) and finding out that as adults, we actually can have a fun relationship. WHO KNEW? Lol.

Some of my favorite memories of high school:

1) going to State for Theater
2) all theater experiences, really
3) having my boyfriend walk me to my class and give me a kiss (aww. I had to wait for Senior Year to have one, but that was nice.)
4) remembering a girl who LIT HERSELF ON FIRE* after a final (um, she wasn't there. I did want to see if she was so I could ask her if she ever got help. Wow) I didn't say that all of the memories were fluffy.
5) Graduation night where our Valedictorian (the first person in the US to get a perfect score on the SAT, the ACT, and all of his AP tests. Um, he graduated high school as a junior in college.) was dressed in war paint, skulked about the forest by another classmate's house and attacked people with a Nerf gun. AWESOME.
6) certain people who laughed with me and made me feel less broken, and I got to see some of them on Saturday, bringing back some good memories from a really dark period in my life

[ETA] Our "famous" classmate didn't come, but he came to the 10 year. Justin Leonard. Chris Harrison (yes, of the Roses fame) was in the grade before, my sister's class. He came last year, which I think is great.

[ETA 2, the Fire Story] During finals she had evidently broken open a lighter, poured the lighter fluid all over herself, and used a second lighter to ignite her torso. She then STOOD CALMLY, walked to the teacher, and asked for a note for the nurse. OH MY GOD. THIS WAS REAL.

In conclusion, I don't want to hear your negative stories of why you won't go, I'm here to tell you that when you all become ADULTS, you have a better perspective on things, and it turns out to be a fun time.

OH I DO HAVE ONE MORE THING. There were two guys that were the "cool, hot" guys at school and they were the skeeviest sad sacks. WOW. A fifth of Chivas should not be your night-night beverage, guys. Oh man, that was pretty glorious. (I'm so petty and shallow, lol.)


ION, I have to take back the dress I didn't wear, get some code written, catch up with all the WinCon folks, and prepare for the GREATEST DAY IN ALL OF OCTOBER, BARRING HALLOWEEN: FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS IS COMING TOMORROW. I'm so glad I pre-ordered!! I'm saying that I'm going to be neck-deep in radiated zombies and desert creatures for the next few days.

Comments

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

Wow. Wow. Lit herself on fire. There is no story I can tell from high school that can possibly compare :D

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

LIT HERSELF ON FIRE. Just couldn't take it, I guess. (And seriously, bless her heart. I hear she's, you know, alive, just didn't keep in touch with anyone after school. O_O)

[evewithanapple.livejournal.com]

I can! Well, sort of. A girl in my ninth grade French class actually showed up drunk to our exam. Like, falling-down drunk. She was leaning on the doorframe and slurring that she had to go to the office. I never sawher after that, so idk what happened.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

BUT DID SHE SET HERSELF ON FIRE?

AND WALK TO THE TEACHER'S DESK FOR A NOTE FOR THE NURSE?

..you have to admit, that's about as crazy as it's going to get without getting sad. [Er. Sadder.]

[wickedsin.livejournal.com]

ok, this is no "topper" but there was a girl in my high school (younger than me) who accused my ex-bf of getting her pregnant (which he didn't do b/c he was celibate, like for real) and I got pissed off and apparently said something to someone that by the time it got back to her, she was afraid I would literally kill her (dude, I was 5'4 and 90lbs soaking wet, and NOT scary), so, instead of facing me (ha) she SWALLOWED like 8 BATTERIES in some sad sort of suicide attempt.

She lived and went away to the men in the white coats and I have no idea after that.

High school man, weird

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD!! That's like something out of Degrassi!

HIGH SCHOOL = WEIRDNESS x INFINITY.

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

I don't know - I mean, getting drunk at that age takes some commitment (and issues, no doubt) but setting yourself on fire? That's a higher bar; a greater dedication to harm.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

What an excellent time, and, no, you're not being petty and shallow if a level of payback gives you happy goosebumps.

This image will give me nightmares: ...he is now an older Grimace married to a goblin with Meth mouth. WOW. They were grinding on the dance floor, too. BLECH. BLECH, indeed.

Where is LIT HERSELF ON FIRE girl now? That is just all kinds of messed up.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

That guy was just such a class-a jerk. There's no way he was going to pull that car around, you know?

I WISH I KNEW! I'm trying to do some digging, back in 7th grade we walked home together. Weird the stuff you start to remember...

[oaktree89.livejournal.com]

I have to say- I've only been out of high school for three years (ok, 2.5) and I cannot wait for my reunion. I am totally going to the five year one, too. I am just. That. Cool.

But honestly? I feel like I've come leaps and bounds already from the person I was when I graduated, and I think two years from now I will have come even farther. and I want to show off, damn it. And all those kids who thought they were so much better than everyone else will be shown up by how awesome they're not.

So there.


/long comment is long. And kind of pathetic.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

High school reunions are great for so many reasons - to reconnect, to get revenge... LOL!

And seriously, the changes in a few years are amazing, right? YOU SHOULD SHOW OFF! I highly recommend it. :D

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Save your excessive drinking for your 30s is what I'm saying. Ha. AGREED. And water is your friend.

I'm so glad you went and had fun and caught up with people! Also hahaha to blond mullet dude.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

WATER IS TOTALLY YOUR FRIEND.

OK, when you have a few minutes and babies are napping, call me!

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Around 2:00 okay? That's nap time! I want to hear your stories OMG!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OKAY!

[ryokomusouka.livejournal.com]

Even if you don't do the reunion, it's really cool to reconnect with people. The cool guy from my high school who played my horrid husband in "Lizzie Borden of Fall River"? Still cool and sweet and great. ALl my friends, including the best friend who kept stealing my potential love interests? Much wiser and bigger-hearted. The head cheerleader who had everything going for her? Works for Boden, and travels all over the place. *jealous*

And it's so nice to see I'm not the only one who got fat. XD

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA, YES!!! To all of it! <3

[captainofidiots.livejournal.com]

Lit herself on fire?! Yikes! During my senior year there were a couple of suicides. One happened at the school on the last day of school before Christmas break and the other to a guy I'd known since 3rd grade. I went to a pretty small school, so it made the rest of that year pretty somber. No fires, though.

ANYWAY. I definitely want to go back for my 10 year if I can afford it. It's so much fun to see what happened to everyone. I have a few years to go, though. I'll have to work on getting really hot for it. ;P

HAVE FUN KILLING ZOMBIES YAY!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

We had no suicides in my class, which was a relief. I highly recommend going to reunions, it's tres cathartic!

ZOMBIES AND MUTANTS WILL BOW BEFORE ME!

[fayeven.livejournal.com]

i've been thinking about reunions lately and how i just might go to my 20th (not for a few years, but...)i didn't go to my 10th, but because of facebook, i've seen that (at least some of) these people really have grown up.... and it might be a whole ton of fun! (and i'm as excited as you were to see just how certain people's lifestyles caught up with them ;)

right there with ya on the excitement of tomorrow! my hubby's picking up new vegas at the midnight release tonight... he took tomorrow off of work, too ;) there will be much rejoicing! ...have i mentioned how hard you rock?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You gotta go! It's wonderful to see people who deserved good things finally be living a life of happiness and joy.

I could go to the midnight release, but I think that might be a bit much to sneak out while my kids are asleep, lol. TOMORROW WILL BE RAD!!!

[poshcat.livejournal.com]

>>Save your excessive drinking for your 30s is what I'm saying. Ha.

I totally LOL'd over that. I'm very glad you had a wonderful time, and I shall review the photos I have created in my mind of how you looked. In my HS (when I think of it now), the popular kids were pretty much synonymous with the party kids, and sure enough at our reunions the most "popular" girls were now leathery and raspy-voiced with no eyebrows. Why do they have to pluck their eyebrows to extinction then draw them in two inches above where God intended their eyebrows to go??? IDK.

There was one girl in HS who was chunky and boyish, and at our 10 year reunion she was beautiful and curvy with glorious hair all the way down to her ass. You just never know, right? I also remember how our valedictorian was the most popular boy in grade 12, and he had early male pattern baldness by the ten year reunion, and all of his old "friends" made fun of him behind his back.

And because I apparently am only posting on YOUR journal instead of mine these days, one more story. I had a good friend in HS with whom I lost touch, and she killed herself just before our reunion. It turns out she had a horrible, abusive home life, and she never ever told me about it. To this day I wish she'd confided in me at school. I'm not sure what I could have done, but...SOMETHING.

::smooches::

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I'm checking people's photos on FB to see if I'm turning up in any and will share. ANd yep, the party girls were the popular girls (one faction, at any rate. Christianity and singing were big deals, too. Ahahaha.) and that leathery/raspy voiced thing was evident at mine as well! Let's here it for our adorable selves, Posh.

You can post/comment all you want, cookie, you know that. OH THAT IS SO SAD. (I have a similar story, too, a lovely boy named Steve Resta. It was right before our 10th that he took his own life as well.) I hate that feeling of what could I have done differently?

[dovil.livejournal.com]

Holy CRAP have I aged well.

YES, you have! And as someone who did my excessive drinking in my twenties I narrow my eyes at you, and now they have disappeared under the wrinkle folds.

She set herself on fire?! Man, I would never have that much dedication - in fact I'd probably go to the Arts and Crafts store, buy a whole lot of red cellphane, glue it on my clothes and run around waving my arms about yelling 'I'm burning, I'm burning!'. No one ever takes me seriously. :(

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha, you have GORGEOUS skin, m'dear, so please. A lot of it has to do with the partying/smoking in your teens and worshiping the sun, so your skin will always be taut and fab because of your sunlight allergy.

Hey let's paint fire on our rental car when we're driving across the state, pressing our bodies against the glass screaming in pain and fear! FUN TIMES.

[dovil.livejournal.com]

Everytime the curtain twitches I scream 'THE LIGHT, THE LIGHT IT BURRRRNS!'. When lighthouse bulbs burn out they use me instead and I twirl about in circles frightening and blinding sailors from miles away. Once during the blitz I went out at night naked and that's why London was bombed.

Hey let's paint fire on our rental car when we're driving across the state, pressing our bodies against the glass screaming in pain and fear! FUN TIMES.

That totally beats out my 'play hostage and write HELP ME in lipstick on the back window of the car', plan.

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

I'm here to tell you that when you all become ADULTS, you have a better perspective on things

IDK dude, getting older didn't make me somehow magically care more about people. If anything, I possibly care even less about them now. I am so uninterested in their lives, and would be confused and eventually suspicious if any of them were somehow interested in mine. (I am including people who were friends of mine since I was a toddler in this, too.)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

ahahahahahahahaha. Oh, Liz, you are a TREASURE. I mean, I don't necessarily care more about those people, but I was glad to see that the bitchery/shitheadery of my youth inherent in so many was gone by this time in our lives.

I am more convinced than ever that you secretly ARE Allie Brosh.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Justin Leonard the golfer?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Yep! He took us to State! Um, I think all three years of high school, in fact.

[minstrel666.livejournal.com]

Damn it, I can't wait for my high school reunion! I will take Anna there. She loves me because I *am* a dork, so all the stories will just make it better!

...right?

Also, are there other "turn around" stories? Like, sad sack bracer teeth boy who went on to be a shark farmer, with a supercute Puerto Rican SO? (hey, we won't judge. Unless he has a porn stache, because omigod, how can you be with him?)

Also 2: J-Woww was on a wrestling show. She was paid more than all the jobbers combined for just 15 minutes. How does that make you feel?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely you should go! I had a great time remembering dork moments with my old friends.

UGH, I hate how much reality stars get paid, it's a real thorn in my side.

[lynnenne]

At my reunion, I couldn't believe how many once-cute guys were suddenly fat and bald. The women, on the other hand, all looked fabulous.

So happy you had a good time! <3

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, there were definitely some beauties there, but there were a few that time was not kind to. (And some really needed to eat a few more burgers in their life. SKIN AND BONES.)

I did have a good time, my love! <3

[dancetomato.livejournal.com]

So glad you had a good experience!

I just skipped my 25th reunion because I couldn't have introduced Essene as my partner. You never know who has connections to my job. Hopefully by the time there is a 30th, I'll be able to introduce her as my wife.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I did! I was glad at how many people came "out" and were comfortable in their own skin. I hate that you weren't able to do the same. One day, one day!

[anelith.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a great time!

My high school doesn't do traditional reunions; it has occasional "all alumni who live in this part of the country are invited" shindigs. So far I have never been in the right place at the right time. But thanks to the alumni email directory I've heard from some folks in my class. A lot of people turned out very much as I suspected they would, from the sort-of-skeevy folks becoming more skeevy, to the super-smart boy who became a speech writer for Bush and Clinton.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's neat that you can still track people down if you get the inclination. And yep - your experiences match mine, and truthfully, I think that's probably true for most of these situations.

*hugs* (How goes the cape?)

[anelith.livejournal.com]

I'm still working on it! Making the hood today. It looks good so far. I hope your huge costume project is going well?

[strtmyorange.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

I didn't go to either one of my reunions. But I've had moments of karma over the years regarding my miserable years in high school: (1) returning from a glorious two week business trip to Paris I was driven home from the airport by the guy who tormented me for 4 years for being a brainy geek and (2) having another former tormentor as my server at a fancy restaurant where I was celebrating my promotion. Then there's Facespace where I can see all the jerky, formerly handsome & popular boys (and some girls) who've gotten fat & bald and who've not aged well at all. Heehee. Wishing now that I had gone to my 20 year.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I did! And OH MAN, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU. That was glorious, having those two experiences. I've not had anything like that, but MAN. You can't tell but I'm starting a slow clap for you.

[strtmyorange.livejournal.com]

*giggle* Thank you. I think putting those two people in my path so many years later was the universe's way of saying "Things balance out. Four years of misery is a small price to pay for becoming such an awesome adult! And here's some proof! Booyah!!" (What??!! In my mind The Universe says "booyah"!);-)

[darlas-mom.livejournal.com]

I don't know if my high school will even have a reunion...full disclosure: it was a sort of remedial school for "problem" kids (sure, some of them were on probation, but a fair number just happened to be pregnant girls!), and by unhappy coincidence, was the only 9-12 in my area of the district (there used to be three public high schools all right on top of each other there, but the other two moved to larger, more idyllic-looking campuses in the rich-people areas of town).

So, y'know. Even if they have a reunion, I'm not sure I'll be invited- I examed out of that place as fast as I could, only attending a year and a half in all. I'm not positive, but I think you have to have actually graduated to get invites to these things?

These facts make me a little sad, actually, because your reunion sounds like it was fabulous and so much fun! I IS GREEN WITH ENVIES!

P.S. Got my copy of "Blood on the Highway" today, and not a moment too soon! I look forward to LOLing my way through it. *g*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

If you're on the graduation list, you'll be on the reunion list! (I know because I asked about a few people from my school that I wasn't sure if they'd be able to come or not.)

AHAHAHAHAHAHA WHEEEEE!!! Can't wait to hear you tell me how much I grossed you out! LOL.

[redbrickrose.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you had a good time!

...Lit herself on fire? I definitely don't have any stories that compare to that. I had a friend who lit multiple fires in the chem lab, and one time actually blew something up, but I'm pretty sure it was all accidental.

[fiveandfour.livejournal.com]

You know, I didn't expect it, but I had an absolute blast at both my 10 and 20-year reunions. The attitude of nearly everyone at both reunions was, "Why didn't we hang out in high school? You're pretty damn cool!" and it made the experience so fantastic since it seemed there was this mass and mutual recognition of how idiotic the labels and cliques of high school can be. There were a few who were still self-important asses, but they were the exception.

I also had the experiences of catching up with the quiet ones I'd forgotten about, which was great, and the ego stroking of people remembering me and things I did when I couldn't remember either them or the thing that stuck in their heads all those years. It's kinda' gratifying to know you meant something to others, or was at least memorable, even if you didn't realize it at the time. It was a nice side effect of going that I never expected.

Anyway, count me in as someone who also recommends going to reunions. Glad you had a good time.