High School Caste, Revisited

I recently attended my ten year high school reunion and was reminded why I am so glad that high school is over. The popular kids are still popular, the nerds are still nerds, and the outcasts are still outcasts.

At the reunion I tried to make my way into the circle of girls with names like Tiffany, Brittany and Whitney, but I’m still not cool enough for them, even though I just wanted to give them the opportunity to, like, show off their freshly painted French manis to someone far below them in the high school caste system.

After several failed attempts at conversation with people I didn’t recognize (either because they’ve gained 202.5 lbs or because they ended up being a spouse of a classmate), I finally spied a fellow choir nerd, and we made our way outside to catch up on the quiet calm of the patio.

About that time, two girls in tiny skirts with heavy eyeliner tromped past us. I recognized them and was about to call out a friendly hello when they each spat out a long string of expletives. Eyes wide, I turned to my choir friend. “Some things never change,” she said. “The mean girls stay mean, and the sweet girls stay sweet.”

I caught up with a few more folks before the music got too loud, the crowd got too crowded, and the alcohol got too free-flowing. Then I called it a night.

Ten years ago when I graduated, I imagined attending our class reunion and finally catching the eye of our class president and high school quarterback. He wasn’t there, so I may never know if I would have finally merited his attention, but as I was leaving, I did get asked out by the valet, so I count that as a win.

Authentically Aurora

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