Should I Go To My High School Reunion?
 

A few days ago, I received an invitation to my 10 year high school. This is the typical time of year for these type of functions because of the annual weekend festival celebrating the birth of my hometown. They have a large parade followed by the county fair and a street dance. We are supposed to meet at the parade and have a cookout followed by an evening at the local bowling alley drinking a few cold beers and of course, bowl.

What I have been struggling is whether I should go. To be honest, I wasn't exactly popular in high school. As a matter of fact, I was treated pretty bad by my fellow classmates. I had a locker door slammed on my hand, soda poured into my locker ruining all my books and supplies, thrown into walls, and even had my tires slashed. It didn't help much that I was 135 lbs soaking wet and was extremely passive. I also let them see that these things upset me. In some ways, I brought it onto myself.

I realize that people mature and don't behave the same way that they did in high school. I know I'm not that passive 135 lb kid anymore. I think my main problem is that I'm not sure that I will like to hear stories involving me getting embarrassed by some of my classmates. I'm also kind of "spinning my wheels" right now. Many of these people have established careers, and I am back at school after a nine year hiatus.

On the other hand, I'm extremely curious as how much people have changed since we all went our seperate ways. Again, I'm not the same person I was when I graduated high school. It would be a way to close that chapter in my life to see how much they were just "dumb kids" when all those incidents took place and now are adults.

For those who have been through these type of events, was the experience worth it? Would you go if you had the same things happened to you in high school?

This really sounds like the setting for a slasher flim.

But Duckman isn't bitter ;)


Go to the reunion man, you'll be able to laugh it all off when you see how pathetic some of those assholes have become.

The only people I truly cared about in high school I still keep in touch with... all the rest can kiss my ass.

So to answer your question, I'd say no. Sure it'd be interesting to find out how everyone turned out, but do you wanna go back and remember the bastards that treated you so wrong? Screw 'em

I vote no.

Unless you plan some great lies about what you've actually been doing instead of "spinning [your] wheels." Which could be fun.

I've decided to keep my "most wanted dead" list pretty small. Makes it easier to hide the bodies. ;)

He's right. You'll be suprised.

Ditto...and living two time zones away made it even easier to pass.

"Spinning my wheels" was a bad choice of words. I had to start over due to nerve damage in my right leg during my time in the service. Can't go jumping in and out of planes all day to repair them anymore, so I had to go back to school (at the VA's expense) to become a teacher (something I always wanted to do).

Me bitter? Nah! ;)

I saw one of those type of losers the other day I was in town. The guy was a 4.0 student and is now cleaning windows for a living after failing out of OU after receiving a full ride scholarship to go there.

See, that's what I'm talking about! You should use that one! :D

Seriously, I would go then if I were you. Who gives a shit about what happened 10 years ago?

I just went to mine a few weeks ago. I mostly still keep in touch with the people I want to and wasn't really looking forward to going all that much, but ended up having a really good time. It was nice to see all the people that I didn't necessarily hang out with much, but that I would talk to in classes or played sports with. It was also cool to see who all had kids and meet spouses and all.

I would say everyone had matured a good bit and most folks were very polite. I think as far as looks, people don't change a whole lot in appearance between 18-28. Next time should be a little more interesting.

I went to mine last year. I had the chance to show off the Mrs., see how many of my classmates never got out of Tucson, and reconnect with a few fellow drama nerds. Plus, I got a good dinner, a football game, and a tour of the old high school. I also learned that my high school ex has become a lesbian who lives with 10 cats. So, all around a good time.

Funny you mentioned this because I found out about a year ago that my ex-fiance is a lesbian and now lives with her "friend". It does explain some of her behavior when we were alone together. After the initial shock wore off, I was laughing my ass off and to this day I tell people how I turned her into a lesbian. I love the look on people's faces when I tell them that. :D

I'm just happy that she's a lesbian because it will prevent her from destroying another man for as long as she lives.

My 10 year reunion is coming up soon (next year). I'll probably go to it just to see who was popular in high school and has had their life fall completely apart since.

Plus, there were a couple of really cool people I do miss. It'd be good to catch up with some of them (if they went to it, that is).

I'd say go. You'll get a lot of mileage over seeing how ordinary a lot of the pretentious fucks who thought they were hot shit back in high school have become.

My 10 year is coming up in a month. A bunch of my friends who have moved across the country have already said that they are going. So the wife and I figured why not, what is the worst that could happen? I end up sh*t faced with my old highschool friends I never get to see anymore.

My wife and I went to separate high schools, in separate states, and we both attended each other's 10-year reunions back in 1999. Let me tell you how they go - first hour, everyone is friendly, people you barely spoke to in high school will say hi and wnat to know what's going on in your life, etc. It's like one big love fest. Then after about an hour or so, everyone slowly gravitates to the people they hung out with in high school - regardless of whether they still keep up with those people or haven't seen them since they tossed their caps in the air - and the rest of the night is basically reliving the cliques of your high school years. So if you go, make sure people you hang out with are there so you'll have someone to talk to when the inevitable "breaking into packs" thing occurs.

At the end of the day, I guess we're both glad we went, but neither of them were all that much fun. We both made promises to stay in touch with friends from high school that we hadn't seen in 5-10 years, and in the end, we still only keep intouch with 1 friend each from high school, just like before the reunion.

and then there's the flip-side, where a couple of my wife's exes are now out of the closet. which seems really funny until you wonder what that says about me :eek:

My ten year reunion was this year as well, and you couldn't have gotten me near that place with free candy.

I hear the 5-years are pretty money though. 5, 15, 25...

I might try out 15 for kicks.

I've never heard of 5 year reunions. Maybe at 25 years, but we didn't have a 5 or 15 year.

Hmmmm...

Maybe that's why they're so money.

I think Ksyrup nailed it. I went to my 10-year reunion three years ago, and it was a pretty good time. Then again, I went to a small school and we didn't have that many "cliques".

I do remember this kid back in high school who reminds me a lot of your description of yourself. When he came back for the reunion he had gone from 5'5 and 135 pounds to 6'1, broad shouldered, and very self-confident. It was very cool to see.

Three women in our class of 56 people turned out to be lesbians, including one lesbian stripper turned bail bondswoman. One guy is now a popular cheerleading coach in Dallas. Our class president (who wanted to be a dentist) works for Cintas. The guy who was always up for a party is a born again Christian.

And I'd lost all my hair. :(

Do what I did, get very drunk and hang with your old friends... It will be fun, just don't worry about those dicks who messed with you back in the day...

I don't really have much interest in going to mine. It doesn't help that I graduated with a bunch of overachievers - there's a ton of doctors, lawyers and the dude who helped start match.com...

I think I'll pass

DD, I agree with you. Although I keep in touch with my good friends from HS, the rest make me want to puke.

Thanks for the input, everybody. I went ahead tonight and sent off my RSVP just a few minutes ago. Worst thing that could happen is that I don't like it and I can go get drunk and bowl a few games.

hold on... isn't that the best that could happen?

My 10 year reunion wil be sometime next year. I'll probably go just out of pure curiosity. Several of the high-opinion-of-themself girls have had to have fallen flat on their face social wise, packed on 50 or so pounds and are in a marriage they can't stand being in.....and I want to be there to find out who.

They had a second chance prom last year hosted by a radio station. It was like a prom for adults :D Maybe you can start one of your own...

When my wife and I went to our 10-year reunion, back in 1981, here is what happened.

1. Most of my friends from HS did not show up. I noticed that as soon as I walked in. Oh, one did. He had become a preacher and wanted to talk to me about Jesus. I am a Christian, so I did not need to talk about Jesus with him.

2. This absolutely hot lady sat down across from me and my wife and proceeded to hit on me for a half hour. Black hair, great looks, lots of cleavage, short skirt. I did not recognize her until she told me her name. She was the Pentecostal girl who had to wear long hair, long skirts, and no makeup. We were actually friends back in school, but not close. She was very smart in HS, btw. Never dated, assuming she could have even gone on a date. Beside her was her Bubba-esque husband with a missing tooth who said nothing the entire time. My wife thought the situation was hilarious, but I was sweating it out. She must have been in love w/me or something. Finally she gave up and left -- completely left the reunion. Damn, she was hot. Had I only known.........

3. Shortly after that one of my old drinking buddies found me. The last time I had seen him before was the weekend before I joined the Army in 73, and we got drunk on IW Harper shots. He was big. A football player until we integrated and his dad would not let him play on a team w/black guys. 1969 in north Louisiana. No joke. His dad was kicked out of the local KKK for being too radical. No joke. He was drunk. He kept elbowing me and hitting me on the arm while telling bad jokes. Just like old times. It looked like the ten years since graduating had not been good to him. My wife was not impressed. I finally gave him the 'gotta go to the bathroom' excuse, signalled to my wife, and we escaped. Left the place. Went home. Still laugh about it.

So, my advice. Go. It will be wonderful.