Somehow I got the good fortune of growing up in the same city and attending the same school and two of my cousins for all 13 years of my education. At this point, they are more like brothers because of the way we bicker and then pull a 180 and end up laughing with each other. Below are 11 things anyone who went to school with their cousin will relate to.
1. You constantly had to deny that you were dating.
This mostly applies for the boy/girl combo, but can really apply to any combination of cousins. I went to school with most of my classmates for at least four years and by the end of high school I was still being bombarded with the constant question: "Wait, aren't you two, like dating?". (I'm sure many of those were jokes by the end of my time in high school)
2. You could argue about anything like siblings, but grudges don't last long.
Because we took many classes together differing opinions often came to light. As frustrating as it seemed in the moment, the annoyance was always gone the next time I would see them.
3. Taking classes with them was a Godsend.
Especially if you're like me and extremely bad at anything science or math related and your cousin is in turn very good at both of those said subjects. Throughout all 13 years we attended school together I would help (when they let me) with English and Social Studies and they would always have the answers to my questions about an AP Physics 1 worksheet.
4. You always had a friendly face at school.
If you walked into the library a few minutes early and suddenly realized none of your friends were there yet, but your cousin and his friends were at a table you always felt comfortable sitting down with them. It also comes in handy when you're at various sporting events or school activities and you plan to go together (because none of you like going anywhere alone).
5. You could always count on them for a last minute adventure.
Late night ice cream runs, ski trips, camping excursions, anything really they would say yes to at the drop of a hat. If you got locked out of your house barging in their front door without knocking seems completely normal and they just continue on their merry way (or help you try to get into your house).
6. You could gossip with them all you wanted and knew full well they wouldn't go telling anyone else.
I had guy cousins at my school so not much of this really happened, but I'd like to imagine that maybe it could have. In reality, I did talk a lot more to those to boys about my feelings and drama than they really would have liked, but it was always nice to have a trusted vent session.
7. You always had a place to go after a long day of school.
My most notable experience with this is when I had just had my wisdom teeth removed and had my last hour open and decided to walk on over to my cousin's house. As they both trickled in after school neither thought anything was particularly weird and helped me turn the TV to HGTV.
8. You could always complain to them about bad tests or papers because they understood exactly what you were going through.
They were the prime complaining candidates because they couldn't really get rid of you because you had to stay at family dinner until the parents deemed it done.
9. You got to know people you wouldn't have because your friend groups weren't identical.
As they should have been--you're not the same person!! Because of your cousins, you learned to not let stereotypes determine your friendships and made some life-lasting ones you would never have dreamed of.
10. Whenever you felt upset they automatically took your side without questioning your logic.
Not that you were necessarily always right, but the fact that they trusted your judgments and feelings meant a lot.
11. You are going to miss them a lot when you head your separate ways for college.
One of my cousins will be a senior in high school and the other is going to the rival school of my college (the only upside of this is that I know I will see him at sporting events). Not seeing them every day walking down the halls and for family dinners nearly every weekend will be hard, but I know that they will always stay two of my closest friends.
