Or should I say, middle school is full of the MOST awkward years. As the start of the school year is right around the corner, we are all scrambling to buy school supplies, reviewing our schedules, and contacting our friends to see who has classes with who. Some things never change, when other things are far from the same. You enter middle school with the mindset that you're a big shot and leave still thinking you're a big shot. It's not until going into my Freshman year of college that I realized I had everything all wrong. From the dreaded first pimple to failing your first test I think it's safe to say we were simply rookies at life itself. Over the years,a little awkwardness chips off our shoulders as we are forced to deal with each awkward moment that passes us by.
1. School Dances
"So you mean I'm supposed to stand in the middle of the cafeteria or gym and shake my butt... in front of my teachers?" You and your friends decide to settle on standing around in a circle towards the middle of the hype and bop up and down as you pretend you know the words to the newest Katy Perry song. You can't exactly find it in you to talk to your crush so you position yourself across the room from him/her and try to avoid awkward eye contact while still sneaking a look at them from time to time. Although, when you heard the slow song come on you would take a run for the hallway.
2. Failing a test or getting a bad grade
You never knew anything aside from A's and B's until failing a test for the first time after spending the entire night before slaving over your textbooks. The second that paper is placed on your desk you have to hold back the tears but most likely you don't do a very good job at it and break down in front of your classmates as if the world just ended and middle school grades actually mattered. When your teacher approaches you regarding why you did so bad your body and voice are literally shaking.
3. Puberty
A few years prior you were given this thing called "the puberty talk". Although, you never actually started seeing the changes until now. For the first time "shorts weather" meant you noticed girls legs being shaved and guys having hair on their legs. It seems as if in the blink of an eye voices were getting deeper with the occasional embarrassing crack of the voice. Girls had to wear padded bras...some girls using self made padding for that "push up" factor.
4. Worries about e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.
Just about everything gives you anxiety and leaves you worrying. Anything from not making it to class in time to dropping your heaping pile of books in the hallway leaves your heart racing and I guess you can say it is your so called "biggest fear". You are simply awkward when it comes to handling these "stressful" situations that should be far from stressful. Chances are your current self is reading this laughing at your middle school worry wart self.
5. Locker Rooms
You can't exactly comprehend why you're expected to change in front of all these other girls/boys... after all, you are not 5 years old anymore and you ARE going through puberty, I mean what happened to privacy? So while you have some people trying to sneak into the bathroom stalls to change so they are not out in the open you have others who are whipping off their clothes with absolutely no shame, hey you do you!
6. First Relationship
You call them your "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" but chances are your relationship doesn't go past texts, waving hi to each other in the hall, and the occasional hug. You may have had your first kiss in middle school too.... it would be the kiss goodbye before you parted for your school buses to go home for the day and awkwardly looked back at each other as you walked away. Oh and on the whole privacy note chances are you were never alone nor did you ever want to be alone in fear of awkward silence. You absolutely hated the dreaded parents meeting him/her to drive you from place to place for your "date nights".
7. Locker Troubles
God for bid you forgot your locker combo or couldn't get your locker open. There was nothing more awkward then approaching somebody for help. Your worst fear was probably creeping into class late and needing to inform your teacher that you had locker problems in front of the what seemed like millions of eyeballs staring at you. You couldn't wait to get to the comfort of your desk and slouch down in an attempt to hide.
8. Socially Awkward
No matter who you were talking to aside from friends, eye contact seemed like a foreign concept. Oh, and you probably shouldn't count on a middle schooler to hold a conversation. Talking to the principle meant tears before you knew why you were getting called down, the teacher meant your heart rate sky rocketing, and the guidance counselor meant either crawling into a hole or spending all of too much time there.
9. Periods (ew!)
Ladies, getting your period for the first time is something the bulk of us experience in middle school and I couldn't begin to explain how awkward we made it out to be. It's a natural bodily function yet the occasional changing your pad or tampon meant brainstorming for days how to sneak it into the bathroom without anyone seeing.
10. First time responsibilities
For the very first time you seem to have some freedom yet we manage to still mess up on so many levels. Admitting to failing at any given task may have been one of the most awkward things, the only thing able to top it being failing at responsibilities in front of others.
11. Cliques
Cliques and popularity did no good for anyone. It simply made making friends 10x more awkward along with any and every social event. God for bid you sit at the "popular" lunch table or sat with the "weird people". Many wore their stereotypes way too proudly.
12. You think you have everything together
From friend groups to school you think you have everything under control. You think your best friend now will still be by your side when your sitting in a retirement home. You think you know the ideal study tricks and your mom is never right, Well, ladies and gents as awkward as it is when everything you thought has been falling together is actually falling very badly apart just know that you have to learn somehow and take everything as a lesson.
