If you stay in the same town after you graduate high school, you’re bound to see some familiar faces. Based on who your friends were, as well as where you stood on the dreaded social ladder, you may (or may not) feel some social obligation to be, at the very least, civil towards your former classmates. Here are five examples of common reactions to encountering fellow high school grads:
1. The “do I know you?”:
There are many friendships that fail throughout high school, and whenever you run into one of those people you pretend you don’t know them. You don’t do this to be rude but to save yourself from the awkward, and extremely unnecessary, catch-up. You stopped being friends for a reason – there isn’t any ground on which they can ask invading questions about the person you’re dating or how your classes are going. How about you continue ignoring each other, exactly like how high school was, and keep living your separate lives.
2. The awkward but socially-obligated hug (and small talk):
There is always that one person where you feel bad for not saying hello. Maybe they were in your homeroom for a year, or you sat next to each other in concert band. No matter how you knew them, they were so nice and it would probably hurt their feelings if you walked straight passed them. You would also feel that pang of guilt, much like the one you get after eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in one sitting.
3. The mini head nod:
This seems to be the reaction in between one and two. You may have had one debate in history class and that was about the extent of your interaction. Nevertheless, your head automatically acknowledges their presence as you pass by them in the middle of the mall. It’s not your fault, it just seems to be an automatic reaction. Luckily the head nod keeps you from uninteresting chitchat. It was just the right amount of interaction but wasn’t too much to invite the person back into your life.
4. The “oh my god I haven’t seen you in months!” dilemma:
Everyone promises to keep in touch after we graduate, but schedules never line up and, eventually, we lose contact. When you see these people during breaks, they’re always extremely excited to see you and want to know every detail about your new life, all the way down to the creepy individual who lives down the hall. Especially how your love life is going, if it’s going at all. You act like they’re your BFF again, but you both know that you’ll go your separate ways after ten minutes of conversation. How sad.
5. The “holy crap, he’s still so dreamy” accidental run in:
“She’s still so attractive” works too. Either way, you see the person you had a crush on standing ahead of you in line at Starbucks, and you’re immediately having a flashback to sophomore year math class. Your teacher had asked for volunteers to write the homework on the whiteboard and your crush raises their hand, your heart immediately jumping into your throat. Their butt looks amazing in the pants they’re wearing, both in the present and in your flashback, and you need to exit the building to get some fresh air.
It doesn’t matter what awkward encounter you stumble upon, friendships after high school are so much better. You don’t need to pretend to like anyone just because your best friend is dating them or because you sit next to them in chemistry. You may have kept one or two friends from your closest circle, but you could care less about how the quarterback of the football team is doing in classes or if the class couple is still together. Being an adult, as scary as it is at times, means no more faux friendships and more meaningful ones. So next time you run into someone that wasn’t your best friend, don’t feel the social pressure to pretend to like them anymore. High school only lasts for as long as you want it to.
