I was not the cool kid in high school.

I was not in with the popular crowd.

I didn’t do many extracurriculars during my freshman year. My sophomore year, I started running on the cross country team and tried out for my first musical. The popular girls were on the volleyball team and definitely were not in musicals. I also didn’t wear makeup, and the times I did, it did NOT look good. The popular girls were the ones who wore beautiful makeup and their skirts short. I didn’t feel like I fit in with them, but that’s okay.

I did not have many friends.

I only had a handful of close friends, but they were all I needed. A lot of my friends that I had, I grew closer with because of musicals. Heck, one of my best friends and I used to hate each other over a boy, but we bonded over talking about Fall Out Boy. After that, we realized how stupid that boy was and how great of friends we could be! So, yeah, I didn’t have all the friends in the world like the “cool kids” did, but I knew that the ones I had were loyal and so amazing.

The whole school did not know my name.

I kept mostly to myself, except for that handful of friends. I didn’t really speak up much in class because I was shy and introverted. I never held any of the leads in the school musicals, and the one time I did get a part, it was small. I usually didn’t volunteer for things. I was the president of the Baking Club during my senior year, which only started that year. Needless to say, I kept myself on the downlow for the most part.

I was the nerdy, smart girl.

I read books for fun. Imagine that. I studied for my tests and made sure all of my homework was done on time. I (usually) didn’t stay out or stay up late on school nights to at least try to get enough sleep before waking up at 6 a.m. the next morning. I did well on my assignments and tests too. I am very grateful for what I learned, though. Because of being the brainiac type, I knew how to write a college-style paper, so I was very prepared for my college classes. Because of being a braniac, I was able to get a great scholarship for the college I am currently attending.

I was a Goody Two-Shoes.

Going to a Catholic school, everyone outside of our school stereotyped us as the Goody Two-Shoe kids. Once you were inside the school and got to know the kids in your class, you could tell who really was the Goody Two-Shoes type. Well, that was me. I didn’t really go out, I went to youth group every week, I was too scared to grind at the school dances, and I definitely didn’t even think about drinking or smoking. I knew some of the people in my class did. Even though people made fun of me, I am glad that I was never known as that girl who put herself out, one of the people at that one party smoking weed where they almost got caught by the police, or that one guy who knocked up that girl from another school. Yes, that may (or may not) disappear after graduation, but even if it does, it definitely leaves a mark. I don’t know how my classmates handled the rumors (or truths), but I don’t think I would have been able to handle that.

So, no I was not the “cool kid” in high school, but that title doesn’t mean much in the long run. I have made so many connections now that I am in college and met people I will never ever forget. I found where my loyalties stand and where they don’t. I realize that even if I wanted to be one of the in-crowd in high school, that doesn’t matter after you graduate because it’s a whole new ball game once college starts.