Well look at us now.
College has changed us a bit, hasn't it? Not just us, but our situation has changed as well. You're no longer "the popular girl," or "the pretty girl," and I'm no longer "the band nerd." No one remembers what our dresses to prom looked like, or whether or not we had the latest fashions from the mall. Your ability to make people feel small by strutting down the hallway like Regina George from Mean Girls holds no weight in the real world. In fact, I'm not sure that your existence really even matters anymore. But here are all the things I've realized since coming to college, and the things I hope you realize you've helped me come to terms with since graduation.
When you made fun of me for wearing a one-piece bathing suit when we were in high school, I cried because you made me feel like I wasn't worthy of your friendship.
But what it taught me was that I had more respect for my body at that age than you did, and just because you decided to show yours off and I didn't doesn't mean that you have any kind of right to make fun of me for it.
When you told me I looked like a bird, and stood at my locker everyday and made bird noises, I cried alone in the bathroom because I thought I was the ugliest girl at school.
But what I realize now is that everyone is unique, and you have no right to tell me whether I'm attractive or not. Actions speak louder than words... and everything else. Outer beauty fades. And yours looks like it's pretty much gone.
When you made fun of me for "caring way too much about my schoolwork" by actually spending my weekends studying and writing papers instead of partying like the "cool kids," I felt like I didn't fit in with the "in" crowd... and I spent a lot of time wishing I could be popular.
But what I learned was that the work I put in during high school has gotten me a heck of a lot further than your partying has. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm about three times more successful than you are, and we aren't even 21 yet.
When you were always the one dating the older attractive boys, and I was always the one dating the nerdy, smart ones, and you made fun of me for "not having any game," my feelings were hurt because I thought I wasn't pretty.
But what that made me understand was that outer beauty fades. The cute boys that you dated long enough for them to use you in high school are losers now. Not only that, but you aren't nearly as attractive now as I thought you were in high school. My mom always told me that once we graduate, you won't matter, and I never believed her, but now, I completely understand what she meant.
When you spoke terribly about me to everyone at school, spread rumors about me, and damaged my reputation, I was hurt because I cared so much about what you (and everyone else) thought of me.
And what you've made me realize is that it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks. I am who I am. I spend my time how I want to spend it, I wear the clothes I want to wear, I date who I want to date, and I do whatever I want to do.
No one has the right to determine whether I'm cool or not cool besides me...(And maybe my mom)
Enduring high school with you was a terrible experience. It took me until my senior year to realize that we were just different people. But it's taken me until now to realize the power that high school holds over all of us. We get wrapped up in our little world, and all the drama of who's who. It's a paradoxical environment. It feels like the walls of high school are the walls of the entire world, and nothing outside those walls matters. High school is where most students get so wrapped up in the social aspect of it, they can't make themselves understand it's the beginning of the rest of your life. The grades you make and experiences you have either get you into your dream school or they don't... and that can determine your success throughout the rest of your life.
So here's to wishing I would've spent less time caring about you and your opinions. Here's to hoping I never make that mistake again. And here's to hoping that you now understand how awful you made my life for those few years.
