Volunteering to make a list of 100 things I did in high school may have been the worst decision I’ve ever made.
Don’t get me wrong, flipping through old yearbooks and photos was fun, but reading through things like — oh, I don’t know — my LiveJournal was not! Did I really write all that? On the internet?! Ugh. I mean, how secure is LiveJournal really? Is there anyway to get rid of those painfully whiny, emo posts? I’m never reading that again or telling anyone my username.
Anyway, instead of sugarcoating my teen years of angst, I’m giving it to you straight. I have a sneaking suspicion most of you will be able to relate. And if you’re about to enter high school or are in it now, you’ll know you aren’t alone and you will survive (I promise).
In honor of Nickelodeon’s new show 100 Things To Do Before High School, here are the 100 things I actually did in high school because how many things can you really do before high school.
Most importantly: Mom, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry.
The good
- I ate Burger King every Friday after school (Whopper and fries, yes please! My mom called them “cancer sticks.”) Luckily, I’m pretty sure I looked like this.
Image: Giphy
- I stood up to a bully.
- I passed notes in class.
- I had my first kiss (it was… sloppy).
- I won an award in the dramatic arts.
- I volunteered at Camp Krem, an outdoor summer camp for developmentally disabled kids.
- I performed in a play in San Francisco.
- I sang a solo in front of hundreds of my peers.
- I dressed up like Shakira for Halloween.
Image: Giphy
- I “kidnapped” my best friend on her birthday.
- I got a record player (because I was cool).
- I obsessed over my MySpace top 8.
- I worked at Build-A-Bear Workshop (I was a Master Bear Builder, thank you very much).
- I fell in love.
- I was the designated driver.
- I kissed a girl senior year because the boys thought it was hot. (Insert eye roll here.)
- I rocked out to Ashlee Simpson and Franz Ferdinand.
Image: Giphy
- I snuck into a 311 concert with friends.
- I went to school football games.
- I got my first car.
- I was the junior rep on student council.
- I helped plan the senior retreat.
- I joined the drama club (and was a bored understudy for three years).
- I graduated… but did not deliver the valedictorian speech.
Image: Giphy
- I went on mother/daughter retreats.
- I wrapped friends’ lockers for their birthdays.
- I mastered T9 text by senior year.
- I said “no” to drugs.
- I bought a guitar.
- I choreographed a dance to Britney Spears’ “Toxic” (it was horrendous).
Image: Giphy
- I made and received mixed CDs from my boyfriends.
- I got an A in chemistry (this was a real shock).
- I made new friends
- I invented a “plan of communication” with my mom. (If I sat on the floor near the fire, that meant I needed to talk.)
- I played MASH.
- I sent Valentine’s Day candy grams.
- I fell in love with Chad Michael Murray, and Peyton Sawyer became my arch nemesis.
Image: Giphy
- I joined Facebook as soon as I got my college email address.
- I rooted for Kelly Clarkson on American Idol.
- I learned about bipolar disorder and school shootings on Degrassi.
The questionable
- I said “yes” to alcohol.
- I dated a “skater boi” (and said, “See you later, boi”).
Image: Giphy
- I dated before I was officially allowed to.
- I hiked up my uniform skirt.
- I rebelled (sneaking in, sneaking out, throwing my dinner in the trash when my mom wasn’t looking). You know, the normal stuff.
- I wrote emo posts in my LiveJournal.
- I wore pooka shells freshman year, with thick, black eyeliner. (Maybe I was going for emo surfer?)
- I fought with my mom.
- I got a speeding ticket.
- I lost a best friend (we became best friends again when we got to college, thank goodness).
- I took really embarrassing pictures.
- I got mad about my boyfriend’s Jessica Simpson Rolling Stone poster.
Image: Rolling Stone
- I conspired with friends to meet in the bathroom during class.
- I said “hella…” like hella a lot.
- I lied to my mom and slept at a boy’s house.
- I lost my virginity senior year on my birthday. (I wouldn’t condone losing your virginity this young, but it happened.)
- I wrote a blog about everything I hated.
- I tried out for the dance team (and didn’t even come remotely close to making it).
Image: Giphy
- I filled out those super-long questionnaires where I basically just talked about myself.
- I used a yellow toothbrush with Sesame Street people on it (I have no idea why).
- I redecorated my room.
- I snuck my boyfriend in.
- I begged my mom to get my cartilage pierced.
- I crushed on a guy and never said anything (to this day, he still doesn’t know).
- I dissected a pig.
- I watched The Notebook with a boyfriend and then dumped him afterward. Whoops.
Image: Giphy
- I learned about teen pregnancy by watching a close friend get pregnant… and un-pregnant.
- I skipped class to go to the guidance counselor (I did have a lot to talk about — you know, the teen angst and all).
- I dealt with mean, reputation-tarnishing rumors.
- I tried smoking a cigarette (and hated it).
- I ate lunch alone.
- I watched my parents fight.
- I learned about a family member’s drug addiction.
- I dreamed of being — but never was — homecoming queen.
- I watched and rewatched 10 Things I Hate About You while crying over a boy.
Image: Giphy
- I went to prom (it was not a night to remember).
- I wrote the wrong year on my homework from January–March every year.
- I prayed I wouldn’t be the last person picked for teams in gym class (sometimes I still was).
- I “freak danced” at school dances.
- I watched The Lizzie McGuire Movie as soon as it came out.
Image: Giphy
- I faked strep throat to get out of going to school.
- I chatted on AIM and illegally downloaded music from LimeWire (can I still get caught for that?).
- I watched, rewatched a laughed at Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl nip-slip.
- I got “hyphy” (this is a dance move) listening to E-40 (if you didn’t guess from my “hella” comment, I grew up in the Bay Area).
The really, really bad
- I got suspended (for being a bully — not cool at all).
Image: Giphy
- I let a boy peer-pressure me.
- I got made fun of for pronouncing “Muslim” wrong (you bet I never said “Moo-slm” again).
- I tried diet pills.
- I destroyed my hair trying to change how I looked.
- I got detentions… a lot — only for not wearing uniform sweaters, OK? (I wasn’t that bad.)
- I talked about other girls behind their backs.
- I told my mom I hated her (I love you, Mom!).
- I cried over the Friends finale… like really hard.
Image: Giphy
- I got sunburned on my face and then shamed by my math teacher in front of the whole class.
- I cried about being ugly and “uncool.”
- I got bangs — with my curly hair. (Why didn’t anyone tell me how bad that looked?!)
- I looked for validation in yearbook signings (HAGS! just wasn’t enough).
- I blasted Simple Plan’s “Perfect” in my room — with the door locked.
- I wrote an essay without ever opening up the book.
- I, for the very first time ever, got my heart broken by a boy. (And guess what? My heart healed.)
- BONUS No. 101: I drove my mom absolutely bonkers.
Image: Giphy
Moral of the story
High school was tough. It wasn’t my favorite four-years in life, and I made some big mistakes. But it taught my a lot of important lessons, and I don’t regret one single thing.
Your turn to confess: What were a few good, bad and questionable things you did in high school? Share below!
More on high school
16 Lies Clueless told us about high school
10 High school books you should read all over again
4 Ways to prep your freshman for high school
Leave a Comment