Follow the Leader

At one point in my life, I was a good student. By no means was I a genius, but I was always willing to do my homework and I never handed in anything late. I also never skipped school, never skipped class, and was even occasionally considered the teacher's pet. This wavered slightly during the fourth grade, through a game of telephone, but it wasn't until the ninth grade that I had any real taste of defiance.

Festival of Fun

In my hometown, there was an annual fair that happened during the fall, and if you went on the first day and bought a bracelet, you didn't have to pay to get on the rides. Naturally, this made the first night the busiest night, and you were bound to run into everyone you knew at school during that night because nobody wanted to be known as the kid that "missed out."

Screw Friends, I'mma Get Some!

I think we've all been in a situation where one of our close friends becomes involved in a romantic relationship, and, seemingly overnight, we find ourselves asking why they stopped calling. There's a balance that has to be made between your friendships and your romances that a lot of people just don't seem able to make, but there's never a time that you should choose one over the other. Remember: it's never appropriate to abandon a friend for a date.

...Just Don't Embarass Me

Through the years I've grown accustomed to people not wanting to be seen with me, around me, near me, or just in proximity of me. Sometimes this attitude appears in people that I know well and like, which is far more unfortunate than when it presents itself in strange women that I care nothing for. But this story is about a day spent at Playland among a group of girls that I didn't know very well, and one that I did. Considering our past, I probably should have had a better idea of what I was getting into.

Do I Truth or Do I Dare?

There are times in life when you just have to psych yourself up and find the courage to tell a girl that you like her. Then there are other times, if you're like me, that you're willing to just throw your pride under a bus in order to avoid having your heart crushed. Why my parents ever let me out of my cage I will never know.

The Pity Friend

Elementary school was a strange mixture of popularity for me, as I was never really considered one of the cool group, but I had a lot of friends for a good long while. It was around the third grade that a lot of people started to shun me, but I never really cared that much until grade four, when Isabelle, one of my closest friends and first crushes, would end up ditching me.

Youthful Delusions

Looking back on my childhood, I would describe myself, in those years, as socially-retarded. Not only was I pale and unathletic, which I still am, but I had glasses the size binoculars and a mane of long red hair that made me look somewhat akin to Pippy Longstocking. This was not a good look for any prepubescent boy, but at the time I thought that I was an amazing catch. My delusion was to the point where I would stop to check my reflection in the mirror and think "damn, I look good!"