An ode to your high school clique

They’re not as bad as you think


I’ll be the first to admit it – high school is rough.

In my own experience, I felt like an outsider for three years and only really came into my own during my senior year. I was always the dorky, theater kid you’d catch talking to herself in the hallways (I promise – I was just trying to memorize lines).

While I’m proud of who I am and always have been, surviving high school as one of the token ‘non-conforming artsy students’ was nothing short of a struggle.

Yet looking back on it, I am grateful that high school wasn’t always smooth sailing for me. The sense of being an outsider brought me closer to my group of friends, who all shared the same passion for art and theater as I did.

I know early-aged high schoolers are always told to avoid cliques, but I disagree.

Certainly, I don’t encourage close social circles being used as a power tool to incite bullying, but in my experience, my group of friends, with our exclusive group chats and get-togethers, was what got me through all four years of high school (and many years thereafter).

So here’s to them – my friends for life, my high school clique.

They always have my back

No matter the severity of my most recent breakup or sob-story, I know I have at least nine other people I can call for a good cry. Not to mention each person brings his or her own unique style of comfort to the table, from the friend who gives great advice to the friend who will take me out for a whirlwind night.

They’ve seen me through my worst

Anyone who could survive my pop-punk phase of Freshman year is worth keeping around. Better yet are the people who joined me in it.

Our old jokes never fade

I’ve snickered at the word “cuttle fish” for the past five years of my life, and I always will. I think we’ve all forgotten the root of the joke by now, but there’s nothing quite like that feeling of laughter simply for the sake of it.

Our group chat is sacred

What started as a chain text has grown on to be a Facebook group chat and then a GroupMe message, each transition carefully made to protect the quality of hilarious content therein.

I don’t understand why people don’t like group chats, for my clique’s chat has become a second home to me. It has been a source of joy since day one, with all of our embarrassing stories told with emoji emphasis.

We are a family

I’m not sure ‘clique’ was the right word to describe the people I spent high school with. They’re my family.

We shared endless family-style vacations in the mountains or at the beach, and we keep in touch just as much as I have with my family as I’ve moved on to college. We have our own family-style traditions.

And of course, I love them with as much love for a family as I could have.