In The Beginning
There was a small, rural town in Northern Nevada. Nobody in this town was particularly "Proud of It," for there was not much to be proud of. All power in this town is controlled by the conservative right who feared expansion, feared commerce, feared change. The most liberal area in the town was the only red-light district located within city limits in the nation, which you stayed away from if you knew what was good for you. Aside from a handful of fast-food restaurants, the only real area of interest was Hell.
And in this town was a high school. In my senior year (2002), this school had the second-highest dropout rate in the state, highest teen-pregnancy rate in the state and the second-highest suicide rate in the state. Oh, almost forgot: highest teen substance abuse rate in the state also. We were the Buckaroos, but certainly not by choice. Nor in spirit.
At our high school, you were either in a group/clique/whatever of some type or you were nothing. It was an all or none situation, and to this day it's still like that. Most fell right into the stereotypes: the jocks, the stoners, the nerds, the rednecks, etc. It was a school to forget; with individuals who need not be remembered as well. And I was one of them.
There were seven of us at our peak. We called ourselves "The Group," since we were the anti-group-group. Since I want to remain discreet here, I'll use different names, same first initial. Absurd, yes, but for now this is what I'm doing.
The Group:
Kent (Male)
Kylie (Female)
Casey (Male)
Me
Adam (Male)
Tom (Male)
Lewis (Male)
Wow, those are lame fake names.
Sometimes there was eight, at most nine or ten. But usually there was seven. One girl (who was dating L at the time) and six guys. Mike (Male) is worth mentioning as a part-time member so to speak.
Why is any of this worth knowing? I'll tell you. These people shaped my life into what it is. Until my senior year of high school, I was just another dumb kid trying too hard to get the A's and nothing more. These people are worth mentioning, if not only once. HOPEFULLY I'll be motivated enough to post more often. But this is the story of the seven (or so) people called "The Group" and what will be on this page is the life we had, the experiences, the highs, the lows, and the inevitable end of "The Group."
Epic? No.
Entertaining? Sure, why not.
And in this town was a high school. In my senior year (2002), this school had the second-highest dropout rate in the state, highest teen-pregnancy rate in the state and the second-highest suicide rate in the state. Oh, almost forgot: highest teen substance abuse rate in the state also. We were the Buckaroos, but certainly not by choice. Nor in spirit.
At our high school, you were either in a group/clique/whatever of some type or you were nothing. It was an all or none situation, and to this day it's still like that. Most fell right into the stereotypes: the jocks, the stoners, the nerds, the rednecks, etc. It was a school to forget; with individuals who need not be remembered as well. And I was one of them.
There were seven of us at our peak. We called ourselves "The Group," since we were the anti-group-group. Since I want to remain discreet here, I'll use different names, same first initial. Absurd, yes, but for now this is what I'm doing.
The Group:
Kent (Male)
Kylie (Female)
Casey (Male)
Me
Adam (Male)
Tom (Male)
Lewis (Male)
Wow, those are lame fake names.
Sometimes there was eight, at most nine or ten. But usually there was seven. One girl (who was dating L at the time) and six guys. Mike (Male) is worth mentioning as a part-time member so to speak.
Why is any of this worth knowing? I'll tell you. These people shaped my life into what it is. Until my senior year of high school, I was just another dumb kid trying too hard to get the A's and nothing more. These people are worth mentioning, if not only once. HOPEFULLY I'll be motivated enough to post more often. But this is the story of the seven (or so) people called "The Group" and what will be on this page is the life we had, the experiences, the highs, the lows, and the inevitable end of "The Group."
Epic? No.
Entertaining? Sure, why not.
posted by Chris at 9:59 PM
0 comments
