We had a lot of fun that night—prom. Upon leaving she walked
briskly ahead about three feet in front of me. That is when, in front of a
dozen or so people, she tripped on her high heels and long, sleek red dress.
She sat there on the ground laughing without a care in the world. Maybe that’s
why she seems so attractive to me.
As she sat on the ground, society typically would laugh.
Frankly, that’s exactly what society did. Rather than feeling shunned and embarrassed,
her apathy became her freedom. By not caring of what everyone else thought
about her the tension so commonly appearing between the individual and society
never came to be.
-
Sitting in the CGS hallway outside Ms. Bilodeau’s room, it’s
7:18 am just before first period. Look left and see a cluster of CGS students
outside Ms. Parham’s room. Look right and see an abundance of minor BMHS groups
circumnavigating the hallways. We are caught in between. We are the bridge
through the cultural divide.
Brien McMahon and CGS, together forming somewhat of a
bipartisan school, has one commonality in the social code—conformity. Often CGS
stays within itself; McMahon does the same. One or the other. Pick a side. We
few stand in the middle. Though we are comparatively few in number we have
adopted our own chosen stance—working for a tripartisan school.
-
Walking back from the servery, having just grabbed a slice
of greasy, cold, overpriced pizza, a docile girl sped by me. She was
attractive. Inquiring why salad was her daily meal, I called out to her in
puzzlement.
“Because I’m on a diet.” she responded.
“But I told you, you’re in great shape. You work out all the
time.”
“Okay, be honest. Do you think I’m fat?”
“NO!”
Every day she asked me that question. Every day I gave her
the same answer. Knowing her for three years, I quickly learned she loved to
eat. It isn’t so much that she worries of being overweight; she worries about
what other people might think of her. I know this. She is trapped in the web of
common societal understanding and belief and by herself she’s not strong enough
to escape.
-
No one likes warm-ups in gym class, that is, except for one.
After ditching study hall and joining a few friends in gym they quickly point
out to me a particular character in the center of the gym. “Apparently it’s the
Olympics in here, bro.” He was stretching on his own, headphones in. Jog
down-and-back turned into a sprint. High knees turned into higher knees. Ten
push-ups turned into thirty. And while we were mocking his “try-hard” nature on
the side the rest of the gym classes did too. All he could here though was his
own music.
“It’s just gym.” Those were the words of one PE teacher. Those
were also the words of nearly every other student in proximity. That kid became
an outcast nearly every day for not conforming. To everyone he’s “that kid that
goes hard in gym.” It’s a hole society built around him that he may dread every
day—by being looked negatively upon by those around him.
-
I left for Rowayton midway through fourth period. I needed
to get the Chemistry homework from a friend. To the housemaster there are four
sections in the cafeteria of which would be called up to eat in any random
order: 1, 2, 3 (where I sit), and 4. But to us students, there’s only 1, 2, 3,
and Rowayton. Everyone knows where Rowayton is. Wherever you find a few young
and wealthy high school boys in khakis, Rowayton is not far away. It never
changed.
Rowayton stayed within itself. It takes a few years to be
fully inducted as a member of the family. Where you live helps. Social status
helps. And some wealth helps your social status. Regardless, it was a VIP club
where few people came and went.
-
He walks from class to class hunched over because of the
weight of his backpack. His t-shirt (which is a little too tight) is tucked
into his jeans at the belly-button. On his belt is a clip to hold his phone. It
doesn’t look as if he’d shaved in quite a bit. And as a result, most of Brien
McMahon laughs at him (inadvertently).
Clothing is simple at McMahon. The key is conforming. For
guys, conforming is a simple, normal top and bottom along with a nice pair of
shoes. For girls, it’s makeup, leggings, and any standard, normal top. The boy
wore an obscure shoe for McMahon. That means Sketchers or Merrills. He wore a
tight shirt that showed his slightly out-of shape figure. He wore a belt clip.
His appearance will forever be ridiculed by society. Why is that? Because he
didn’t look like everyone else.
