Saturday, November 25, 2006

Remember When...? -- Eve

I went to the local high school recently to meet with the principal. I figured because it's been about 12 years since I graduated, I need to hang with the teen crowd as much as possible while writing my first YA book (a romance set in a California beach town like mine) for research purposes. So we discussed ideas for observing/volunteering/tutoring/teaching in the classrooms. Jay, Robin and I are planning a few fun surprises for the creative writing classes...hopefully they'll find us to be inspirational and entertaining and not narcissistic and boring!

Just sitting in his office with the inspirational posters, silly coffee mugs and massive windows facing the quad brought me back to my high school days. Not that I spent any of my school days in the principal's office. (Robin did! But that's another story.) I felt like a 16-year-old again as we talked about our favorite YA books and 80's bands. As the period bell rang, and we watched 2000 kids scurrying to their next classes while laughing, tripping and smacking each other, I suddenly felt really old. They looked like 8-year-olds compared to me (and I was even wearing my cool wrap-around dress and leggings!). Then I realized that the principal, who I had assumed was much older because he's a respected man of authority, was probably my age!

A few days later Robin, Jay and I took a trip down memory lane while having coffee with Robin's adorable mother, who's visiting from Georgia. She told a hilarious story about the worst thing Robin ever did in high school (it involves a blinking T-shirt and vomit...but you don't want to hear it, do you?). Also, when her mom was the Vice Principal, Robin got busted for writing swear words in place of real words while transcribing her favorite song.

Then Jay chimed in with his story about getting in trouble for creating an underground newspaper (full of false slanderous gossip about everyone in school), and how he had to read it out loud and apologize to every student, teacher, and janitor mentioned in it! I read a copy of his underground newspaper yesterday and it is sick and twisted and disgusting and evil and freaking hilarious!!

I was a model student as a teen, so I had no stories to add. I think the worst thing I ever did was help the teachers unload their picket signs when they went on strike, and the principal was mad at me. Seriously! I was a freakishly boring child.

After listening to the local principal's stories about things he's had to deal with in the last ten years (shootings, drugs, etc...) and comparing them to stories of our teen years, I got a little freaked out. Were we really more innocent back then? Are teens today crazier and scarier than we were? Or maybe every generation squawks about “those disrespectful youngsters...” and really nothing's changed except our perception of how innocent we were as teens. Maybe we just forget how crazy and disrespectful we were. But on second thought, no one at my school was toting a gun or making bombs.

Remember when...the worst thing anyone did at school was write some swear words on paper or create an underground newspaper?? Ahh, those were the days! What's the worst thing you ever did in high school? C'mon...you know you want to tell us. (I need it for “research.” Thanks!)

- Eve

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eve,
What a beautiful job you've done of weaving all these stories together. It was such a pleasure to spend time with the Disco Mermaids and to see first hand how much the three of you delight in each other's company. Priceless!
Robin's mom

Disco Mermaids said...

Just to clarify, those were the worst things I did in high school...that my MOM can know about. The real story involved me being told by the principal that I would not graduate from high school unless I squealed on the 50 other students involved with this particular incident. Luckily I told my mom about this event last night over dinner, so I'm covered. (As long as my dad isn't reading this!) But I DID graduate and never squealed. A story I'll tell you over a BIG cup of coffee...
-Robin
p.s. I can just picture you helping that sweet picketing teacher with her sign. So cute!

Anonymous said...

the worst thing I did in high school........

participated in a "Walk Out" protesting the bricking up of the hallway windows (where we hung out) between classes.

Yes, we protested Bricks!
I know, wild!

Laura
www.lauraludwighamor.com

Anonymous said...

O.k., the bidding is open. For the best offer (of whatever you think I might like - and no, I don't mean material things necessarily), I will disclose stories about Eve in high school. . .

Lamy

Anonymous said...

Me, Me, Me! I want to hear stories about Evie in high school. She claims she was a "model teenager" but I've hung out with her a few times at conferences, and I really find it hard to believe her. That girl is crazy!!

Do tell. But I don't know what non-material things I can bid. A song and dance perhaps??

P.S. Did you really know her in High School?

Anonymous said...

Did I know her in high school?!?!? I've known Evie since she was born (literally, since I'm her older sister). And a song and a dance sounds great as the price for a story or two. Let's see, there was the time she lectured students at a Friday-night football game about the dangers and unseemliness of drinking alcohol. Then there was the time she (and our parents) got called in to discuss Eve calling a history teacher out on something intellectually dishonest he did. Or, how about in junior high when the principal "busted" her for wearing a bandana around her neck (very Rockabilly thing to do back then) because it could be used to choke someone and she retorted that couldn't his necktie be used for the same purpose? Aren't those just how you pictured her as a teen? No? Well, it's the truth. Eve was a VERY straight-laced youngster. Still fun, mind you, but very principled and law/rule-abiding. Lamy

Disco Mermaids said...

Yes! Keep going, Lamy! Keep going! I'll one-up the song and dance...somehow. But I've gotta hear more!!!

Eve is gonna regret ever writing this post.

- Jay

Anonymous said...

Jay, better come up with something good if you want to hear more, especially about the apparent boundary she crossed when she entered college because, DAMN, she got crazy then. Lamy