Awkward:A collection of short stories from high schoolers | Teen Ink

Awkward:A collection of short stories from high schoolers

February 6, 2017
By sydneyktif, Tiffin, Ohio
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sydneyktif, Tiffin, Ohio
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Author's note:

I

Introduction
These are a collection of short stories I gathered from real high schoolers from various grades. I got all my information through short but detailed interviews with the participants. All these stories contain plots which include an embarrassing moment or an awkward moment and the purposes are to laugh. Names were changed to keep the complete anonymity. I also hope when you read these you can laugh along and relate to the characters and their situations like I did when I wrote this. And someday when you encounter yourself in a similar situation you can laugh it off and share the stories with others. Enjoy Reading!

Squish, squish, squish, goes my shoes down the empty school hallways. So how did I get here? Whether you wanted to know or not I am going to tell you. Okay so, i’m going to start by saying I ate one too many waffles that morning. I also got to school late but I am rambling. RING RING RING goes the bell signaling the start of first period. I ran in exasperated.I felt butterflies in my stomach. Slowly I sink into my desk and eye my classmates to make sure no one was staring. Quick glance I was in the clear. Everyone in study hall was preoccupied in their own things. Someone doing homework and another sleeping. SNAP SNAP! I quickly turn to my right. My friend Sami’s eyes fixated on mine her eyes bright with concern.
“Mariana? Are you alright?” Sami questioned. I stare at her for a hot minute but then I turn away and stare at my phone. Those butterflies I was talking about earlier? Yeah they weren’t butterflies more like knots that keep getting tighter and tighter. SNAP SNAP I turned to look at Sami whose hand rested on my shoulder. “ Are you mad at me?” she questioned drawing her hand from my shoulder while she brushes through her hair. I shook my head. Was it just me or is this study hall room hot? Sweat  subtly dripping down my face and these knots that will not leave my stomach aren’t things the other students would notice, but Sami. “Okay something is wrong so spill” Sami remarks.
“I feel sick” I stated. At this point I can practically feel my face turn green. No I couldn’t see it turn green I didn’t have a mirror, yet I could feel it. “Okay listen, do you want me to go the restroom with you?” Sami asked as she cracked her knuckles. I nodded. I watched her sit up and walk towards the study hall monitor. CRACK CRACK Again cracking her knuckles. I couldn’t hear their conversation because they were too far but Sami walked backed and nodded her head. Once I dragged myself up we progressed toward the door.  “EH EH EH” I coughed as if all my insides were to cough out of me. I continue my journey down the 1,000 mile aisle to the door. I took all of three steps and then SPLAT. Remember the waffles I mentioned earlier? This is it’s appearance in this story. A million eyes watching the show I put on. Honestly this performance is America’s Got Talent worthy.
“Ahem”  grunts a teacher now standing next to me. “Can you please move over next to the trash can?” she asks. Um excuse me but I am sick so no I won’t move over. People these days are so demanding! After that my mind went into a blackout. Next thing I remember is being in the girls restroom with Sami. In the light of the restroom you can see all the chunks in my goldilocks hair.                                                                                                                               “So what’s next?” I questioned. Sami took a look at me up and down; her eyes squinted. Then she opened her mouth and I swear you would’ve thought you heard a hyena in the girls restroom when she laughed.
“What do you mean what's next? You just puked so you are going home.” Sami stated. Going home? I couldn’t go home. I still had classes and i’ve never went home because I was sick. My parents would be at work also and I don’t like being home alone. Not that I’m scared, I just don’t like being lonely. Squish, squish, squish, goes my shoes down the empty school hallways. Sami and I laughing the whole way to the office. “I really wish someone would’ve recorded that!” I laugh as my face changed from blushing tomato to rose bud red. I see in my vision the office sign. 30 feet, no 25,now 20… So we start to part ways as I head to the office window. Squish, squish, squish goes my soon to be washed shoes down the high school halls.

So what do you do when you crush on someone? Do you gaze at them? Observing every detail like your eyes can take a picture. Do you listen? Listen to the way they say hello and their laugh that fills up the whole room. Acknowledge their flaws? His one dimple on his left cheek, his accent. Maybe you notice all of these things and every minute you spend observing the more infatuated you are at this picture your mind has created.  This is the story on my school crush infatuations.
Freshmen year I developed a little crush. But there was a problem… I wouldn’t say I actually met him. I’d say I was stargazing. Stargazing is a term I’d use when I like someone but you don’t know anything about them.  Well it all started the third day of school. Everything's a blur the people walking down the hall. “Ow!” we say in unison. As I touch my tender head that will bruise I stare at this stranger I bumped into. “Sorry” I say.
He looks at me and shakes his head while saying “No I’m sorry I should've been looking.” Then I walk away.  A few weeks later and I have been observing from afar like some zoologist would observe a tiger. Well one day I decided to check out his instagram. After looking at a couple photos something happened. I froze like a deer caught in headlights. I looked at the bright red heart on the screen. The bright red heart I happened to double tap on the photo of him smiling with his dog. It took me a full minute of sitting in disbelief to unlike the photo. My mind is racing and my heart is beating faster then my body can carry it. Immediately I go onto my profile. I stare at the words, DELETE PHOTO. CLICK I tap on every photo on my page and throw away any evidence that this user was me. Then I created a whole new instagram for myself.
A week passed by and I managed to avoid my crush. Until one day after school. A mutual friend of mine Lolita was walking down the hall with me when she came up with a revelation.
“Hey Daisy,wanna walk around the school till our rides come?”Lolita asks. I agreed to go. A couple of minutes later we walked passed the English classroom. A little backstory my crushes dad was our english teacher. Sitting outside of his father's door with our other mutual friend Radley was with Jay. Jay is my crush may I also remind you. “Hi Jay, hi Radley.” says Lolita as she sits down next to them in the deserted hallway. I followed her lead and said hi to them also.
“Hey” Radley says back. I’m going to inform you now a little thing about Radley. He is a little odd and socially awkward. “Hey Jay do you remember when Daisy liked you?” My face froze. Shaking my head I said “I don't know what you are talking about Radley,” Radley eyes were glued open when he turned his head and asked “Is this code or something?” My eyes swirled in circles making me dizzy. I quickly sped down the hall as I say “My mom's here gotta go bye! Like a road runner my feet carried me to safety away from the explosion of my heart shattering. Later which I would conclude it was not my heart shattering but in fact my whole self shattering from embarrassment. I was afflicted with a stab in the heart . Metaphorically of course.
I have not talked to Jay in the past two years. But I do follow him on social media and now like his photos free of embarrassment of taping the big beating red heart on the screen. I also no longer crush on him. So I learned when someone isn’t worth your time to CLICK DELETE.

A nude photo. Yes, you heard right. Nope I’m not going to talk about my nude photos;you pervert. Instead we are going to be talking about receiving my first nude photo. It was my sophomore year and I liked a senior girl. She was chill. I mean she was a SENIOR! Anyways I walked through the door of my house with my friend Brayden. “What do you have to eat Noah?” Brayden asked while rummaging through the cupboards of my home.
“I’d tell you to just look around but it seems you already have!” I exclaimed with a chuckle. Brayden spun around with a frown and rolled his eyes. “Seriously why does your family only have healthy food options. It’s like i'm being deprived from all things heavenly.”
“Because my mother is a helicopter mom and cares way too much about my health.” I said as I reach for the fruit bowl. FLASH goes my phone and I see the little notification from Snapchat. It said new message from Sadie. Sadie Consello messaged me? Brayden walked over just as I gazed dumbfounded at my phone.
“Woah Noah, Sadie Consello I’d tap that.” Brayden said while biting into an apple.
“Sadie? She’s alright.We are just friends.” I said matter of factly
“ALRIGHT? Sexy Sadie? Are you sick?” he asks
“Ha ha ha no I’m not.” I reply as I unlocked my phone. I tapped on the message when I thought my eyes played a trick on me. Did my eyes deceive me? I’ve dreamed my whole pubescent teen life to see this. This forbidden fruit; It was oddly unsatisfying. Actually I realized it was something I never wanted spontaneously. Right before my eyes I saw Sadie Consellos boobs.Yes both of them.
“OH MY GOD.” I say as I slide my phone down the table. Brayden glances at the phone and then widens his eyes and drops his mouth.
“OH MY GOD!” He exclaims as he screenshots the photo. “This is the most beautiful things I’ve ever saw.” He says while zooming in on the photo.
“Ew you dog. It’s not even good lighting in the photo.” I say with a chuckle. Holding up and orange and a apple He asks
“Would you say they are more like this?” Holding the orange to his chest. “OR this” holding an apple to his chest. “Or even this?!” holding them both up to his chest.
“Okay stop! This is something I don’t want to speak of. I don’t even like Sadie like that.” I say.
Later on though I would.
“She can’t even keep a relationship for longer than two weeks.” I say while biting into my apple.
Her longest relationship would be 3 months with me. But that’s another story.
“She is an orange not an apple.” I state with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh.
Actually she wasn’t an orange or apple or somewhere in between. She was a grapefruit.

“Strawberry Fields Forever”. After the Beatles song. That’s what I named my period in 9th grade. Why that? I call it that Because It never ends,  It’s a wild card. This story takes place in my freshmen year. I started off the day feeling off, but overlooking that. “UGH my stomach hurts! I have horrible cramps.” I say to my friends Blair and Mariah.
“Are you on your period?” Asks Mariah.
“No I haven’t” I state. Then I walk down the hall to my next class english. The whole way there I could feel my stomach being ripped open and stabbed repeatedly. At least it felt like that. Five minutes into English my stomach is miraculously better. I spent the class listening to Mrs.McCartney talk about To Kill a Mockingbird. Ten minutes till the end of class something felt off. I don’t know about other girls but I can tell when my period is starting. I want to use the restroom but it’s now 8 minutes till lunch and I can hear the clock ticking in my head for the bell to ring.
Tick. Something is wrong
Tock.The clock won’t Tick faster
Tick. Goes my mind as it drives me crazy knowing something bad might’ve happened.
Tock.Why do I keep cracking my knuckles when I’m anxious?
RING RING RING finally signals the school bells releasing me from Mrs.McCartney discussing how her three children got their names. I bolt like lightning to the girls restroom I go to the long mirror and notice that bloody mary definitely does show up. My jeans were soaked with blood you couldn’t tell in class or if you were just looking. Mariah and Blair walked in at the perfect time.
“What’s wrong?”Mariah asks. I stare with horror because of embarrassment.
“My period started and bled through everything!” I exclaim.
“Everything?” Asks Blair
“Everything!”I exclaim. Blair and Mariah look at me with Doe eyes and nodding their heads. Blair comes over and puts her hand on my shoulder.
“I have a extra pair of leggings you can borrow.” Blair Kindly offered.
“Thanks but I think I’m just going to go home.” I say. Mariah grabs my jacket from the restroom floor and ties it around my waist.
“Here do this just in case till your mom comes.” She says with a smile. In that moment I was thankful to have Blair and Mariah as friends.

So in conclusion you could say that everyone does embarrassing things it is human nature. Some definitely more Embarrassing than others. We also all encounter awkward situations, especially in high school. Which high school is the time to grow and learn from experiences. It is good to take those moments as something to laugh off and to tell others. And hopefully laugh about someday down the line and tell your kids or remember at a high school class reunion. I can definitely say I have had a fair share of excruciating embarrassing moments. Like how I fell up the stairs when I got the idea to write this story. It is almost a rule to have an embarrassing high school story. I know what mine are. So tell me, what is yours?



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