40 Cringey Behaviors That Scream “I Peaked In High School”

When I was in high school, the cool kids partied hard. They'd get black out drunk and used whatever illegal substances they can get.

I was looking through the profiles of some of those classmates and a few of them are still doing the same s**t. Talking gangsta s**t despite growing up in a middle class suburb, talking about how they miss their kids who are in CPS custody because they went to jail for using, going on rants about narcs, etcetera. They're about 27 or 28. What made you cool in high school makes you a loser as a grown a*s adult, especially when you're a parent.

At my ten year reunion, the prom queen came wearing a tiara with a custom "Queen '03" sash over her shoulder. I had to go outside I was laughing so hard.

But I'll be damned if she didn't rock that outfit the while time, so, respect.

Still sad though.

People who say "high school is the best time of your life".

Still bullying the "nerds" at your 10 year reunion.

Loud mufflers and revving your engines on residential streets.

I work in HR and once had a resume that mentioned the applicant had been the captain of the local high school football team. He was in his fifties at the time he submitted this application.

Never advancing your life past the moment when you graduate. I have a cousin who still lives with his parents, has had the same job he had since junior year, and has done f**k-all with his life.

Alternatively, I have a cousin the same age still living with his mom but he's going to college and taking care of his grandmother. I think he wants to make it as a concept artist but he's working on a fallback degree before he makes the big leap.

Huge difference.

I have a good one for this.

My cousin once dragged me out to a local bar that I don't particularly care for due to its reputation. But I was going through a separation and figured I could use a night out. A guy comes up to me, clearly already drunk, and belligerently declares "I've never seen you in here before."

I replied "that's because I've never been in here before."

Him: "Well I'm just saying I've never seen you here before."

Me: "Ok"

Him: "I'm John. I used to play football at the school up the road. You know the school just up the road? Up on the hill?"

Me: "Yes, I know the school. I went to the same school."

Him: "Yeah, I played football there."

Me: "Good for you?"

Him: "I don't remember you from school."

Me: "I don't imagine you do."

Him: "Well, I'm just saying, I played football there and I dont remember you."

Me: "Ok."

Finally he walked away. More like stumbled away. This was back in around 2013. I graduated in '04, he was 1 or 2 years ahead of me. So it had been over a decade since he graduated, and he was using his *high school football* to hit on chicks at the bar. He moved on to hit on my cousin so I pretended to be her lesbian lover to chase him off lol. She thanked me for it, guy is a total tool and always was.

*Edit: I seem to be catching a little flak from a few people for being "rude" myself. I left a portion of the conversation out to avoid being too long winded. I did ask him if he remembered a secretary at the school, and he started trash talking her. I told him she was my mother, he paused (at least he stopped trash talking mom) and then cycled back to not remembering me belligerently. To add a bit more context, I remembered him from school from a different belligerent encounter. He randomly said to me one day "you're like some kind of pothead, right?" I said no and asked why he thought that. He explained that I hung out with a few known potheads (I did) and that must mean I was a pothead, too. So I explained that they were just my friends and just because they smoked didn't mean I had to do it too, and that I didn't. Which was the truth. He repeated the notion that I must be because of who I hung out with, so I explained again that I didn't. He finally dropped the subject. This dude has always been belligerent, douchy, repetitive, and incapable of carrying a conversation. Hope this info and context clarifies things.*.

A guy who graduated from my high school back in 2003 was arrested a few years ago for his 2nd DUI. He was wearing his Letterman jacket in his mugshot.

My mom, a 42 year old, has a giant stack of numbers that boys gave her in high school. She brings them out to brag every now and then. It’s embarrassing.

Getting the score of the football game you won against the school's rival tattooed on your shoulder.

A high school teacher who berates a student (me) for deciding not to go to prom. "You're going to regret it for the rest of your life!"

I see why you became a high school psychology teacher.

Want to earn money from home and set your own hours?

E: thank y’all for the hella love. And sorry you all have had that ‘bestie’ (read: distant acquaintance) reach out to you with a desperate sales pitch.

Sharing EVERY memory from Facebook talking about the “good ol days” and “wish we could go back” when it’s only been a few years since graduation.

Hanging out with kids in high school after high school.

The class that graduated before me had their ten year reunion last year and apparently a big fight broke out over something that happened when they were all still in high school. I guess that is one way to tell if someone peaked in high school. Pretty embarrassing.

When I was in high school, this guy a year before me had a fearsome reputation. At house parties, people would fear him just by name alone. He would show up to parties with his cronies and start fights. He came from a decent enough family. Everybody wanted to be on his good side.

Anyway, he graduates high school, and most of us were still in 12th grade.
I remember he used to come around lunctime to smoke with the people out front, shoot the breeze and talk about how much fun it is to just sleep in and do nothing and have all this freedom.

A couple of months of "Ohhh cool!" To, "Why are you still here?" as we awkwardly shuffled back to class.

I did some work at a guys house when I was about 20 when I was on summer break from college. I was doing some landscaping and such. This guy was a cop, about 35, and was married with a pretty nice house. I would work there and he would pop over to the house once or twice a day for lunch or whatever and would check on how the work was going.

But one day he tells me to come to the garage with him. He is searching around the garage for something but won’t tell me what. Finally he finds a box with his old homecoming crown from high school when he was named homecoming king. He started talking about how high school was such great memories and all that. He was trying to show off and thought I’d be really impressed. But I was really embarrassed for him to be honest.

Still bragging about high school basketball games from 10 years ago.

Billy Joel feels compelled to write a ballad about how you and your ex were the king and the queen of the prom, how the two of you married right after high school, and how it all went to hell from there. Bonus points if your names happen to be Brenda and Eddie.