Each school has a popular kid—the one with a million-dollar smile and an indestructible sense of self that carries their name to every corner of every hallway. Many of us were even jealous of their attention and the things that came with it.
But in a lot of ways, life begins only after graduation, and these people don't always make use of the head start they have. So Reddit user ZoroX made a post on the platform, asking everyone to share the downfalls of those who seemed to have it all growing up. And they received plenty of memorable stories.
#1
He failed out of college during his senior year. Got hooked on d***s, was a deadbeat dad, did more d***s. Then finally got clean, went back and finished college, now is a d**g counselor AND reconnected with his kids!
F****n strong work Doug!
F****n strong work Doug!
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122points
#2
Dude sodomized his girlfriend with the business end of a shotgun for cheating on him.
He's seen nothing but prison walls for 26 years now.
He's seen nothing but prison walls for 26 years now.
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81points
We got in touch with ZoroX and they said the idea to ask the internet this question came to them completely out of the blue. "I wasn't even thinking about it, it just popped into my head randomly," the Redditor explained to Bored Panda.
"As I kept going through the comments, I noticed that a few common themes emerged, mostly drugs, alcohol, and DUI," they added.
All of which remind us of the pitfalls we see among Hollywood stars as well. Looks like excess and misfortune sometimes do go hand in hand.
#3
He dropped out of high school, went to jail, then got his s**t together and went back to school. He is now a math teacher at a prestigious high school.
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79points
#4
He beat the s**t out of the disabled kid ( who was well loved by everyone and told dad jokes). The problem was that kid got a brain bleed and almost died, so he went to prison for attempted manslaughter. What did disabled kid do to deserve this? Allegedly, he told a somewhat flirty joke to the popular guy's sister (who was 1 grade below us). I think it was along the of "if you were a desert , you'd be a cutie pie" kind of joke. His parents don't even visit him in prison.
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73points
#5
Two of them decided to take hunting rifles and shoot several rounds into the principals house at night, thinking the police wouldn't catch them and they would just not follow through with a possible attempted murder.
72points
Some research supports the notion that there are some serious downsides to being popular as a kid. For instance, Lara Mayeux and her colleagues found that popularity is linked to risky behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and early sexual activity among high school students. Becoming more popular can also lead to peer resentment and dislike. Another study found that only 9 percent of popular children are widely liked by their peers.
Then there are distorted relationships. Jennifer Crocker and her colleagues argue that focusing on self-image goals at the expense of more compassionate goals leads people to feel competitive, anxious, depressed, and disconnected.
#6
Tried to hit me with his car and lost control and put it in the ditch. Cops came, realized he was DUI and underage and lost his Scholarship.
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71points
#7
Didn’t exactly f**k up his life but he managed to put two brand new Audi A8s into the same telephone pole outside of school.
Second time we all stuck around in the school parking lot to witness the aftermath. His dad was apocalyptic “YOU HIT THE SAME F*****G POLE! HOW? HOW?”
He got a used banana yellow wagon after that. It was hilarious.
Second time we all stuck around in the school parking lot to witness the aftermath. His dad was apocalyptic “YOU HIT THE SAME F*****G POLE! HOW? HOW?”
He got a used banana yellow wagon after that. It was hilarious.
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70points
#8
Went to a house party shortly after grad, got kicked out for being douche bags. Went back to the party and beat the host to death with a bat. Petitioned for a conditional release so they could "spend Christmas with family"
You know completely normal s**t.
You know completely normal s**t.
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64points
ZoroX believes that we remain interested in how our peers are doing because as we progress in life, we often have a sense of who might face challenges based on their behavior in school (especially bullies) and we want to know if our gut feeling is correct.
But at the end of the day, it's difficult to know for certain if someone's doing well after school because of their social status or skills.
"It's a mixed bag—determination and skill often lead to success, but if someone is popular due to their parents' influence, they might have an easier path because of the opportunities and respect that come with a notable family name."
What's certain is that if you want to better your chances, you must try to avoid being a jerk. "It will only hinder your progress and limit your opportunities. Treat others with respect, but don't be afraid to stand up for yourself if necessary. This insight comes from another question I asked on r/AskReddit about 'What is the easiest way to mess up your life?'—a lot of responses pointed to being rude and unkind to others."
#9
Not dumb, actually one of the smartest people I've ever met, just not what we expected from him. He was absolutely brilliant and got shipped off to a special academy for genius kids for the last year or two of high school. The pressure broke him and he died homeless on the sidewalk in his early 30's.
Edit to clarify since I typed this too quickly: The special school isn't what messed him up, it was the intense pressure on him to succeed. The man spent his life constantly being told he had to keep going further and try harder and that he was going to change the world. That's a lot to put on someone, especially a kid.
Edit to clarify since I typed this too quickly: The special school isn't what messed him up, it was the intense pressure on him to succeed. The man spent his life constantly being told he had to keep going further and try harder and that he was going to change the world. That's a lot to put on someone, especially a kid.
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61points
#10
He and 3 of his buddies got drunk at a parking lot hangout after practice, drove home, and their car went off the side of a bridge into the river below, killing all 4 of them.
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55points
#11
Flashy good looking kid, John, who was honestly quite talented at taekwondo kept pushing and poking and bullying the quiet new kid who immigrated from Venezuela.
After the immigrant kid, Andre, had enough and pushed back, John challenged him to a fight after school.
The fight was over hilariously quickly. Tkd dude tried a flashy kick you'd see in a Van Dame movie and it looked good but missed. Andre just easily dodged it, threw a right hook to the jaw and then a left round house kick to the face.
John was out f*****g cold standing up.
Later we found out that Andre's dad was a former military police officer in Venezuela and a kickboxer of some repute so he had taught his kid from an early age how to protect himself.
Anyways, this happened in March and we never saw John till graduation in the summer. He spent the rest of the school year being homeschooled.
After the immigrant kid, Andre, had enough and pushed back, John challenged him to a fight after school.
The fight was over hilariously quickly. Tkd dude tried a flashy kick you'd see in a Van Dame movie and it looked good but missed. Andre just easily dodged it, threw a right hook to the jaw and then a left round house kick to the face.
John was out f*****g cold standing up.
Later we found out that Andre's dad was a former military police officer in Venezuela and a kickboxer of some repute so he had taught his kid from an early age how to protect himself.
Anyways, this happened in March and we never saw John till graduation in the summer. He spent the rest of the school year being homeschooled.
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53points
#12
Four of them in a car. Driver going *very* fast on an expressway late at night. Lost control of the vehicle and flipped it, ejecting three of them not wearing a seatbelt. Driver got rolled over by the car and was killed instantly, second was killed from the injuries, third had severe brain damage and requires assistance until his dying day. One passenger was wearing a seatbelt and left with minor injuries except the trauma of watching two of his friends die and one of his friends become severely disabled.
edit: many of you have asked where this was. it was upstate ny, i dont remember the year but at least 15 years ago. given how many of you asked where it was, or shared similar stories, i think the overall theme here is: **wear the seatbelt every time**.
edit: many of you have asked where this was. it was upstate ny, i dont remember the year but at least 15 years ago. given how many of you asked where it was, or shared similar stories, i think the overall theme here is: **wear the seatbelt every time**.
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51points
#13
Full ride for football at any school you can name. Decides to rob a Walgreens with his buddies one Friday night. He lost everything. I saw him working at McDonald’s a few years later.
49points
#14
Got addicted to d***s. Rich parents got him out, rehab, then got him a lucrative job that needs no qualification. Now he is still in media, well paid, enough that he became a functioning d**g addict.
Some people have everything handed to them, they can't even f**k up properly.
Some people have everything handed to them, they can't even f**k up properly.
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49points
#15
More like his body f****d up his life.
Cancer. Luke died of Cancer. F**k cancer.
Luke was one of the best. Everyone liked him and I’m saying that as one of the school nerds while he was a high school football star player. Genuine great guy all around. .
Cancer. Luke died of Cancer. F**k cancer.
Luke was one of the best. Everyone liked him and I’m saying that as one of the school nerds while he was a high school football star player. Genuine great guy all around. .
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49points
#16
He decided it was a good idea to get high on pills and go for a drive. He ran over a lady and her dog killing them both. He left his car and called the police to say that the car was stolen by a "black guy". After they found the car and the accident, they called him into the station for a talk. He went up to the police station with the keys in his pocket.
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48points
#17
He got his GF pregnant. Pregnant GF dumped him and started dating his best friend. Shortly after giving birth, she got pregnant again. She dumped the BFF and goes back to popular kid. Popular kid learned she was pregnant with BFF’s child. He got into his car and parked on BFF’s street. He waited for BFF to show up and shot him thrice. The GF was in the car with him and even gave him the gun.
BFF survived and popular kid and crazy GF are currently in jail. It’s in Canada btw.
BFF survived and popular kid and crazy GF are currently in jail. It’s in Canada btw.
48points
#18
This kid wasn't necessarily popular, but he was on the verge.
He wanted nothing more in the world than to be on our High School's Cross Country team. He just didn't have the chops for it. He'd practice and practice, and try out repeatedly, but could never quite make the cut.
Everybody knew about his desire to be on the team, and I think most of us were pulling for him, because he had the heart, just not the legs.
Anyway, one day in gym class, we were having a "fitness test" in which we were to run laps around the outer perimeter of our school, and complete as many laps as possible.
Most of us dropped out after a lap or two, and went to sit on the bleachers.
There were a bunch of Cross Country kids, though, who had taken this as a challenge, and were running seemingly endless laps.
Not-quite-popular kid figured that if he could keep up with those guys, he'd show that he deserved to be on the team.
Lap after lap, he hung right at the back of their pack, never catching up, but never falling completely away, either. The large group of us who had already given up and were sitting on the bleachers saw this, and we all started rooting for this kid, and watching closely.
As the pack passed our bleachers on yet another lap, the kid following behind visibly s**t his pants. Turds poured from the leg holes of his gym shorts, and onto the pavement as we all watched in horror.
The kid just kept running.
On the next lap, our gym teacher, who fancied himself a drill sergeant, flagged the kid down, chewed his a*s, and made him clean up the turds as we all sat there wishing for an unexpected asteroid strike to put us out of out collective misery.
His popularity never recovered. He never ran a single meter for our Cross Country team.
If anybody wants to make a Rudy-esque film out of this, hit me up and I'll fill in the blanks.
He wanted nothing more in the world than to be on our High School's Cross Country team. He just didn't have the chops for it. He'd practice and practice, and try out repeatedly, but could never quite make the cut.
Everybody knew about his desire to be on the team, and I think most of us were pulling for him, because he had the heart, just not the legs.
Anyway, one day in gym class, we were having a "fitness test" in which we were to run laps around the outer perimeter of our school, and complete as many laps as possible.
Most of us dropped out after a lap or two, and went to sit on the bleachers.
There were a bunch of Cross Country kids, though, who had taken this as a challenge, and were running seemingly endless laps.
Not-quite-popular kid figured that if he could keep up with those guys, he'd show that he deserved to be on the team.
Lap after lap, he hung right at the back of their pack, never catching up, but never falling completely away, either. The large group of us who had already given up and were sitting on the bleachers saw this, and we all started rooting for this kid, and watching closely.
As the pack passed our bleachers on yet another lap, the kid following behind visibly s**t his pants. Turds poured from the leg holes of his gym shorts, and onto the pavement as we all watched in horror.
The kid just kept running.
On the next lap, our gym teacher, who fancied himself a drill sergeant, flagged the kid down, chewed his a*s, and made him clean up the turds as we all sat there wishing for an unexpected asteroid strike to put us out of out collective misery.
His popularity never recovered. He never ran a single meter for our Cross Country team.
If anybody wants to make a Rudy-esque film out of this, hit me up and I'll fill in the blanks.
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47points
#19
Took pictures of himself getting head from the football coaches daughter and slipped a copy under the coaches office door as revenge for some slight against him.
He was one of the top football players.
He was dumb enough to think the coaches daughter wouldn’t say who it was in the picture. Of course she told, and of course he knew, and of course he was kicked off the team. Few months of disciplinary actions after because he sort of spiraled and he was sent to one of those schools for people with difficulty functioning in normal schools.
I don’t know if it ruined his life, but it ruined his trajectory and he wound up dropping out of the local community college instead of going off to Florida State like he had planned.
He was one of the top football players.
He was dumb enough to think the coaches daughter wouldn’t say who it was in the picture. Of course she told, and of course he knew, and of course he was kicked off the team. Few months of disciplinary actions after because he sort of spiraled and he was sent to one of those schools for people with difficulty functioning in normal schools.
I don’t know if it ruined his life, but it ruined his trajectory and he wound up dropping out of the local community college instead of going off to Florida State like he had planned.
45points
#20
Thought he'd be cool by **chugging** an entire bottle of vodka. Killed himself via alcohol poisoning.
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45points