Little known fact: The "H" in BYU-H does not actually stand for "Hawaii". That misconception comes from the fact that it happens to be in Hawaii. It really stands for "High". This is high school more of intrinsic nature more than anything else.
One example is Ben. He was a great guy that I hung out with a bit. Never enough though. He was selling nearly everything he owned as he was moving home to England and would not be able to take it with him. I offered some money to buy his Mini DV camcorder. He had another friend who also wanted to buy it. Long story short, I out bit him and got the camera. Since that time, that friend has been giving the cold shoulder to both Ben and me. I still get to enjoy the high school enemy angered looks while Ben is across the pond.
I also lost a friend who was dubbed as my "shadow" this semester. I liked having Jake around, it was nice to have a person always available. He was a fungi. (Oh, your reading this, aren't you. Oh well, I still stand by it.) He was stuck in high school. He told me so many stories of his school that I knew more about his than mine. He will be leaving on a mission soon. I wish him all the luck I can. (And the same to the world that will be getting him...)
My ex (Fei) is back on campus and is much closer, but at the same time, is much more distant than before. It became evident quickly that with the three of us, Fei, Mark and I were a crowd. The only question was which one was the third wheel. In a way, both us guys were. I told Fei that I suspected that they would cave in to the chemical reaction and get back together. It was not too much later that Fei proved me better at analyzing relationships than I had thought I was. I think my reaction was much like this:
"A-HA! I WAS RIGHT!...oh, man...I was right...dang."
I know that Fei will read this and perhaps Mark and others. Regardless, I'll be Susan (I Don't do Frank well). This may sound like sour grapes, but it's not. He is wrong for Fei. Moreso, they are wrong for each other. Yet, I remain aloof. I stand backstage watching Fei stand in the spotlight. I fear that she has forgotten her lines. Some time ago I was re-cast into a different play. I stay in the shadow and wait for my next cue. I've seen better high school productions of "Romeo and Juliet". At least I don't have to watch the whole thing - I know how it ends.
Then we have Jessica. We have both been quite busy lately and have not seen much of each other. It's funny how on a small campus you can see everyone you DON'T want to and completely miss the ones you are looking out for. In some way, the atmosphere between us has changed. We handle it in true high school fashion: talk about it with other friends and not to those involved, especially each other. I suppose it does not matter much anyway, since she is leaving soon for good - a prime high school reaction from me. She will also be serving a mission. I would love to see her get called to the same mission as Jake...er...Elder Tanner.
Most everyone else I associate with is graduating, moving or just going to another school. It's the same difference either way. I remain.
One bright light in the distance is my upcoming trip to Europe. I think that at this point, I will not be taking my wife with me, seeing as how I have yet to meet her. I told girls that I would be going with my siblings and all the spouses and suddenly became that much more attractive. I assume that they would all change their mind once it came time for the honeymoon night. Still, I have heard worse pickup lines in the halls. That is another thing that does not get better with the mind expanding experience that is college.
In the angst of my teenage youth, I was once told by many who acted as my voice of reason that high school didn't last forever. That one didn't.
The faucet of life that I have yet to figure out is this: At what point does one stop trading one high school for another and take that last final, stroll along that last empty corridor, and complete that terminal commencement walk?
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