The Instruction Manual About High School And What No One Tells You: Freshman Year Edition.
1. You will learn very fast that it is not like any movie or tv show you've ever seen or heard about.
2. Stress and anxiety will most likely become your best friends, sometimes followed by a refreshing dose of depression.
3. Friends you swore to be with forever, well, let's just say forever ends real quick.
4. Freshman year is sort of like a rite of passage. Once you make it through, most of the school stops hating you. Why they hated you in the first place? You'll understand when you're older.
5. Cliques are a thing. There is no stopping them. The best thing to do is be nice to people in general except for that jerk in the third period. You should just punch him in the face.
6. Boys will not grow up like you hope for and expect. Sex jokes are normal, as are jokes making fun of anything and everything including racist and sexist things. Tell them to shut up. Don't let anyone stop you.
7. Homework is a huge wave that will crash down on your hopes and dreams and Friday night plans. Buy a good planner, stick to it. You will be okay.
8. Vacations suddenly seem much shorter and farther away. You have been warned.
9. You learn very useful skills. How to properly glance at your crush when they are not looking, how to sneak food in class, how to act sick and not go to school, and how to study for three to six tests that are all on the same day. Also, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
10. You will have a weird need to fit in with trends and not be you. Do not do this. This is stupid. By the end of freshman year, you start to understand a balance between being weird and loud and having some fun, and taking off a weekend to study and do homework. It sucks but everyone has to.
Final notes. Suicide is never an option. If you are thinking about doing this, please talk to someone. The world would be to empty without you and your beautiful soul. Buy a nice planner and use it. Listen and talk to teachers. While they sometimes suck, they are there to help you. Get a tutor if you don't understand. Have study nights with friends. Go to dances and games because they are fun.
Good luck.
