A Whole Bunch of Loki's

If Life Were a Cliché

How had ten years passed already?

It felt like barely three years ago that you had left school, let alone ten.

When the invitation to the upcoming ten year reunion had dropped onto your doormat, you have been equal parts excited and full of dread.

School hadn't been the best of times, as it typically wasn't for many people, but you had to admit that you were vaguely curious to see where old faces had gotten to and what they had done with themselves.

On the other hand, you hated the thought of seeing certain faces who had been less than stellar during the school years and the fact that you felt you hadn't exactly done much with your own life made you worry that you'd somehow be an embarrassment when compared to the others who had, more than likely, made something of themselves.

Then there was the prospect of seeing old friends that you had unfortunately lost contact with, you were eager to see how they had changed and how they were leading their lives now.

It took a while of deliberation, but you decided to go.

The nerves in your stomach grew as you pulled up and stared towards the building, from your spot you could see the flashing disco lights shining through the window and silhouettes walking past every now and then.

Steeling yourself, you got out of the car and locked it.

Making your way inside, you noted the wide variety of cars owned by those who had already arrived and were surprised by just how many were as plain as any other car on the road.

You had half expected to see the typical variety of cars you would see on TV, either really run-down ones that had their license plates held on by withered wires or super done-up sports cars that hardly seemed practical for road use but were perfect for showing off and picking up potential partners because it proved how rich you were.

Instead, most cars that you passed were average at best, which was comforting in its way.

Memories of your school life flashed past you, some quite upsetting and others uplifting.

It was astounding how during the time you were there, school seemed like the be all and end all of everything, as if what happened in school would truly affect your life forever once you left those crowded classrooms and packed halls.

When growing up, it's common for adults to claim that school would be the best years of your life, but it seemed that adulthood was better than you would have guessed and it was phrases like this that caused the leaving school dread.

Sure, there were bills to pay and sometimes that could get overbearing to the point of tears and work was always a tiresome thought, but you had a lot more freedom than you did during the terrible school hours and you didn't have homework, which is always a bonus.

Getting out of the awkward teenage phase where it was a tragedy if a friend looked at you funny and didn't text you for a day was a relief, looking back on old memories of feuds you hadn't even been in or observing the teen attitudes of today made you realise just how fickle it all was.

Teen awkwardness and the flare of hormones really did make everything seem more dramatic than a rom-com's third act.

Pushing the doors open to the booked venue, a fancy looking golf club where the girls who were overzealous about school occasions had had a prom party that you weren't invited to, you were immediately hit by terrible music and the sound of people chattering.

You were also hit with a wave of regret and doubt.

Perhaps coming here hadn't been such a good idea.