Destined Loner of High School

Michael Tran
Mr. Quinn
English 101
19 February 2013
The Destined Loner of High School A time when I felt like an outsider was when I was eating lunch at school. My mother kept on moving around, so I couldn’t keep friends very long. This was one of the reasons why I ate alone during school. I didn’t mind eating solo; I just finished quick and went to the library. Throughout the years, I’ve gotten used to eating by myself. Some of the time, I was accompanied with an acquaintance I’ve met in class. Most of the time, other students just needed a spot to sit. They search around and find the most familiar person in the room, just to be seated. I didn’t mind because I was usually the first few who entered the cafeteria. That means I get out earlier than most of the people in there. This sort of thing happened from the beginning of my high school years to the end, but some of the time, it didn’t, and I was happy. Around the age of fifteen, I was enrolled as a freshman at Emporia High School. It was a decent school with amazing classes but lame teachers. What sucked about it was that I was only there for around two weeks. My mom decided that we had to move to Wichita because she wanted to find a better job. She worked at the W.A. Moyer Company, and her job was to make those tiny vials of yellow liquid that help you tell if something is evenly level. Yeah it sounds like an easy job, but some guy got his fingers cut off making them. We started packing and eventually drove to our new house in Wichita. I didn’t mind leaving because right around that day, there was an upcoming exam over some artist I forgot the name of. I was so glad that I didn’t have to take that stupid exam.
During the first two weeks of high school, I was still sort of a loner. The school was huge compared to my middle school, which was the Wal-Mart sized building right next to it. Emporia High was like three Wal-Marts squished into one entire structure. I think it was because Emporia only had one high school, so every high school kid in the city was enrolled there. I could only spot twelve people I knew from middle school because I can barely see over the people walking around me. I was about five feet around then. Being the shortest kid in school sucks. I remember during lunch, I ate alone because everyone I usually ate with went out to eat. They all have siblings who take them places during lunch period. I didn’t have money at the time so I didn’t go with them. Luckily, most of the time my sister ate with me. She is one year older than me, so I always end up going to the same school she does. She told me that she is only eating with me because I am her brother. Some older sister she is. Out of all my classes, only one class, Art, had someone I knew in it. That made high school even more bearable to attend, and less lonely.
The next school I went to was Wichita High School East. I thought moving and joining a new school would suck, but one of the luckiest moments of my life happened there. I had a child hood friend in Emporia named Abraham. I used to go to his house after school in 5th grade, but during 8th grade he moved and he forgot to tell me where. The funniest thing happened when I first went to Algebra class; he was sitting in the back row. We both said, “Oh my god, why are you here?” I didn’t eat alone at all since then. I made a ton of friends in all of my classes and was even friends with my teachers. East was the best school in Wichita. I didn’t feel alone at all in that school. I felt like I belonged there and that this couldn’t be better, and I was right.
After three long years of fun and devotion to East, my mom decided, once again, to move. I hated my mom for it. Why couldn’t we stay still for once? She said that the new house we were moving to is cheaper, and it will be easier to pay it off with her current job. I eventually understood her choice to move, even though deep down I hated it and preferred the old house and my old school. I was enrolled in Wichita High School South. This is the school that I graduated from. I can’t say the school is better than East, but at least I wasn’t the shortest kid in school anymore. Being a stranger, once again in a school full of people I did not know, was one of the things I hated in my life. I hate the process of finding new people to hang out with. I did it too many times. I’ve lost count. I didn’t care about making friends that much anymore so I went back to eating alone. I created a routine that I did mostly every day during lunch: I line up for lunch, I eat, I leave, and then I head for the library. I spent most of my lunch time at the library. It was consumed by reading books, doing homework, or just surfing the web for games to play. The times when I didn’t feel like going to the library or hated the lunch, I left school and walked to QuikTrip. Being an outsider wasn’t so bad then.
The advantages of being a loner is that, you have a lot more time on your hands. You have time to do things other people don’t normally have time to do. I managed to do my homework before getting home because I didn’t spend that time chatting with people. Some disadvantages for being a loner are that you miss out on fun activities. It isn’t a blast during pep rallies without people to cheer with, and it sucks to not know a question when asked. For example, other students always ask “who won the game last night?” or “Did you know where the football game is going to be held?” I felt embarrassed and humiliated in a way for not knowing. Most of the kids in school went to games and knew everything about it, and I didn’t.
The biggest time in my life that I truly felt like an outsider, was during high school. Sure there were moments when I felt like I was accepted, but overall, I felt alone deep inside. During graduation, everyone had friends who they planned to walk with. They found each other and huddled in a group of five and talk about their future plans. I wish I was still enrolled at East because I had already decided who I was going to walk with. They were three of my best friends at East, Allen, August, and Abraham. The Triple A, that’s what I called them. I did make some friends though. I wasn’t a complete loner. I walked with a pal of mine in Automotive Restoration class, Devon. He was a loner like me, so I became friends with him. He doesn’t talk much but it’s better than someone who talks nonstop. I learned that being a loner is your own choice. You can decide on your own to speak out and make friends. I didn’t feel like one during my time at East, because I actually tried to make friends. In college, I try my best to make friends with everyone I talk to, it is working out pretty well for me. I think those of you who are feeling like an outsider should chin up and grab a sack of courage and make some friends. That’s when you truly start to change your destiny for the best.