Trish’s Blog

The John F. Kennedy Class of 1989 High School Reunion – August 8, 2009

Deciding to go to my 20^th High School Reunion had little to do with how much I hated high school or how few people I actually know in my class. I only attended John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma, CA for two years, so why put myself through this awkward social event? I don’t drink, so knowing that everyone would be getting sloshed held no attraction for me either. You would think the automatic answer to the invitation would be, “no” or “yeah… no” or “hell no”. The only thing that gave me pause was finding a volleyball teammate on Facebook and her volunteering to be my date (she knew more people in my class than I did and is extremely outgoing with no social awkwardness whatsoever). I thought it would be enough for her to be at my side during this self-conscious and tedious event. Tedious because you flay yourself with questions like, “What should I wear?” and “How much weight can I lose in one month?” and “What if no one remembers me?” or “What if people remember the wrong thing about me especially now that I’m so changed?”

I bit the bullet and decided that spending a night out with an old friend would be worth it if all the answers to the tedious questions were not in my favor. Besides, my parents still live in the same house and it would be great to go home for a visit. So, I paid the eighty bucks to reserve my spot at the reunion and booked my flight. Pretty soon, my week at home was filled with best friends flying down, my sister coming home from NYC, a family bonfire at Bolsa Chica Beach, and Disneyland. The HS Reunion became secondary to everything else and many times I was tempted to skip it, but I had to go.

There are some who think that Facebook is enough to eliminate the high school reunion. It’s free and you can “spy” on all the people you crushed on without having to confront him or her (aside from the original add as a friend request, but even then there are ways). For some people, any excuse to get together and have a few (or a lot of) drinks makes FB too much of a chore. I have learned from tonight that there can be balance between the two and it’s much better to have both than just one or the other.

For one thing, if you have found high school friends on Facebook already, you can check them out at the event to reconfirm that you like being his or her friend. And if you weren’t that close in high school, it doesn’t matter because you will most likely find something interesting about them or what they’re doing now. And another thing, if they have changed so much that you’re not sure that you know them, when you see them at the reunion you will have flashbacks. Eventually, your brain will remember that you sat next to him in English, that he makes more sense on a skateboard, and that you had no idea how talented she was in high school. And, of course, it’s always good to see a couple of major crushes you had and get some closure—you’re married with children, they’re married with children… and you can move on more completely than you ever did before.

You might get a revelation and find out something you never knew. Especially when people you are still not really sure how you know say, “Oh, Trish Benavente, I remember always hearing your name but I never knew who you were.” My first reaction was a bit hysterical. What is that about? What did they hear? Was it good stuff or was I a gossip magnet for horror? And then I got over it… it doesn’t even matter anymore. I think it’s probably a miracle that my name was ever mentioned at all.

I survived high school and I am proud to admit that I have survived my high school reunion. I should get another diploma.

Posted on August 11th, 2009 by trish
Filed under: Life