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“What’s The Most ‘Peaked In High School’ Thing You’ve Seen An Adult Do?” (32 Stories)
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Probably, each of us had our own peak in high school. Someone was absolutely brilliant in class, someone was the crush of nearly half the school, someone was chosen as the prom queen, and someone once threw four touchdowns without any interceptions in a decisive game against a neighboring school.
Such moments have happened to many in life - but life goes on, and over time we have new achievements that we would like to brag about to our friends, new peaks, new victories. But, as it turns out, some of us get stuck in school forever, or at least for a long time. So this new selection by Bored Panda is dedicated exactly to such stories.
More info: Reddit
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#1
A woman, who was a few years older than I, that I worked with would go on about hiw we need to listen to her because "you know, I was in the Homecoming Court."
That was 25 years ago, we don't care.
RELATED:
#2
Getting in a yelling match with an ump/referee at a little league game. Bro, the kids are 10.. sit down and close the yearbook.
Petra Peitsch 5 months ago (edited)
Exactly. Let the kids just have some fun. If they are so talented, it will reveal itself over the years. But for now, let the kids enjoy themselves.
#3
Having some beers with the rest of us almost 40yr olds, and the guy starts telling us about all the high school sports stuff he did. Next time we go out for some beers - he's at it again. Anddd - no one is interested. We've moved beyond that, but it's obvious he's stuck.
Petra Peitsch 5 months ago
Yeah, once you mention if it is a beloved topic for you in a converstaion ... Maybe twice. But no more!
This list was inspired by a recent thread on AskReddit, where the topic starter, the user u/StressAsleep9230, once asked the question: "What's the most 'peaked in high school' thing you've seen an adult do?"
As it turns out, netizens in the thread had a great many such examples and stories - and they willingly shared their tales and experiences, eventually gaining over 1.4K upvotes and almost a thousand comments, and counting.
#4
A high school basketball coach threw a basketball at the back of a student's head. Dude never stopped being the school bully.
#5
A dude doing shirtless pull-ups on monkey bars in the middle of a six-year-old’s birthday party. Both his wife and his kids were present. No context, no lead-up… just mid-conversation strips and starts… exercising. S**t the “pick-me” jocks did in HS.
#6
Dating someone young enough to be their kid because 'high schoolers just get me better.' That's not nostalgia - that's predatory.
Interestingly, very often, the stories told here are often connected with sports achievements, sometimes twenty years or a quarter of a century ago, when at some gathering, for example, an adult man begins excitedly telling how he brought a pick-six or made a buzzer beater in a school game.
Sure, by teenager standards this sounds incredibly cool, but let's look at it seriously - are there really no achievements in adulthood that would also be interesting to talk about? Is there really nothing else this person can be proud of in the last twenty years?
#7
I remember the reddit post about a full grown man sitting im a bar remembering how his life could have been so much different if he had not broken up with his "soulmate" or love of his life. The girl in question? His 7th grade girlfriend.
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 5 months ago
I still think about my 3rd grade "boyfriend" sometimes. He was the only one that was kind to me when I was badly bullied that year. I remember sitting next to him at recess and the butterflies I got when I held his hand, and how nice he was. He moved away at the end of that year, but his kindness stayed with me.
#8
Belittling their child's achievement and then bragging about their own when I was talking to their kid.
I was asking their kid about their hunt, congratulated them on their first deer, then their k**b of a dad tells me that deer was nothing, was super small and that he actually got a much bigger one recently and proceeded to show me pictures.
Real gem.
#9
Becoming that one high school teacher who tries to befriend all the “cool kids” for validation. No intention of educating the youth lol.
Michael Largey 5 months ago
High school kids see through that in a day and a half. And then spread the word. If you impress them as a teacher, then your taking a personal interest may register something.
"In fact, school acts as a great equalizer in life - and while we are all children or teenagers, while we are at the very start of our life race, we are still in relatively equal positions," says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here.
"For example, we have a classmate from a rich family who will most likely take their own in the long run, but here, in the moment of high school, we can be better in studies or in sports - and no matter how our future life turns out, we'll definitely remember this moment."
"Of course, in an ideal situation, our future life should provide us with opportunities - or we ourselves will create these opportunities, for further memorable triumphs, but sometimes this doesn't happen. Or these triumphs will be, but they will not be as bright as in youth. Simply because we tend to idealize impressions from the distant past," Irina concludes.
#10
Essentially claiming that every guy we had known in high school had either been in love with her, or been her best friend.
Girl, I was with you all the time in high school, and we were next door neighbors. I NEVER saw you spend time with half these guys. I don't know when you would have had time to forge such intimate relationships with them.
The Majestic Opossum 5 months ago (edited)
Maybe that's how she imagines it to make herself feel better about her current romantic situation...
#11
Still trying to keep the chain of popularity.
No one gives a f**k, we're all doing our own thing and getting through the day. The last thing we need is someone saying someone else is a loser for enjoying video games over sport.
#12
This happened like three days ago. Working behind the bar, and guy comes up and sits down and tries making awkward conversation with a couple who were clearly trying to avoid him. He turns his attention to me and starts asking questions. Eventually it lands on if I was born and raised in my city, which high-school i went to, and how old i was.
I kinda combined my answers with "Highschool? You mean 17 years ago? Why does that matter?"
He did the mental math and then started asking me if I went to after-prom in (specific beach town), and if I remember the huge fight he was in between his highschool and mine.
He went on about this fight for about 25 minutes as I was actively trying to find anything else better to do, but unfortunately his story telling cleared anyone sitting at the bar out the door, and i was stuck making drinks for service bar and feigning interest.
By the way, numerous nostalgic trends from representatives of older generations are also based on a similar principle. When we talk about how good and wonderful it was in the past, we are not really nostalgic for the past world, per se. We are actually nostalgic for ourselves in this world.
We're nostalgic for ourselves young, full of strength and hope, for the world that lies before us, where literally all roads are open in any direction. But every time we choose one road or another, we actually cut off all alternative realities from ourselves - and then, with each year we live, we have less and less time to change something.
#13
I worked at a movie theater in High School when the movie Varsity Blues came out. The sheer volume of sad, over weight, balding men who wore their ill-fitting letterman’s jackets to see that movie was honestly depressing even to 16 year-old me.
Kia 5 months ago
I was actually an extra in the stands of that movie, I was also the step-daughter of a real coach who worked at the school they filmed one of the scenes at. We were told by the crew to "act as if we were at a football game" so I climbed to an isoated part of the stands, and read a book....like almost every football game I attended back then. I got away with it.
#14
Still wearing their varsity jacket on Casual Fridays.
#15
Girl who thought she was destined to be a broadway star. She was fair to middling at best. I don't feel bad making fun of her because she was a b***h with a terrible attitude.
She's a hairdresser.
Cindy Brick 5 months ago
Sometimes it happens! I remember watching Amy Adams, then about a high school freshman, in a Country Dinner Playhouse musical, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." She was the youngest of the women, with no extra lines...and yet she was vivid. No surprise when she gained fame in movieland.
Be that as it may, the only thing we can change is actually here and right now. We can change our present, we can influence our future - and this, you must admit, is already a lot. So now please feel free to scroll this list to the end, read the stories here and, if you have had similar moments too - maybe think about what you can do to change this situation for the better?
#16
Constantly talk about this one time that they scored four touchdowns in one game.
#17
When an adult tells a high school student “these are the best years of your life”.
#18
Told me her parent's out earned mine.
We went to a terrible free school in a low socio-economic area.
That's a low bar.
#19
Lol I had a grown dude legit try to start a fight with me because his high school lost to my high school in the district play offs in football. I didn't even play football for my high school.
This guy was like 30 and and I was like mid 20's at the time so it wasn't been like we were in high school at the same time either. .
Sean Kirkwood 5 months ago
Actually, he may have been on his second run through HS when you started your first...
#20
I guy I used to work with often bragged about how an online IQ test said he was a genius. It was some Facebook quiz that was all stuff you learn in high school.
Glen Ellyn 5 months ago
Reminds me of a certain orange thing that aced a cognitive test. "Person, woman, man, camera, TV."
#21
Use the fact that they were miserable then as an excuse to be miserable forever.
#22
Just the “look at me” syndrome. Being loud for recognition. Saying rude or off color things for attention. Specifically the person who goes person to person because they exhaust ones attention and move on to the next.
I say this specifically because I see teenagers and children do this. But adults… much more rare.
#23
Showing up every single day or week after you graduated. Kind of acting like they're some kind of popular guest star that everyone is going to be excited to see.
WalterWhiteSavannah 5 months ago
Showing up to... their old hs? Do people actually do that outside of tv/movies?
#24
Try to fight a pre-teen over the last Pokémon card pack at Target.
SheamusFanFrom1987 5 months ago
Maybe unpopular opinion: I'm not gonna fight some pre-teen over Pokemon cards, though if I had the resources to get that last pack and he/she doesn't, can't say I wouldn't treat myself though...
#25
Still hanging out with high school kids when they're 27. Still manufacturing weird immature drama monthly. .
Dodleshtein 5 months ago
I stopped associating with a girl I've known since Nursery School (pre-K) because of this. When we were in our 20's- she was still inviting UNDERAGE high school kids to her parties. Ew, no thanks. And she would hang all over the. - guys, girls. All creepy AF. Now her cousin became a Pastor and she's Princess Religion now. Double ick.
#26
Showing up to every single sport event. Bro you’re 26, go home💀.
Brian Droste 5 months ago
Maybe he doesn't have anything better to do. Plus maybe he really enjoys sports.
#27
Popular kid from high school who “never knew who I was” is now fat and sad. Saw em in grocery store…motha f***a called my name from the other side of the store…..I said….not me. And that was 5 years ago.
Samantha Ruvika 5 months ago
Uh.. what..? So, you hate someone just because he didn't know you and you called him a motha f***a just because of..that reason..?
#29
I don’t even know if this counts
But a friend of mine recently passed away.
Another friend was with me and some of our high school classmates met up outside the church before the burial. My classmate commented towards my friend how popular he used to be in high school. Said friend got so excited by the compliment that he started denying it was true but getting all giddy about it.
Btw, we were at a funeral. Said friend made everything about himself during the funeral as he always did. It’s been 10 years since we graduated.
Oh- I wanted to add: said friend called my ex partner over at the funeral to stand next to me and proceeded to tell me to grow up and get over it (despite him knowing he was a*****e/posted my personal business online after dumping me).
#30
Chief mean girl got I knocked up and ended up working at BK.
Ginger ninja 3 months ago
Nothing wrong with working in burger king and she might be a good mom despite (I assume) being young when she had her child
#31
Buy a Camaro.
#32
Squatted trucks.
What do you think ?
Lady Eowyn 5 months ago
High school was terrible. I have done so much since then that is so much better and more meaningful. I don't even go to college or grad school reunions. That was so last century. I've moved on.
BrunoVI 5 months ago
Well, there's a girl that lives up the block, back in school, she could turn all the boys' heads. Sometimes on a Friday, I'll stop by and have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed. Her and her husband, Bobby, well they split up I guess it's two years gone by now. We just sit around talking about the old times. She says when she feels like crying, she starts laughing, thinking 'bout old Bruce Springsteen song lyrics.
Miriam Insidecor 5 months ago
I honestly don't know how or why people would think about school so much. I barely remember what school was like and can't even remember most people's names from there. Only people that haven't lived full or eventful lives care about that stuff.
Lady Eowyn 5 months ago
High school was terrible. I have done so much since then that is so much better and more meaningful. I don't even go to college or grad school reunions. That was so last century. I've moved on.
BrunoVI 5 months ago
Well, there's a girl that lives up the block, back in school, she could turn all the boys' heads. Sometimes on a Friday, I'll stop by and have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed. Her and her husband, Bobby, well they split up I guess it's two years gone by now. We just sit around talking about the old times. She says when she feels like crying, she starts laughing, thinking 'bout old Bruce Springsteen song lyrics.
Miriam Insidecor 5 months ago
I honestly don't know how or why people would think about school so much. I barely remember what school was like and can't even remember most people's names from there. Only people that haven't lived full or eventful lives care about that stuff.
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