Remember those gods and goddesses who walked the hallowed halls of our alma mater? Yung tipong pag dumaan, parang may slow-mo effect tapos biglang tumutugtog yung theme song ng Meteor Garden? ✨
They wouldn’t be caught dead talking to us mere mortals. We were the “after-recess-na-walang-baon” to their “sosyal-lunchbox-with-matching-fruit-salad” crowd. 🍎😩
But time, my friends, is a funny thing. It has a way of turning those perfectly-ironed uniforms into…well, let’s just say “life” happened.
The Great High School Reunion: Where Expectations Meet Reality
Fast forward to our recent high school reunion, and let me tell you, it was like a live episode of “Where Are They Now?” – but with extra rice and a side of “luh, siya na ba yan?!” 🍚
Gone were the perfectly-coiffed hair and the faces that could launch a thousand ships (or at least a thousand text messages). In their place? Let’s just say the air was thick with the scent of nostalgia, slightly-too-strong perfume, and, dare I say, a hint of…mothballs?
Exhibit A: The Heartthrob
Remember him? The basketball captain with the killer smile and the ability to make your heart skip a beat (or twelve) with just a single glance? Yung tipong mapapa-practice ka ng “Hi crush” sa harap ng electric fan? 💨
Well, let’s just say he traded in his jersey for a slightly-too-tight polo shirt. And the basketball? Definitely traded for a basketball-shaped belly. 🏀➡️🤰
Exhibit B: The Campus Queen Bee
And who could forget the queen bee herself? Her perfectly manicured nails and designer bags were the stuff of legends. She wouldn’t be caught dead without her entourage, giggling at inside jokes we weren’t cool enough to understand. 💅👑
Fast forward to the reunion, and she’s still holding court…but this time, it’s over a steaming pot of kare-kare at her family’s carinderia. Don’t get me wrong, her kare-kare is the bomb-dot-com! 💣 But it’s definitely a different kind of reign than we imagined.
The Shocking Truth: They’re Just Like Us!
But here’s the thing – as the initial shock wore off (along with the faint scent of Salonpas), something amazing happened.
We started talking.
Not just small talk about the traffic or the latest teleserye, but real, honest-to-goodness conversations. Conversations about life, love, and the struggles of adulting.
And guess what? They were just as awkward, insecure, and trying-to-figure-it-all-out as the rest of us! 🤯
Life After High School: It Ain’t a Teen Movie (More Like a Dramedy, tbh)
It turns out, life doesn’t always hand you a fairytale ending just because you peaked in high school. (And thank goodness for that, because my high school yearbook photo is a crime against humanity. 💀)
Some of our former crushes had become successful entrepreneurs, while others were busy raising adorable mini-me’s (who, let’s be honest, were probably way cooler than their parents ever were). 👶
Some were still searching for their passion, while others had embraced the comfort of a stable 9-to-5 (or, let’s be real, 8-to-7) job.
The Takeaway: It’s Okay Not to Peak in High School (Thank God!)
The reunion was a much-needed reminder that life isn’t a competition. It’s a journey. And it’s okay to stumble, to fall, and to rewrite your story along the way.
Those “perfect” high school crushes? They were just playing characters in the grand play we call adolescence. 🎭
The real magic happens when we shed those labels, embrace the beautiful messiness of life, and connect with each other on a deeper level.
So, the next time you’re feeling nostalgic for those seemingly carefree high school days, remember this: life is full of surprises. And sometimes, the biggest plot twist is realizing that the “losers” end up winning in the game of life. 😉
P.S. To my high school crush who’s probably reading this while eating instant noodles in your pajamas, just know that… I still remember that time you accidentally called me by your yaya’s name. 😅 Just kidding! (Or am I? 😏)