High School Reunion Blog

I was so excited to see Octavia arrive and could tell by the entrance she made that we were in for some fun! I was good friends with her most of my senior year (we hung out and partied a bit), but seeing her pop out of the car was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.  

The night before, another close friend of mine, Renee, had arrived at the house. Renee and I were great friends all throughout high school. I had no idea that these two arrivals were connected or that there was a past between Renee and Octavia, but having the two of them in the house was sure to be a huge pick-me-up from the rough few days we’d had earlier. 

Apparently, Renee and Octavia had a "friendly" rivalry in high school. I think they were definitely pals, but often wanted the same thing. They competed in cheerleading and over boys, each chalking up victories. The idea of a "cheer-off" was a fun way for the two to settle things once and for all. Being in the middle of this drama wasn’t something any of us minded, because we all could sense that there really wasn’t any bad blood or hatred between the two of them. We knew the competition would be harmless and fun (unlike some of the other drama we would soon find ourselves smack dab in the middle of). 

It was interesting for me to see the way teams were divided: Renee picked former Chandler cheerleaders Kara and Jenny, along with Maricela (who had said that it had always been a dream of hers to participate in cheer) and Liz (who at one time felt excluded by the cheerleaders). I don’t think that every high-school girl necessarily wants to be a cheerleader, but I do think everyone wants to be part of something that makes them feel like they belong. Cheerleading provides that tight-knit feeling, and I think sometimes girls feel like they’re on the outside looking in. It was really neat, even it was for just one day, that Liz and Maricela got to be part of something they maybe missed out on in high school.

Octavia chose Heather and Shalonda (who both cheered together in junior high, but not in high school), Lynette (whom she knew from dance, but didn’t cheer) and Jessica (whom she didn’t know at all). Jessica’s body language while Octavia and Renee picked teams was consistent with her words that followed: She wasn’t interested in being part of the cheer-off. A few of us tried to persuade her to be part of the event, but we were unsuccessful.  

Scott W. and I came outside to tell the girls that they would be a person short, and as we were relaying the news, I could see Octavia’s wheels turning. I KNEW she was going to ask me to join “the squad” and found myself wishing that Scott would have brought the news to them himself. I had fun in high school goofing around and being silly when we dressed up as cheerleaders, but I think I’m a little more reserved now that I’m older (and knowing that my goofiness is going to be seen on TV by everyone I know!). Acting silly isn’t something that I can do on cue.

And most of all, I didn’t want to *&^%$# up or lose it for the team. Fifteen guys acting crazy in cheerleader costumes for a laugh is one thing -- actually being coordinated and choreographed is completely different. (Side note: After 14 years of teaching and school dances, I still can’t do the Electric Slide). As reluctant as I was, I wasn’t going to say no to Octavia (or Shalonda and Heather, who cheered for my junior high football team). Fortunately, Octavia and the girls were filled with great ideas and kept my part fairly simple. 

I felt like many of us made an effort over the first week of the reunion trying to make Jessica feel included and part of the group, but my perception was that she wasn’t interested in forming new friendships. I imagine that it must have been harder for her than anyone, knowing so few people, but I didn’t really see her making the effort to get to know many of us up to this point. She mentioned repeatedly about wanting to be there to reconnect with Maricela and it seemed that she felt neglected by her.  

I respected Jessica’s decision not to participate at the time, but to hear her put the other girls down and criticize them was unkind and uncalled for. I wonder if her dislike for the cheer-off was really about her building resentment towards Maricela. Seeing her have such a great time being part of this, accepted by the group and fulfilling a dream of being a cheerleader was adding more fuel to what appeared to be more of a rivalry than a friendship to me.  

My perception -- and I could be totally wrong here -- was that something wasn’t quite right between Maricela and Jessica from the get-go. They might have been best friends back in high school, but to me it didn’t seem like they acted like that now. A lot can happen over the course of 20 years: People change and grow apart. Jessica seemed jealous of the attention Maricela was receiving, especially since she felt that she was being fake to get that attention. A true friend also doesn’t threaten to spill a secret like the one Jessica accused Maricela of keeping. It wasn’t just that she shared it; it’s that she repeatedly threatened to share it.

Once "the secret" was out, accusations came flying from both sides attacking each other’s character. I don’t know and am not sure I really care who’s telling the truth; the incident between the two of them is sad and something that I’m not proud to be around or associated with. I feel like it reflects poorly on the class of ‘88 and Chandler High School. I feel like Maricela did her best to avoid this confrontation with Jessica, but to be fair to Jessica, if what she’s saying is true, I can see how she might feel betrayed. 

All we can do is try to decipher this situation based on what we’ve seen and know of these two people over the course of the week in Kauai. Have Maricela’s behavior and actions resembled what she’s been accused of? Have Jessica’s actions and words caused me to believe what Maricela has said about her is true? Regardless, if Jessica had issues like this and resentment toward Maricela that had been building for whatever reason, I wish she should have resolved it privately after the reunion -- instead of putting us all in the middle of their mess.

Unfortunately, when you’re sharing a house with 17 other people, it’s really hard to hide your drama and solve your issues privately.