I did attend dances, some with my closest group of girl friends and others with actual dates. Although I think my favorite date was my BFF Kelly to my Junior Prom. We each got one another a corsage and went dress shopping together. She and I were the modern day Anne & Diana of Anne of Green Gables; bosom buddies, kindred spirits.
Homecoming 1995 with Kyle Meador and reunited at our 15-year reunion
After having to change the reunion location three times, we ended up at Churchill Arms pub in Folsom, home of our Alma Mater. Two bands that were playing that night consisted of members of our graduating class so it seemed like the perfect venue.
When I arrived at the Pub there was only one group of girls from High School that I recognized. They were the girls who had waived pom-poms at football games, and made out with the quarter back behind the bleachers.
I told myself that I was no longer sixteen and was an amazing woman who deserved to breathe the same air as them. I walked over and was greeted warmly and thanked for putting the event on. One of them even hugged me, but she had always been sweet to me even in High School. The others still had a bit of a righteous air about them but they were the only ones there I recognized so I stayed and chatted.
They talked about one of the bands that was going to play, Brown Shoe and one of its members, Aaron Baggley, whom we graduated with. The band has done well--has two records and is comprised of four brothers who were blessed with the beauty gene. Aaron was the guy that all the girls wanted in high school. He had and still has, boyishly handsome good looks and a smile that makes any girl go a little weak in the knees. We had reconnected at the ten-year reunion and he had shown a genuine interest in the fact that I was a foster parent.
As the ladies all talked about Aaron and the level of crushes they had on him in high school, Aaron appeared right in front of us. His eyes got big as he said, "Erica! How have you been?!" and hugged me. We chatted for a minute before one of the ladies tried to talk to him. He was polite and answered her question before turning back to me to say he sees the photos of my daughter on Facebook and how adorable she is. After he left the girl next to me hit me in the arm as the rest of them picked their jaws up off the floor.
Cheerleaders 0 Erica 1
It's not like I'm keeping score, but it sort of felt like something you'd see in a movie, and it sure felt good.
Brown Shoe Band--Aaron Baggley second from left
More old friends appeared throughout the night and I ended up reconnecting with a lot of my really good ones, and building deeper friendships with people that I only knew as acquaintances. For the most part, a lot of the people were still the same, most had gotten married and several had children.
If I could go back and do high school over I would not change much--I had a lot of different friends and lots of fun while also getting to experience the embarrassing moments that we all have to suffer through as a high school rite of passage. I wasn't afraid to try out for plays or teams or join clubs, and I hope my daughter feels the same way when she's in high school.
If I could go back and talk to myself, I would say, make sure you enjoy the people in your life while they are there, realize that girls hold power over teenage boys, and not to worry about Windy, she ends up pregnant and working at Old Navy.
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