In 8th grade, I wanted more than anything to fit in with a group of people. 7th grade wasn't that bad because I had a really good friend (known as SpeakNoEvil on here). Unfortunately, she is a grade ahead of me, so we weren't going to the same school anymore. I wasn't used to hanging out with people my age...I always get along better with people a few years older than me for some reason.
I did have some friends...and by friends I mean people who only talk to me when I'm in a good mood, or being funny. They didn't really know much about me, or my life, or anything like that. They weren't friends with me. They were friends with who they thought I was. And I hated that. I hated that I had to put on this act everytime I was around them, or have to force myself to be funny otherwise I'd seem awkward and feel left out. Whenever I felt like I was annoying everyone, I'd just hop around from group to group until I found a conversation I could join.
So, I decided to do something about it...and it probably wasn't the right thing. My dad had bought a bunch of things off of this bacon website, including bacon flavored bubblegum. (it's not as good as it sounds)
I snuck the whole pack to school and asked people if they wanted to try some. Soon, it became a game to see how long you could keep the gum that tasted like a decaying whale stomach in your mouth. The funny thing was, when you tore it open, you could feel heat coming out of it...it was gross. SO GROSS.
Anyway, everyone was trying it. Everyone was asking me about it. Soon, everyone in the 8th grade knew about it. In that one moment, people knew about me, they were laughing with me, talking to me...it was wonderful.
And then I ran out of gum. Sure, people still asked me about it and my fifteen minutes of fame dragged on for the rest of the day. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it...The next day, I was still basking in my brief fame, because they still couldn't get that taste out of their mouths.
But by the end of the month, they'd forgotten all about it. No one noticed me as much, and I felt so stupid. I felt like everyone thought I was just seeking attention. In a way, I was. Nothing had changed other than the fact that people thought I was a little too strange.
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The moral of this story is please don't do something weird just to get noticed. Especially if it's not something you normally do. I do a lot of weird things, but that's just who I am. If you do crazy things because you want to and you love doing that, then that's great and keep doing it. If you get noticed because of it, that's a good thing, because people are getting to know you. If you do it just to get noticed, people will be noticing you for the wrong reasons...and while this may be an obvious moral, it isn't obvious when you're caught in the moment. At least, not to me.
oh, and this will probably be the last awkward adventure I share for today...maybe. I'm not sure yet. :P
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The Amazing Adventures of a Socially Awkward Overthinker
Non-FictionThis is a documentation of the amazingly awkward events in my life. Feel free to laugh, relate, or share your own awkward moments if you'd like. I've spent too much time feeling like I was the only one who was really socially awkward, so I'm here t...
