Enter: High School.
    The First 75% is a pretty quick story... I had 2 groups of Friends... the Teenage Dirtbags who were my Own age, and a few friends who were Older than I was. The Losers and I were all members of the AV Club. Yes, We were THOSE losers. We weren't invited to parties, we didn't go to the prom, and we played D&D (Take THAT Dr. Nussbaum!)
    The Older Friends I had were Pretty Cool. Still are. We still get together when we can.
    My High School was also a Middle School, So when I entered it in 9th Grade, everybody thought I was in 7th. I took A Lot of abuse from Upper Classmen.
    I did NO homework in High School. Didn't feel the need. Still Aced tests. It took me 2 years  to prove to my Algebra/Geometry/Trig Teacher that I wasn't cheating on her tests- I was just doing the work in My head. I think It pissed her off. A Lot.

    Life Lesson #39... In the world of Education, your average teacher doesn't give a shit how much you learn. All they care about is that you Learn it "Their" way. Absorbing information any other way threatens them to their very core. Why else would they penalize a student who can get Excellent Grades on tests without doing the Homework assigned or taking notes??

We're not Lazy- we're just Smarter than you.     Well, Eventually one of the rocket scientists at my High School (a Guidance counselor, no less) figured out that I might actually be... Smart. He proposed That I take Honors Asian Civ in my Junior year. One of the best things that ever happened to me.
    I spent those first 3 years thinking I was going to Be an artist... so I took every art class my school offered, except Photography. I never really considered photography "Art" (I've since changed my tune.) I spent most of my classes during my junior Year filling Notebook after Notebook with Drawings. And I still passed tests.

    Things were very different my senior year, as I had already passed all the classes I needed to graduate except English and Phys-ed. They wouldn't let me show up to school for only 2 classes a day, so I took some Other classes I wouldn't have taken otherwise. Like Psychology and Sociology. And Honors/AP Modern European History. Fun Stuff.
    My Favorite Teacher provided me with my Favorite Saying...
"Those who Can, Do. Those who Can't, Teach. And those who Can't Teach, teach Teachers." It gets more profound the more you ponder it...
    Anyway, because I was no longer in the same classes as all my old AV Club friends, I made some new friends... people who were in some of same classes I was in.... people who did (GASP!) Marijuana. Yup, I can now successfully run for President.
    Yeah, all my memories of After School activities that year consist of RISK, Trivial Pursuit, and a Home Made Submarine-Shaped Bong. Uh, But I never Inhaled... I swear.

    During My senior Year, I wrote "Mike's Book O' Philosophy"... mostly during my classes, haha.

Think high School was pathetic?

It CAN get worse.