I've been out of public school now for almost 10 years. Which is astounding when I stop to really think about it.

Back when I was in school I wasn't a very popular kid. No, really. In fact I was decidedly unpopular. I'm not sure exactly how I happened to fall under that unpopular umbrella. I was always unpopular for as long as I can recall. I mean I had friends but there's a large gap between having some friends and being 'popular'.

I switched schools in between 4th and 5th grade because I was enrolled in the GATE (gifted) program. So then not only was I in an unpopular program (we were hated by the 'normal' kids in the school) but I was pretty unpopular within the program as well. Again I'm not entirely sure why. I'm sure at the time it was pretty obvious but looking back I don't remember having any really particular behaviors or anything that would predispose me to unpopularity.

In Jr.High I was in a group. I think being in a group was necessary for survival. Our group was an odd assortment of gals. Me, Leanne, Roseann, Lori, and Sara. We did strange things. We made up a whole written language we would use to pass notes. We would Jitterbug outside at luchtime and we held hands in the hallways. We turned the top square sections of our lockers into houses for little stuffed rabbits who had names, personalities and very dramatic lives. Ok now I can kinda see why we were pretty unpopular. ;-) But still it's no excuse for the band of popular kids to circle around and throw rocks. Which they did and when we complained to the administrators we were told to ignore them and not incite them... Apparently our mere existence was reason enough to drive them to violence.

In 8th grade (if I remember correctly) there was a new girl. Who's name I won't disclose. She immediately fell in with the in crowd. And she was the biggest bitch in the 8th grade. Biggest only in bitchiness because in stature she was the smallest 8th grader ever.

She picked on us endlessly and we hated her. We would sing "Little Woman, walking down the street, little woman the kind you hate to meet..." in her honor. Never to her face, mind you.

Once we were in Highschool things got better. I think we all grew up a bit and the pecking order was firmly established. No one felt the need to throw rocks anymore and we were allowed for the most part to just do our thing. 'Little Woman was in my Seminary class one year and I think she may have even apologized in tears to 'anyone I was ever mean to when I first moved here'. Perhaps that should have smoothed everything out but I still hated her.

Today at Winco I ran into her for the first time since graduation. I recognized her from the side but didn't say anything. She saw me and recognized me. She asked me if I was Katie and if I went to Richland. I said yes and played nice. We talked a little and introduced our kids. She had a cartload. Three were hers and one was a friend. Her oldest couldn't have been more than 4.

After we first bumped into each other I ran into her 2 more times before I left the store. She was nice and she must have grown at some point because she was no where near as tiny as I remember her being. Her children were itty bitty though. Tiny little thin, blond, pale kids.

And I will admit to feeling satisfied that my kids are WAY cuter than hers! ;-)