Pink Cereal and Raspberries

I am so glad that I've always been smart, rather than popular. I know someone who is currently experiencing high school from the "popular" perspective, and it's very interesting to observe from the outside. She talks about people who study until 2 a.m. and says, "I mean...GET A LIFE." She also says that she doesn't have time to fill out applications for scholarships. So, how is she going to pay for college? Well..she'll just go to the JC. Some people may not have the brains or the money to get into a really good 4 year school...but state schools provide an excellent education at a lower cost. Did she think of this? No. As a matter of fact, she doesn't even know the date of her high school graduation, much less the due date for her community college paperwork. It's sad, really, to watch someone who used to be REALLY smart go from that to someone who's ashamed of B's, to someone who can say with acceptance, and even a bit of pride, that she "doesn't have the grades" to get into UC Santa Barbara. How can you not have time to work on your future? To plan how to escape small-town monatony? How can you care so little about yourself? I guess it just takes time..but after all those lonely weekends in high school, wishing I had more friends to hang out with and a few boys to like me, I'm glad that I spent hours on my homework and experienced the joy of true friendship, instead.