YA Outside the Lines

The topic this month is high school (not exactly the highlight of my life). But I made it, and here are 25 random-ish, stream-of-conscious-y memories that still sit with me (for whatever that's worth): 1.       Attending a private Catholic high school and realizing for the first time how poor our family really was. Like, I knew we were poor, but I was able to truly see it by going to school outside my “bubble.” 2.       Working full-time freshman year, trying to save up for college, feeling guilty my mom was working 70 hours/week to keep me there.  3.       Getting straight Ds freshman year because I was working too much and ill-prepared for the rigor. 4.       Constantly staying after school for extra help, trying fill-in gaps for stuff I should’ve known. 5.       Recurring nightmares about forgetting my locker combination. 6.       Wanting desperately to be a writer, but feeling I wasn’t smart enough, talented enough, from the right circumstances (my reason for later attending bu