High School: Following the Stereotype

I've read about high school for what feels like all my life. Many books have shown a few recurring themes: love, popularity, extracurricular activities, and a lot of homework. Now that I am actually going into high school, I realize how the suspense might come to nothing after all - those books do show a sort of stereotype of high school (except the homework. I know better than to think THAT might be misguided). I mean, really - who has a cafeteria with food you can actually buy anymore?

I've composed a list of themes I vaguely expect from high school, and whether or not I think they'll be fulfilled.

1. To make friends. All my childhood friends have drifted away now, and there's nothing I can do to challenge distance and time. I'll be at this school for 4 years - the longest I've ever been at any one school. I hope to find a true friend or two, a circle if I'm really lucky, that will stick around for the years.

2. Romance. The requited kind seems to happen at least once to everyone . . . right? Somehow I can't picture it happening to me. Whenever I pictured myself in high school, when I was little, I guess I sort of thought of myself as this mature, stylish, independent Twist. The thing is, I still feel like me. It's one thing to read about romance from a first-person perspective, but entirely different (probably) in the real world. Romance has never, ever happened to me before, and all the secondhand experience I have from reading so many books might actually be counter-productive.
You know why? All the kinds of romance, what happened and what the characters did (not to mention what worked for them might not work for me) - all the different cases are like shouting, conflicting voices in my head as to what romance might really be like, if it ever does happen to me.
Basically: I have no idea, and every idea, of what to expect of possibly romance.

3. Homework. Of this I have no doubt. I picked up my procrastinator slack a lot this year and I'll have to renew my efforts double-time, if the stories told by books, high school seminars and my mother are any indication.

4. Some measure of popularity and cliques. I think that this is just irrational high school prejudice. I've specifically heard from a student that there are no cliques or popularity pyramids in the school I'm going to, which should be a relief, but I'll believe it when I see it!

5. Some measure of peer pressure when it comes to a) alcohol, b) nicotine. *shudders* I'm pretty sure I have good defences, but you can never be too careful.

6. Extracurricular activities. The school I'm going to is supposed to have a debate club, which I plan to join in a heartbeat . . . if it's there. I went on the school website and searched but saw no mention of a debate club. Who knows? Extracurriculars should also be friend-making opportunities. So we'll see about that.

So you see, I'm enjoying summertime, but there's something to be said for social interaction with people my own age. Maybe I'm still feeling warm and fuzzy from the amazing people at Camp PEAK. But a month is a long time, and I've already had a taste of summer. When school rolls around I'm not going to protest. Starting at a new school is always thrilling, but this? The one thing I know to expect is that high school is in a different league than what I've experienced so far.