What was your high school’s bizarre tradition?

Institutional Pressure and Social Warfare

I tried to avoid him but Jason made it impossible. He’d Corner me after class.

Even if I tried to say I wasn’t interested he’d just laugh it off like I was joking. He was treating me like I was already his date.

It was like in his mind I didn’t have a choice. Here’s where it gets even worse.

It wasn’t just Jason pressuring me. The school started getting involved.

One day I got called into the principal’s office. I figured it was about something important maybe a school project or something but nope.

The principal sits me down. In this super serious tone she starts talking about how I should consider going to prom with Jason.

She doesn’t come right out and say it but she basically hints that his family wants to keep Jason happy. This is how they plan to do it.

I knew that she was only saying that so his family could continue paying them off. But I still couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Since when is it my responsibility to make sure some spoiled rich kid has a good prom night? After that meeting with the principal a couple of my teachers started weighing in too.

One day in the middle of class my history teacher made this casual comment. He said it would be such an honor for any girl to go to prom with Jason given how much his family does for the school.

I just sat there in shock. My friends tried to be supportive but they even started to say I should just go with Jason to avoid the drama.

It’s just one night they kept saying. What’s the big deal?

The only people who weren’t thrilled about Jason picking me for prom were the girls in his Circle. They had their own table in the cafeteria dead center where they always sat with perfect posture.

It was like they were posing for some magazine cover. They were the ones who wore custom uniforms somehow managing to skirt the dress code while flaunting their designer handbags and jewelry.

Ever since Jason drafted me they had been shooting me dirty looks every time I passed by. It was subtle at first but as prom got closer their stairs got harder to ignore.

Every day at lunch they’d huddle together at their table whispering and laughing. I’d catch them glancing in my direction.

One of them Tessa had this mean little smirk she’d flash every time our eyes met. It was like she knew something I didn’t.

The second I looked back though they’d all spin around and act like nothing had happened. It was as if their Whispers weren’t just about me.

It was infuriating. I’d sit down at my table and feel their eyes burning into the back of my head knowing they were probably tearing me apart.

Sometimes I’d hear bits and pieces of what they were saying. They didn’t say it to my face of course they’d never do that.

They preferred to make me feel like an outsider like I didn’t belong in Jason’s world. My friends said it didn’t make a difference but it was a big deal to me.

I didn’t want to be forced into going to prom with someone I barely knew. Let alone someone who was treating me like a prize he’d won in some game.

And yet the pressure kept building. It was like the entire school was on Jason’s side and I was the one being difficult for not just going along with it.

Before all of this I’d never been the kind of girl to care too much about how I looked. I wore the same uniform as everyone else a simple plaid skirt white blouse and Blazer.

But for some reason it was like I couldn’t walk down the hall without getting called out. It happened almost daily.

Fix your blouse one teacher would say. They would look at me disapprovingly as if I’d altered my uniform to make it more revealing.

But I hadn’t done anything. It was the same shirt that every other girl in the school wore but when I wore it somehow it was a problem.

One day Mrs Turner who never said a word to any of the other girls pulled me aside as I headed to class. She told me that my skirt was getting a bit short and looked me up and down.

I looked at her confused. My skirt was the exact same length it had been since I started school here.

They made it seem like the way I wore the uniform always broke the dress code even when it was perfectly fine on everyone else. I didn’t try to stand out but somehow I always did.

I don’t want to sound like a pick me when I say this but even at parties it was the same story. I’d step in and suddenly eyes were on me.

I didn’t ask for it but the Whispers would start almost immediately. Guys would nudge each other while girls would size me up the second I walked into the room.

Sometimes I just wanted to disappear. That’s why Jason picking me for prom was the ultimate insult to the girls in his Circle who had been waiting for a chance to get with him.

They hated it. After weeks of pressure from Jason the school and even my parents who didn’t want me to cause any trouble with the school I caved.

I wish I could say I stood up for myself and told Jason to go to prom alone but I didn’t. I gave in.

The school held a special pre-prom event. This was a ceremony dedicated to the biggest donors and the students they were sending off in style.

It was ridiculous but mandatory. The entire gym was decorated with banners and lights as if it were already prom night.

Parents staff and students sat around round tables covered in white linens. The principal stood on stage mic in hand smiling like she was hosting a game show.

As the event neared its end Mrs Hudson’s smile grew wider. And of course we couldn’t have this night without a special thanks to the winters family she said gesturing toward Jason’s parents.

They sat near the front with smug Expressions on their faces. Their generosity knows no bounds and we’re so grateful for all they’ve done for this school she said.

Applause erupted. This was it.

This was the moment it became official. And as you all know Mrs Hudson continued Jason Winters will be attending prom with one of our most exceptional students.

She paused and every head in the room turned toward me. Let’s give them a round of applause everyone clapped their eyes fixed on me.