Writer's Workshop- Cool Crowd

This week at Mama Kat's Writer Workshop I am picking just one prompt.
How fitting that it is #1.
1.) The popular girls.

I'm not sure who decides who is popular and who isn't?

You go to school and when you're little everyone is friends. You don't choose who is in your class but the same kind of kids generally hang together. You make friends with kids who have the same interests as you. Then you move onto middle school in my case and it gets different. Several schools merged together and the lines get drawn without much choice. There are several popular groups in the school. You have your cheerleader type, your preppy types with money, the snobby type and the government SGA type. I however was not in any of their groups and was pretty much envious of what they had and who they hung out with.
When you're not popular you copy them. You buy the same clothes, try to act the same way and swoon over the popular boys. You hope that maybe they'll notice you and that if you date one of them that you'll get into their group. But sadly, middle school was not my chance and we moved onto high school.
High school was pretty rough my freshman year. I was trying to find myself and meet new friends and met some pretty cool people. I was friends with a twin who shares my birthday. Now for some reason, twins are always automatically popular. Don't ask me why. But every twin at my school was. So I became well known to other people by having my twin friend, but it in no way gets you the popular card.
It's disheartening though when you're not in the "cool crowd". They are the same faces you see int the yearbook pages. The same faces who get picked for Student Government. The same faces that are picked for Homecoming Court. The same people that get into Social Community Groups. By the time you reach your senior year and they play videos of photos from your four years in school, the "cool" people are the ones splattered all over the slideshow. And of course, every one "oohs and ahhs" over them.
Yes, I was jealous. I love the movie Never Been Kissed with Drew Barrymore because that is exactly how life is or was for me too. Now I was no Josie Grossy but I was the wallflower. The shy girl. But I was very outgoing in high school. What gives? I can gladly say now that I'm glad high school is over and my true friends from then are still in my life. I have a great life and hope to teach my children that it's not important if you're popular or not.
If I knew then what I know now about the crap that those popular people had to deal with I might have given it a second thought about wanting to be a part of their crowd. They dealt with drug issues, drinking, sex parties, rumors, back stabbing, viciousness and bad lifestyles. They might have looked perfect but they were far from it. It was all an illusion.
Some of them have gone on to do great things and are still popular and beautiful amongst themselves but good for them. I'm happy where I am. I am surrounded by people that I love. I'm glad I got there.