Popularity and Unpopularity

You hear all those stories of cliques and the popular people. There’s a group of them in almost every school. And then of course, there’s everyone else. Everyone else would usually fit into two basic categories: the ones who completely hate them, and the ones who would do absolutely anything to be a part of them. Luckily, that doesn’t happen all the time. When you are everyone else, there’s no median or go-between within the groups. When you happen to be a hater, you are disliked as well.

It’s simple, and the whole “You don’t like me? I don’t like you” makes for good drama. And when you’re a worshiper — well, you are hated, too. There is something about the stalking and strange obsessions that turn the “in-crowd” to hatred.

Almost every teenager has been the victim and the predator — the one who taunts and the one who is humiliated. It can’t be helped. But as for those who are different, they must somehow have to be punished, because that is the society of high school. And those who befriend the different, and are different themselves, are lower than the low in the eyes of judgmental teenagers.

And the social ladder is a frustrating thing. The popular students control the student body — or at least they try to, because some of the students have had it with being mean to others. Instead, they try being both popular and nice at the same time.

However, it’s not always like that. The ones below the popularity circle listen — listen and nothing else.

What are your thoughts on popularity and being popular?

Full House: Is It True about Stephanie

Stephanie’s classmate Jamie, who plays guitar with some friends in a band called Human Pudding, asks Steph to go on a date with him to The Smash Club, and Stephanie excitedly agrees. Stephanie’s rival, Gia Mahan, is not exactly as excited about it as Stephanie is. It turns out that Gia likes Jamie too, and she is not about to let Stephanie have him that easily. 

Gia comes over to the house and warns Stephanie to break the date, or she will make her life miserable. However, Steph stands her ground and refuses to break the date. Little does Stephanie know how dirty Gia is willing to play to get him. 

On the next day, in order to make Jamie cancel his date with Stephanie, Gia spreads a false rumor at school that Stephanie wouldn’t get any dates unless she paid guys to date her, and even put a sign with the words “Date Stephanie, earn big bucks” on Stephanie’s locker.

Jamie, who has been getting ragged on because of the rumor, asks Stephanie who started it, and she says, “Gia. She said if we didn’t call off our date, she’d make my life miserable.” Jamie thinks that maybe it is a good idea to break the date, because he does not want to get ragged on anymore. Stephanie is hurt by that.

The next day, with the help of her friend Mickey, Stephanie gets even with Gia by hanging up a blow-up of Gia’s failing report card in the hallway. Jamie apologizes to Stephanie for the events of the previous day, and tells her that he is not about to let Gia run his life. Jamie says that if it is okay with Stephanie, the date can be back on, and she likes that. Stephanie shows him what she did to Gia, and Jamie says that she had it coming. Gia comes in and sees what happened, and, after angrily yanking the blow-up off the wall, goes straight to her locker. Stephanie walks up to Gia, who has her face buried in her locker, and says, “So, Gia, I guess we’re even.” Gia turns around, and Stephanie sees the tears on her face.

Stephanie then feels guilty. At The Smash Club that night, after a talk with Jesse about the situation, Stephanie sees Gia. Stephanie and Gia talk, and they finally become friends (while also learning that seeking revenge isn’t exactly sweet at all). Gia then tells Stephanie that she can have Jamie, as Gia now has eyes for the drummer of Human Pudding.

Meanwhile, Danny is having problems adjusting to life without Vicky, and it is pretty much affecting the whole household.