S.O.P (Social Operating Procedure)

I'm not sure if this is the way at other high schools but I am positive that there was a unspoken social operating procedure in the parking lot at Midlothian. As far as the bus went it was that in which we did not speak of, if for some ungodly reason you had to ride the bus in the morning that was semi acceptable in 9th grade and sometimes in extenuating circumstances 10th grade too. God forbid you had to ride the bus in the afternoon in any grade because you just didn't do it, it was unacceptable. Our parking lot was a mad house in the afternoons, you were only allowed to be in 2 rows and ppl raced outside to be one of the first cars in "line" to get out after the buses left. So it goes without saying that if for some horrible reason you had to ride the bus in the afternoon EVERYONE saw you. Now you would think that getting a ride would be no big deal, oh no far from it. If you did not have a car/drivers license or a "steady" ride you had to be on the hunt everyday until you found one. Lunch time was the best time to do this seeing as pretty much everyone was in one space. If one did not find a ride during that time then time was running out. Only 2 short periods and 2 class changes to go, the clock was ticking. It was very important to solidify your ride by or during the last class change. And in extreme cases rarely you could secure a seat during 7th period. It was unthinkable to walk out the door at dismissal unsure of a ride situation, the parking lot was too hectic and too many people. I'm not saying it was impossible, it wasn't that hard, but it was just stressful. You could run to familiar cars make small talk, bum cigarettes and try to bum a ride as well but sometimes it would leave the driver hemming and hawing and it just wasn't kosher. Now lets say you had a ride and your all set, safe and comfortable in (hopefully) the front seat of your friends car. Like a queen on the throne next to the king (driver) with your dr. pepper in your hand your cigarettes in your easily accessible pocket and your backpack at your feet. A comfort like no other sitting there waiting for the buses to leave and watching perched safely on your high horse as some poor flustered sap would run up to the drivers window and plead for a ride, a sense of comfort safety belted in knowing you did your time and you made "arrangements" ahead of time because your responsible. Now lets say your one of the lucky ones to actually have a car with room to spare, a flood of popularity washes over you, people you never thought knew your name were now at your mercy. Now most of the stress is gone, and I say most because being a driver comes with it's own set of rules. Going all the way back to when they would mail your schedule to you you would cringe if you had a class like math or computer as a last period because they were always at the other end of the building so there was no way you would get a good spot in line. There were ways around it, you could give your "steady" (the person who always rides with you) your keys and they would grab a spot in line for you, or you could just succumb and meander to the parking lot and chill in the car or hang out until it cleared up. If you had History, English, drama, PE or foreign language you bolted out the doors and ran to the car and hauled ass to the line not caring about pedestrians, cars or anything but that line and how good a spot you could get because the sooner you get out of that damn parking lot the sooner you can enjoy your much needed after school cigarette. Some people would park along the rows where the lines formed and they were ballsy. These are the people who would meander out everyday and then once the line started moving (that you worked so hard to get a good spot in) they would inch out and get in front of you. THE NERVE! and it was so hard because usually they were cool nice people and you had no choice but to let them in...ugh. But sometimes this well oiled machine would hit snags. Of course there were fights, and put a 16 year old behind a 2000 pound weapon plus high school rage and popularity contests! oh they were amazing. Horns would blast, cars would be hit, accusations screamed out the windows and so much so the riders would join in as well. If you did not follow the exact way things were there were consequences. Friendships would be divided for no other reason but the misinterpretation of the unspoken rules. I had been friends for years with this one girl, we used to play barbies for crying our loud, and it all shattered apart when one day she frantically ran up to my window because she procrastinated during the day I suppose and begged for a ride. I had just gotten my drivers license and refused for fear of losing it because one of my Mother's strict rules had been NO OTHER PPL IN THE CAR WITH YOU. I was not going back to being a rider so I stuck to my guns, if only I had known the consequences of that fateful decision. I was ostracized by her huge group of friends and it lasted for the rest of that year until I guess they forgot/grew the f-bomb up and we were cool again. My friend had gotten into a tiny fender bender in the parking lot with this girl that we had both been friends with for years, and thankfully my friend was in photography and he had a camera so he took pix right away, I'll let him tell the story fully but long story short they started accusing him of all this damage that was impossible for his car to have even done because his bumper was not at that height and it turned into all this drama he said she said and that friendship dissolved fast. The parking lot was a ritual to be followed every day, I don't know if it is still this way or if it was like that before but I do know that the 4 years that I was there that is how it was and you learned it, lived it, loved it. It was a rush and one of the many social arts at Midlothian High School. And it was all worth it when as soon as you passed the teachers but before you were off school grounds you would light up that cigarette like a rebel and you knew (or hoped) that everyone would see you, cuz you're cool and that's a fact. Next Week: Lunch