Nostalgia

Back in I was a good kid that got pretty decent grades, was on a couple of academic teams, was on the high school newspaper.  I was a geek, nerd, dweeb, dork.  I was pretty much a negative on the social strata.  And I didn't care.  I always thought I was awesome and I didn't care if anyone else thought that or not. 

A party to me and my friends were getting together, playing Risk, watching Monty Python, singing karaoke to They Might Be Giants, playing Nintendo 64, and drinking far too much Mountain Dew.  Honestly, I'm surprised my teeth didn't have more cavities than they did.  My friend Matt had a fridge full of pop and between that and the pizza that was consumed?  I'm honestly surprised I didn't balloon up earlier in life.  I'm working to get it off now (50 pounds down, thank you very much).  This story isn't about that, though.  THIS story is actually a story about a series of stories.  Confused yet?  Well, just keep reading, my lovelies.  This may get a bit, what is it that the kids are saying these days? Cringe? If only I had known it back then. 

Recently, my friend Cassie dug up a bunch of old stories that I had written about our "lunch bunch."  I called our group of rag-tag (HAHAHAHA!) individuals the Anonymous Squad.  The A-Squad.  We sat together at lunch (hence "lunch bunch").  It was the table closest to the auditorium and the exit of the cafeteria.  For some reason, I thought it was really cool that our table was so close to the payphones. I felt like, in a way, we controlled those phones.  

It was me, Casey (yep, MY Casey), my best friend Mickie (with whom I had written a Young Riders Pony Express fan fic script with), Kimberly (who I had known since 6th grade), Cassie, Matt, Joe (who later became "Cheezlog"), Joey, the Cockey twins.  The Cockey's weren't cocky.  I thought they were just assholes and that happened to be their last name.  Occasionally we would be "graced" by one person in particular that we shall not name because ew, I don't want to go there.  Adam bounced in and out of our group.  He was "Superman."  He was the "bad boy."  I honestly don't remember too much more about him other than my first "french" kiss was with him.  

Our junior year of high school we added a few members to our group - younger siblings Melanie, Mike ("Apeface" who wasn't an apeface at all and I always thought he was quite adorable even if he could clear out a room faster than someone yelling fire). I met Brenda, whom everyone called "Freshman Me." I never saw it, but I loved Brenda dearly (still do to this day!).  

The core group - Me, Casey, Mickie, Kim, Cassie, Matt and sometimes Cheezlog?  Yeah...  These people.  They were my tribe.  These were the people I wanted to spend more time with than anyone else in the world.  I was an only child and they became siblings.  Well, with the exception of Casey.  We all see how that turned out (I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that I called that shit back when I was 15.). 

The whole thing apparently started as a joke. I didn't learn this until much much later and I never took it as a joke.  I took it as just this fun thing to do.  Think like: "Oh, we're doing this now? Cool!  Hold my Mountain Dew!"  

We created a world of self-inserted fan fiction before fan fic was a thing.  I wrote stories and I lived in this world.  I made all of us live in this world.  I would write them and print out multiple copies, taking it to school for my friends to read.    

This fan fic? Star Trek-based.  But Star Trek meets Monty Python with a level of absurdity that I really think Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett would be supremely proud of if they read it.  I say that, but I also believe that Douglas Adams may liken my writing to that of Vogon Poetry and the people would scream "MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" as it was recited.  

Yeahhhhhh....

Every few days/weeks/months I would crank out a new story, featuring our group of friends, on an adventure, in their space ship, led by me - the Captain (I even had dog tags made, y'all.  I'm not even kidding.  They've got to be floating around out there somewhere.).  With my best friend Mickie by my side, we fought the Static Clingons, Eastons, whatever I decided that I wanted to fight at that particular time.  We would save Prince Yesac (Casey spelled backwards - yeah.) from whatever doom would befall his person or planet all while not getting grounded and finishing up our homework!  

And wait until you get to the "Cheezlog" bits.  I'm so sorry, Joe, if you're out there and reading this.  You will forever be known as Cheezlog.

Along with all the stories, Cassie sent along pictures, too.  They arrived yesterday and both Casey and I have been loving looking through stuff.   I'm going to be posting some over the next few days.  I'm also going to start typing in the stories, maybe making a few changes here and there.  I figured it might be hilariously fun to share these.    In the next post?  I'll post the story where I laughed so hard in some spots that I actually had to run to the bathroom just so I wouldn't piss my pants.  Seriously.  

As I read the stories, the number one thing I thought was: "What 15/16 year old writes like this?!"  My second thought?  I really really really love 15/16 year old me.  I had a lot of fun.  I miss that kid.  She kinda went away a while ago.  I saw her a while ago, she waved from the swing set that I, she, we had launched myself from many many times, just before I left Indiana after my Mom's funeral. 

I don't know what my goal was with the stories.  I was just having fun.  I would write because we had a computer and I was bored.  I wrote because it was an escape and I enjoyed my little world.  It didn't matter if I was grounded for the millionth time for sneaking off to the comic book shop or ordering a pizza and having it delivered to my bedroom window.  I would sit down at the computer, open up Microsoft Word, and escape into the world of my own making.  

I don't know who actually started it? I think it was Matt and Cassie? It took me a while to figure out that "Yesac" was Casey spelled backwards.   I was smart but I lacked the ability to see things right in front of my face.  When it clicked though, EVERYTHING was backwards.  

Okay, folks, I think I've bored you enough with the backstory.  The next post is going to be one of the actual stories that I wrote when I was 15 or 16.   For now, I leave you with a pic of little goth Jess.   Seriously.  I thought I was kinda goth? Emo? I loved black. I was a ray of sunshine personality wise, but I loved wearing black.

Oh, and those are the "A-Squad" dog tags I'm wearing around my neck.  Not even kidding.  Told ya I was a dork.