Last weekend, Heels on Friday attended her 10 year high school reunion in the flyover state where she spent the first 18 years of her life. The timing of the reunion, coinciding closely with Christmas and New Year’s, offered another chance to measure how far (or not) the past ten years had brought us. But no amount of philosophizing could prepare me for the real deal of slurping chicken wings and cheap beer at the local VFW while reminiscing over the top pop hits of 1998. Armed with only curiousity, these are five people I found at the reunion:

The Crush (Who is Now Gay)
Everybody’s got one. The cute, witty guy or gal you pined over in high school. There was an aura of the unattainable about them. And now we all know why: they are battin’ for the other team. At least there will be one person of the opposite sex you won’t be afraid to get drunk around.

The Family Man
The sight of wedding rings and pictures of children was a bit of a shock to the system, especially after several years in a committment-phobe city like Washington. I got a bear hug from my first boyfriend (in the 5th grade, who won my heart by picking daisies and mailing them to me), now the proud father of a 4-month-old son and married to another classmate. They are adorable, especially the 4-month-old.

The Big Deal
Every class has one or two. It was interesting to see, ten years on, how the old cliques realigned. The preppies clustered together, the band geeks claimed a table in the far corner, and the smart kids, now smart adults, gathered to talk about graduate programs and the cities they are now living in. Some things really don’t change, and I’m not sure if it’s an indication of the Big Man’s charisma, or something in the Class of ‘98, that people are still flocking in his wake. And why I was still gratified to get a hello.

The Ex
Maybe you broke his heart your junior year. Maybe she left you stranded for a date right before prom. Whatever the case, there’s bound to be an encounter with a little blast from the past. But really, compared to all the drama of college and early adult relationships, whatever happened back in the 11th grade is more likely than not pretty lightweight. So take satisfaction in the fact that both of you have satisfactorily moved on. Or if not, nothing better than seizing the moment while you’re both in bouts of nostalgia to see if the home fires are still burning. In my case, not so much.

The Wildcard
Just when I thought I had the reunion and everyone who was there pegged, one of my classmates appeared at my shoulder and said, “Hey, I didn’t get a chance to say hello to you earlier.” Unlike some of the attendees, this guy hadn’t married or put on 80 pounds since graduation. It was unexpected and sweet and made me kick myself for not swapping email addresses. He is, after all, in a band. And if there’s one thing about the Class of ‘98 that is true, it’s that we still have as much potential as we did when we crossed the stage at graduation.