I go to my high school rival school every day and I feel more comfortable and at home there than I ever did at my own school. I have no regrets about it whatsoever. During the first day of my freshman year of high school, I found myself walking the halls of Ravenwood High, The Home of the Raptors. This place was considered the mortal enemy of my main school, Brentwood High. As my introverted self struggled to navigate the never-ending, perpetual hallways I thought, “why did I decide to commit to a year of driving all the way over to this hellhole just for a JROTC class that isn't offered at Brentwood?” After what felt like a millennia I finally found my destination; I walked in and sat down without making a peep. The army instructor (teacher) looked at me, first confused, then happy, and then confused again. My shy, introverted…show more content… The jeering was cut short by the uniquely sounding Ravenwood bell (class started 45 minutes ago). Throughout the week, I realized that this was not a normal class, and I wasn’t a normal student. I met my best friend in the worst way possible. Him and I were the last to volunteer to do pushups for the upcoming cadet challenges. Right before having to do pushups and potentially embarrassing myself in front of the whole class (given my morbid obesity and difficulty with physical exertion), I felt a sense of camaraderie as we both panicked together, knowing that we weren't alone in our prediciment. I was able to find ways to fit in with the other students. Instead of expressing reluctance when I was required to slow dance the waltz with a girl, I chose to embrace the moment and enjoy it. When the class received rank promotion tests, I decided not only to not do well in them, but figure out how to get a rank above all my peers. Sometimes my army instructor would make cadets at random get up and give speeches about arbitrary topics at
