my right of passage : high school

Most cultures have a right of passage, or at least something similar. A right of passage is a ceremony, or a trial structured for you to pass into maturity, or the next stage of life, IF you make it. If you return successful and alive, you gain the respect of the adults, and the right to progress in your life. In some cultures its a "hunt", others its a journey to find yourself, and in the good old US of A? We have high school. A place disguised with the "purpose"of an education. When in reality it is a place to make or break pretenders. Because in high school, we are all pretenders. We all put on our "I really don't care." masks after our clothes and make up in the morning. We walk down the halls, chins up, volume up, masking the fact that we are all scared out of our minds.  Our radars blaring showing us the way to go to escape that crazy ex-girlfriend, that one guy you made out with last week, that best friend that is neither best or a friend anymore. High school is full of tests: mental, emotional, and social, with a backdrop of academics. This right of passage can cause death and defeat, but requires no physical activity. It can make you larger than life if you have the right groupies, the right clothes, and the right strings. It is a great and terrible place for me, high school is my personalized hell constructed for my despair only. So this morning I woke up, and TRIED not to look beautiful for beauties sake, but to give no one reason to pick on me, make fun, or stare. I woke up, got dressed, and headed out the door, displaying a weaker mask then I have had to deal with in a long time. Tomorrow I will wake up, go through my routine, and exist. I will pretend because right now in my life, there is nothing for me, but air and "school".