A couple weeks ago, I was having smoothies with some friends after a hike. While we were there, a girl that I went to  middle school with approached me.

“Hey!” we exchanged pleasantries ‘how have you been?’ and so on. We weren’t best friends or anything, but I liked her well enough. In the process of catching up, she asked me about school. When I said, “Yeah I’m still at Sahuaro” she instantly dropped her gaze.

I am not the epitome of “school spirit”. I’ve been to maybe five football games in four years; I only participate in the spirit week days that interest me. But I still have some sort of pride for the place that I’ve been going for the better part of my teenage years.

“Oh,” they’ll say, remembering the negative things that happened in the past, the newscasts and the hearsay. They don’t mean to be rude; they’re actually concerned for me, Is she happy there? Is it as bad as I’ve heard? And their concern isn’t lost on me, but I feel a little attacked. Sahuaro is like a younger brother.  I can talk bad about him as much as I want, but the minute anyone else does, I’m angry.

So when they drop their gaze, they pace a little, and then politely insinuate that my school is sub-par, I get a little frustrated.

“Do you like it?” they ask. What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I like it, I’m a senior in a centrally located house. Heck, my bestfriend goes to Sabino. I could switch at anytime, but I didn’t. I stayed at Sahuaro.

It’s such a thinly veiled attempt to get me to say bad things about my school that people are always taken aback by how forcefully I respond.

“I LOVE IT!” In reality I’m pretty indifferent. But I’m not about to let them know that. I’m going to be the biggest Sahuaro fan for the sake of that conversation, just because someone would dare to question the school I choose to go to.

In reality the last four years have been great, even through the negative things. Sahuaro is my home.  The students and faculty are warm and inviting and I’ve had the pleasure of doing every extra curricular known to man. I’m sure I could get the same experience at another school, but this one is mine.

So when you ask me if I like my school in a way that really means something along the lines of “Ew, why would you go there?” don’t be shocked when I defend it.