There is only one word to sum up my existence: unique. Never one to follow the flock, I’ve always been a lone wolf, disrupting society’s dull uniformity.

Every day, I wake up and make the conscious choice to take the road less traveled—by the way, that was a poetry reference that only intellectuals like me will understand. You see, I’m not interested in following trends like other students—they’re all just clones of one another. Instead, I thrive in the neverending euphoria that comes with being unique. 

From the moment I step on campus, all eyes are on me. With my orange fedora bobbing around in a sea of denim and plaid pajamas, I never fail to stick out in a crowd. While they’re wearing their “trendy” jackets and wide-legged jeans, I set my own trends with my leather pants and orange fedora to match my statement piece: a custom ‘Ya basic’ tee. 

One time, this girl wearing a plain shirt and jeans approached me and asked where I bought my hat. Of course, in a world where individualism is almost impossible, nothing would convince me to tell her. I try so hard to make sure no one on the planet is exactly like me—from thrifting to scouring the depths of Spotify—so why would I give up my hard work?

Anyway, everyone knows that jeans are the lowest level of fashion. Just because they’ve been trending for the past few decades doesn’t mean they’re even remotely stylish. I only wear jeans to relax in the comfort of my home when no one is watching.

In addition to fashion, I take many precautions to keep myself from being categorized as “basic” even when it comes to my interests. Instead of listening to Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, I listen to underground artists like Guns N’ Roses and Madonna. Instead of wearing makeup like the other girls, I only wear mascara and lipgloss to accentuate my natural features. It’s not like I don’t know how to use makeup, I just prefer to look like myself. 

While my classmates text on generic media platforms like Instagram, I exclusively converse through Discord’s video chat feature so I can see who I’m talking to. Not to judge them, of course, just to rate their basicness visually, oh, and to communicate on a deeper, personal level to ultimately build stronger bonds than any antisocial texting addict will ever know.

But what infuriates me most about these posers is their sudden ‘obsession’ for things despite having no prior interest in them. For instance, now that we’re in high school, obsessing about football games is the new norm. But for me, football has been my life ever since I discovered it at the age of 12. I bet most of these supposed ‘fans’ don’t even know what a field goal is, since I’m practically the only one cheering when the runner makes it to the end of the field. 

You might wonder why I go through so much to stand out when everyone else is trying to fit in. The answer is simple: I’m just being me. I can’t help but stick out like a sore thumb among my peers.  So, I’ll ignore the screams of the critics, because the thrill of being complimented for my uniqueness is much more worth it.