"It's you being a self-centered bitch. Like the world revolves around you, like it always is."It's nice to hear this from someone you thought was your friend. Of course, pardon my use of a swear word, but it was heavily implied, so I felt the need to include it. I'm not denying it, but it was still a mean thing to say.
Of course, this is my classmate I'm talking about. It's not unusual for her to say things like this. But it still doesn't negate the hurt. It has to do with a project we're doing. A scavenger hunt across Chicago, in fact. We have to take pictures for geographical places in Chicago ("Insull's Throne" - Civic Opera House, "a bridge the Dark Knight traversed" - on Michigan Ave., etc.). Our group had been walking around downtown for about four hours, which is a lot of walking. We have to take ten pictures in total, and we had three left, all on the southside. I was two miles away from home (again, lots of walking) but I was willing to walk than to take public transportation. Could you say I'm lazy? Walking versus sitting on the train? Maybe not. The project stated that all members of the group have to be in 7 of the 10 photos. I had already fulfilled this requirement. We stopped at the Art Museum, and I said to everybody: "Hey, regardless of where we go, we'll have to take the public transportation. Since I'm within walking distance, I think I'm going to leave." And here we cue in the accusations of my classmate for being lazy, and followed by looks of condescension ("OH, Julie"). They were weird faces; I don't know how to describe them.
So today in class they told me to make the entire Powerpoint presentation. Um, great! Just 'cause I didn't go with them to take three pictures, I deserve to have a whole pile of work. I'm the one here with two AP classes. Self-centered-ness? Fine, I'll make up for my "laziness" and make the presentation. In the words of my classmate, "SO WHAT? It's not that much work anyways." But then they tell me that I have to be the one to take the presentation to the teacher early in the morning in class. Here's my injustice speaking, not my self-centered-ness. Of me, my classmate, and another one of my group members, the other two group members hardly contributed anything more than what they were required to do. Sure, I'm the one making the presentation, but all of us get to school late. So why do I, again, have to be the one who puts in more effort than the other two group members, and gets the same grade? How am I being self-centered if I'm putting more effort into this project than some of the other group members? Am I making a big deal? Sure, why not. But it's the same concept as having your Chemistry homework copied off by a classmate who has 101.3% in that class as number 1, while you rank number 4. It's such a great feeling.
Julie
