Any Advice?

[Shadow flame master]

So here's the deal; I'm a 17 year old male in my senior year of high school, and apparently, I'm going to shoot up the school.

Let that sink in for a bit. Done? Moving on.

I'm not a social butterfly, and I have a short fuse when dealing with people, so I tend to be stand-offish and quiet around people I'm not comfortable with. Also, I have this ability to attract people to 'test' me. I say 'test' because ever since middle school, people have been testing with me to see what I would do. This, in turn, causes me to become aggressive toward them which also, for some reason, scares them, Yet they kept doing this until some time during my junior year.

During this time with me getting annoyed and aggressive with pretty much everyone, I pretty much gained a reputation for it. Guess what it was. If you guessed "The boy who's gonna shot up the school" then you're correct sirs/madams. What's even worse is that people even joke about it and even tell me to tell them when I finally snap and decide to kill everyone so that they can live! Even with my attitude being mellowed out since tenth grade this still happens.

So I'm here to ask you fellow escapists: What can I do to not look or act like someone who would shoot up any schools? Do I have to be more active with my fellow students even though I don't like most of them? Should I get in a relationship even I don't want to? Do I have to be nicer to people when I know most of them could care less?

 

[The Funslinger]

I'd play along a little with the jokes.

I live in rural Yorkshire, UK (therefore, it's viable for me to possess a shotgun, which I do) and attend college in a more urban area, where firearm possession is unheard of. When people found out, I put up with a few weeks of jokes.

In any case, it won't kill you to be polite, and relationships can be fun. I'm sure there will be someone with common interests to you. It's especially that bottom paragraph that gets me. If you're going to try so hard to take an antisocial stance, then that's the assumption people will make.

The way I choose to look at it, if you're polite to everyone, you very well stand to gain friends. If someone's an arse despite your gentlemanly ways, you at least walk away with the moral high ground.

Edit: in my case, I'm happy and fairly popular at college. I feel like I'd be much less popular if I'd let their "school shooting" jokes bother me. In any case, they're certainly people I enjoy talking to, despite a lot of them being people I wouldn't naturally home in on as friends. In any case, they were certainly had my back when I was dumped by my girlfriend who had kissed another guy.

 

[requisitename]

When I was bullied in junior high and high school, I played along with the joke. That might not work out too well for you, though, because any "confirmation" of your "plans" could land you in a world of trouble.

But, since you're in the U.S... and it's mid-March. School should be over at what? The end of May? 2 1/2 months? I'd say suck it up and deal with it for another two and a half months, then tell them all to fuck off and go on with your life. You've already lived with it for over three years. I don't suspect another couple of months will do any more harm.

Plus, being nice doesn't cost a thing. You don't have to like the people you're nice to. And, as Binnysboy says, if you're polite and other people are still assholes, you've got the moral high ground.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

They "test" you because you react. The only reason they do it is because you get worked up and angry over some petty nonsense, and it's amusing to watch. Stop reacting, and people will stop teasing you. Honestly it is as simple as that.

Also, just in general try to be polite to people. Say hello when you see your classmates in the corridor, smile, crack jokes (puns, puns always work, and it will give you an air of innocence) You don't have to make real close friends with everyone, but just be approachable and nice towards others.

That's it. Be polite, and don't react. It's probably as simple as that.

 

[Suicidejim]

Back in High School, I used to draw stick figures committing suicide in a variety of ways (think 'The Bunny Suicides' books, but with less cuteness involved). For the sake of making them mildly more humorous for my peers, I decided to name them after teachers.

Big mistake.

Basically, one girl ratted me out to teachers, they decided I was a sick psychopath, and I spent the next few weeks having lunchtime therapy sessions until I convinced my therapist that there was nothing wrong with me. At which point the whole school already knew and most of them (aside from my various friends) decided that I was now the school psycho. I couldn't really do much to fix it, especially since I'm by nature either quiet and polite (which just makes people nervous and think I'm socially impaired and plotting something) or darkly sarcastic (also not helpful). So I just rode it out, really, and stopped trying to associate with the people who made fun of me. I'm not saying that's the right course of action for you, that's just what I did.

 

[Limecake]

What can I do to not look or act like someone who would shoot up any schools?

smile, and if you don't feel like it try not to scowl so hard. don't give bully's the pleasure of your anger.

Do I have to be more active with my fellow students even though I don't like most of them?

yep! chances are you don't hate every single person in the school, I'm sure you have friends and if you don't they are out there.

Being able to be civil and friendly to complete strangers (and people you hate) is a pretty big part of growing up. When you bite the bullet and get to know people you'll find that you might not be so different after all.

that being said, there are some real dickheads out there and you don't need to be friends with everybody.

Should I get in a relationship even I don't want to?

no of course not, you never want to be in a one sided relationship with anybody. Like I said, you don't need to be friends with everybody.

But if you meet someone don't immediately assume they'll hate you.

Do I have to be nicer to people when I know most of them could care less?

yes, because you don't know if they care less. You can't write off other people just because you assume they don't like you, maybe a girl has a crush on you but never had the nerve to say anything.

but more importantly you can't write yourself off, you shouldn't think of yourself as a loser who would shoot up a school. Everybody has their insecurities and issues but you can't let them get the better of you. Just talk to people, if you can make someone laugh they'll instantly like you a little more.

And if all that fails and everybody around you sucks, you could always channel your anger into something constructive.... just stay away from the poetry.

 

[Doclector]

So here's the deal; I'm a 17 year old male in my senior year of high school, and apparently, I'm going to shoot up the school.

Let that sink in for a bit. Done? Moving on.

I'm not a social butterfly, and I have a short fuse when dealing with people, so I tend to be stand-offish and quiet around people I'm not comfortable with. Also, I have this ability to attract people to 'test' me. I say 'test' because ever since middle school, people have been testing with me to see what I would do. This, in turn, causes me to become aggressive toward them which also, for some reason, scares them, Yet they kept doing this until some time during my junior year.

During this time with me getting annoyed and aggressive with pretty much everyone, I pretty much gained a reputation for it. Guess what it was. If you guessed "The boy who's gonna shot up the school" then you're correct sirs/madams. What's even worse is that people even joke about it and even tell me to tell them when I finally snap and decide to kill everyone so that they can live! Even with my attitude being mellowed out since tenth grade this still happens.

So I'm here to ask you fellow escapists: What can I do to not look or act like someone who would shoot up any schools? Do I have to be more active with my fellow students even though I don't like most of them? Should I get in a relationship even I don't want to? Do I have to be nicer to people when I know most of them could care less?

You pretty much can't. Ever since columbine, the kid who's gonna shoot up the school has just become one of those people you have in every school, even if it's not true in the slightest, and to be honest, I think everyone's thought of it. I know because I was that kid. It's astonishing sometimes how little knowledge of cause and effect people have. They tried to anger you, then get scared when you do. Basically, you'll just have to ignore it, hell, live up to it just a little more if you want people to go away. You'd be surprised how much easier to get through a crowd it is when you have them convinced you could snap at any time. If you don't care about them, what's the harm in spreading a little fear? It's funny as hell.

And no, you shouldn't have to be nice to people who are horrible back. Yeah, a little leeway here and there never hurt, but it seems to be like it's gotten almost abusive here. Just do as you please, hang in there until you're out, and then people get a hell of a lot less dumb. Not clever, just less unbelievably stupid.

 

[Angie7F]

Well, I had a boyfriend with the same reputation and I thought it was kinda hot.

He had that reputation because he was smart, confrontational, well built, and into heavy metal etc,a nd always wearing black, and never forgot to carry a weapon of some sort on a daily basis. Yeah, what was I thinking.... But I was teenager with anger issues and I thought that was so sexy.

So, I say m let them think want they like.s
It's a teenager thing, you will grow out of it, they will disappear from your lives eventually.
There's is i problem really as long as you don't really gun the school down.

 

[aba1]

You have set a standard for your attitude so people will assume you are like that regardless of if you change so you will need to make a dramatic change if you plan on getting it to drop. I recommend going with the jokes laugh more being more outgoing you need to be like a poster saying hey everyone look I am not angry anymore.