Having been away for the past month, I am now getting ready to go back to school. Living in the UK, 'school-school' (i.e. boring and compulsory school) finishes in the eleventh year, where most of the students are 15, turning 16 at various points- though of course, thanks to the devil in disguise, the ageism rearing its head again means that I'm one of the last years to be able to leave at 16.
Anyway, this is quite a change for me. For the majority of my life, school has been a massive presence, one that never goes away. My life has been monotonous for most weekdays, and now that time's coming to an end! Hooray, right?
Um, I'm actually not so sure...
As I'm getting older, life is getting a little bit scarier, for one thing. I acquire more responsibility (work harder at school! Make life choices!) and - this is the clever bit, where I tie the whole thing into asexuality- and also a little bit of added stigma.
"So, have you 'got' boys yet?" I was asked yesterday by a family friend. It's not offensive, as such, but such things are becoming more and more common, because I'm at the prime age to start 'getting' them. Even coming from an isolated, single-sex school, most of my friends are developing emotionally, and some are in long-term relationships. Others aren't, but they're still all people-mad.
I suppose this has been coming for a while, but it is at times like these that I can't wait to escape to college; where hopefully there'll be understanding people and maybe even a LGTBQA group.
I'll be approaching the 'Sweet Sixteen and....", the "Woah, barely legal!" and possibly even rude presents. I'll be facing more and more difficult questions from adults and others alike, and I may even have to come out to parents.... Though I don't see why, from this side of the year.
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