(I am a huge tomboy and all of my friends from my old school were boys, so starting high school is hard for me because most of them went to all-boy schools and the high school I am going to has about five girls from my school. I am also in the advanced program, but I am very quiet. This takes place on the first day when I approach the girls that I know from my old school, who are all sitting together chatting and laughing. They go quiet as I walk past.)

Me: “Hey.”

Girl #1: “Um, yeah. Would you mind going away?”

(This shocks me because I don’t know where I am meant to be and was just going to ask for directions. I go and sit down by myself on the other side of the class and wait, considering I got in ten minutes early. A teacher passes by with a male student.)

Teacher: “Ah, it’s [My Name], right?”

Me: “Yeah.”

Teacher: “Nice to meet you, [My Name]. So… is there anything interesting you can tell me about yourself?”

Me: “Well… I know up to the twenty-fifth decimal of pi!”

Teacher: “Go ahead!”

Me: “3.1415926535897932384626433.”

Boy #1: “Wow! I only know up to the fifteenth.”

Teacher: “Wow. So, why are you both here so early?”

Boy & Me: “Oh, you know, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey…”

(Pause.)

Boy & Me: “You watch Doctor Who!”

(All of this was said in perfect unison, as the teacher walked off to talk to other students, and we stayed there talking about our dual interest in Doctor Who, pi, and video games. And that is the story of how I met my best friend.)

(This goes down on my family’s WhatsApp group while one of my sisters is heavily pregnant with her first child, and shortly after the last movie in a long-running franchise is released:)

Sister #1: “I started having regular contractions about half an hour ago, so we’re going to the hospital to check now.”

Sister #2: “Did you get to see Avengers beforehand?”

This story is part of our Sisters’ Day roundup!

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(It’s the release day of a new set of Pokémon games, and there is a line of people to pick up reserved copies. We had so many reservations we have to turn away people who just try to pick them up, but so far it hasn’t caused any problems. Currently in line is a boy in a Charmander costume, probably about ten years old but maybe younger. A couple of older customers have been playfully telling him to use Pokémon moves like scratch and flamethrower.)

Customer #1: “Charmander, use fire fang!”

(The kid begins making chewing sounds until he decides to actually use fire fang and bites the customer in front of him in the queue on his leg. The customer yells and grabs his leg, jumping around.)

Customer #1: “S***, dude, is everything all right?”

Customer #2: “No, it’s not all right! I’m a grass type.” *in the games, grass is weak to fire*

(I don’t think my boss ever truly recovered. To this day, every time we get Charmander merchandise in, he breaks down laughing. [Customer #2] was perfectly all right by the way; he had a small mark but nothing terrible. He had reserved four copies of the games: a set of limited editions, which he got, and a set of normal ones in case the limited editions couldn’t be delivered. We sold the normal set to the kid, who had no copies reserved.)

(The trading card shop closes at midnight almost every night. My boyfriend works there so I am frequently there hanging out till close. The other night I hear this exchange in the front of the store.)

Customer: “Could you please move your bags? I need this area to sort cards.”

(Several others are playing cards there and just stare at him.)

Manager: “It’s 11:30. It’s a little late to start sorting cards.”

Customer: *checks watch* “Actually it’s 11:20.”

Manager: *with a look of murder in his eyes, very sarcastically* “Oh, sure, then. That extra ten minutes will give you plenty of time to sort.”

Customer: “What?”

Manager: “Never mind. Come back tomorrow and you can sort; it’s a little too late.”

Customer: “Oh, I’m sorry. I have a split personality disorder and one of them doesn’t understand sarcasm.”

(Everyone waited for him to laugh… but he was serious.)

(This story takes place a little while after “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” comes out. I am a freshman in high school and a huge nerd; I am 100% into Marvel comics, as well as the movies and TV and Netflix shows. Since I am such a fan of “Agents of Shield,” my parents got me a shirt with the Shield logo on it, which I am wearing to class today. It is one of the few days I actually have my math homework finished.)

Teacher: *after checking my work* “Nope, you’re getting a zero.”

Me: “Wait. What?”

Teacher: “Hail Hydra.”

(He does give me a grade for the assignment, thankfully. Three years later, I walk into my senior-level math class, which is with the same teacher from my freshman year.)

Teacher: “Oh, [My Name]. Good to see you, and Hail Hydra.”

(I barely passed math that year, but it was not due to the vicious rivalry between our organizations of choice, but rather my complete inability to pay attention to math.)