The Steubenville Syndrome

Things is lookin' up. For one thing, it's like 50 degrees. And Ned and I went out to dinner last night, to a bring your own wine Thai restaurant, and ate courses for $5.56.   Restaurant.com, baby. And I hung out with Megs McCardle, and remembered why having friends is fun. (I got myself involved in a Mean-Girls circle that ain't making too much sense lately. So Megs McCardle was a breath of fresh air.) Jackie is another breath of fresh air. She's slim-hipped and wise. She sleeps in till 10:30, and is always ready to read my blog and make sure it's post-able. I think my blog truly would be disturbing (quote, unquote) if I didn't await Jackie's groggy affirmation every morning.
Okay, I'm annoyed. I feel like I'm the suspect in a witch trial. And another friend, moreso than me, but since I have anonymous readers, I'll lay low on name dropping. A witch trial in the sense that one ring leader is pointing her (presumably Egyptian) finger and getting everyone all riled up and self-righteously angry and paranoid. I've never really been involved in anything like this. My old friend's behavior, while not entirely surprising, is entirely embarassing. Like, actually EMBARASSING. (For her, not me:)) If I remembered doing this in 2nd grade, I would be beyond humiliating. I can't imagine reflecting on this behavior in my 20's or 30's. The wierdest thing of all is that no one will talk about it. Don't they want to know the truth? No one is addressing any problems. It seems like they just want an excuse to be mad. I can't see people acting like this in a secular group, and it's depressing that we're supposed to be Christian. But in the end it's not all that surprising. I call it the Steubenville Syndrome: Where people are super Catholic, identity wise, but they fall for every trick in the book.
The only other possibility is that I'm being Punk'd. I feel like everyone is planning a surprise party for me, and trying to inflate the surprise by acting like they hate me and think I'm a questionable (to say the least) friend, for the month or so preceding the party. If you guys are trying to keep me in the dark, you're doing a damn good job. I ain't got no clue what I did!
But alls well that ends well. Jackie's groggy voice was extra groggy today, when I called, incredulous about the lowest of the low events that took place last night, (sorry for the vagueness, readers, but there are some things that just shouldn't go public) and Jackie, in true form, gave a charitable read, a simple solution, and a calm response. Good ol' Jackie.