Prologue:

 The Stories Worth Sharing

Across America, whether in the largest metropolitan cities or the smallest backwoods towns, the line between fame and infamy is razor thin.

All it takes is one moment, whether bathed in glory or drowned in dishonor, to define your four years in high school. Most students find themselves straddling the line between the two. Missing out on the highest of highs is a small sacrifice to avoid the lowest of lows.

The rarest cases end their time under those fluorescent lights with both labels. Their reward is a legacy shrouded in duality.

Those are the stories worth sharing. Stories that never leave the hallways, locker rooms, or teachers’ lounges, regardless of how much time has passed.

High school has a funny way of seeming like a blur in retrospect, yet feels permanent while you’re living it. Fame may be fleeting, but infamy stands the test of time.

For those students remembered for more notorious reasons, they learn an inevitable truth: they may never escape the labels affixed to their names.

In a cruel sort of irony, many are forever branded with their own Scarlet Letter.

Even if they skipped that assignment in English class.