Every High School Had The "Incident," And People Are Sharing The Moment That Is Still Seared Into Their Brain

Warning: This post mentions suicide and bullying. 

Everyone remembers high school as a whirlwind of emotions, drama, and unforgettable moments that can stick with us for years.

A girl wearing a backpack and a sweater with colorful stripes exclaims, "I am never going back to school."
Disney / Via giphy.com

High school is full of scandals and incidents, from crazy locker room pranks to gossip that spirals out of control. These stories become legendary over time.

Regina George in a stylish black top and light handbag walks confidently through a bright hallway
Paramount Pictures / Via giphy.com

So, I asked the BuzzFeed Community "What was the "incident" that everyone in your high school couldn't stop talking about?" Here's the feedback:

1."A minor kerfuffle outside the cafeteria during lunch one day turned out to be a freshman girl getting caught selling bj’s in the girls’ bathroom. Apparently, she had been running this 'business' during her lunch periods for a while!"

A woman is shocked

2."Idk if this is a scandal or not, but here goes. There was a student in my grade, and his father was the fire department chief. This kid was always doing something crazy, but nothing like illegal or anything. He was a pretty nice guy for the most part. There was a girl he apparently really liked, so he asked her out online. The rumor was that when she rejected him, he told her he was so mad he'd shoot up the school. Idk what actually happened, but police were involved, and he wasn't at school for months. There were very few people at school the next day since so many people thought he'd really do it. The next time I saw him was at graduation, and he seemed fine. I don't know what happened to him after."

lazygamer141

3."I went to an all-girl catholic high school in the early 00’s. The dances were fun, but a nun in full habit was usually there with a flashlight, telling you and your date to leave room for the Holy Spirit. So most of us just didn’t bring dates and made it a girl's night. Sr. Year, I was on student council, so I was there early setting up for the first dance of the year. All my friends were pre-gaming somewhere in the neighborhood with their parents stolen booze. I was bummed I couldn’t join, but it was only the first dance. Well, they all showed up HAMMERED. I spent the whole dance trying to keep them away from the nuns. We almost got away with it until I found one friend crying to the principal about something personal (emotional + teen + booze = tears). They suspected something was up and started asking questions on Monday (the dance was on Friday). No one would talk, so they pulled in a girl from our class who was slated to be valedictorian."

A person with short hair in a blouse and vest sits at a desk, saying "No way" with a neutral expression

4."I'm going to toot my own horn: one April Fool's Day, I had mocked up a perfectly believable Official High School Headed Paper bulletin, which read that 'one of the most hated teachers' (by a majority of students) was 'unfortunately' leaving the school. I printed off about 30 of them and went to school extra early before the staff was even there, but the reception staff was, so I knew the main door would be accessible. I stuck the notices on pillars, doorways, toilet doors, entrances, lockers, classroom doors, even the staff room door."

A woman is sitting on the floor, throwing papers in the air with a copy machine in the background

5."If we want the ACTUAL scandal from my school (at least while I was there), it was either the 14-year-old who got pregnant and dropped out of school to have the kid WITH THEIR PARENTS' BLESSING, or the fact that we had a Religious Education teacher have a mental breakdown because his name rhymed with 'Satan,' and what else would you call a man who taught religion whose name rhymed like that? Poor guy got himself sectioned for a while because it was relentless, and he was, actually, deeply religious but not in a pushy way. I actually liked him as a teacher because he made Christianity, somehow, interesting without shoving the dogma down our throats. Unfortunately, most of my classmates didn't feel the same way."

A man in a devil costume humorously gestures with caption "That's me" in bold white text

6."In my junior high in South Carolina, the PE teacher used to be the quarterback and make the pretty girl in the class be the center — yes, snapping the ball between her legs to him with 'hands under center.' Eighth grade. Although we knew that was a little odd, it wasn’t until I was older that I realized it bordered on criminal, not just cringey."

A woman with long hair in an office setting says "That's creepy" in a GIF from the show "Younger"

7."We had a math teacher who had dwarfism. He wasn't a nice guy at all. He'd quickly get frustrated at us (high school teens) for not understanding math. He would throw scissors at us (among other things like pencils) when the class was too rowdy or loud. One kid (a boy who thought he was a popular class clown but really just an irritating brat) called him names and made fun of his 'short temper.' This teacher also had a straw basket shaped like a pig in the classroom for some reason, and he was very peculiar about it. Nobody was allowed to touch it (and was kept in a cupboard when he wasn't teaching)."

A man smiles and gestures with his hand, saying "That's crazy!" in a lively manner during a conversation

8."Medium-sized town in the Midwest. It was a typical Tuesday until the police department and DEA showed up and took one of the seniors out of class. Turns out he was one of the biggest meth dealers in the area, and it was a huge bust. They even found drugs in his car on school property. I sat by him in math class and honestly never would have guessed had I not seen him getting walked out in handcuffs. He was super nice, friendly, and looked like your typical nerd. This all went down in 2008. It’s STILL talked about at reunions, and I believe he got out on probation a few years ago. It was wild!"

A person in a floral jacket and white shirt, blinking on a talk show set with "Roosevelt Hotel" and "Broadway" signs

9."Not a scandal but a defining moment. A dear Queer friend was bullied relentlessly. The school faculty were made aware and did nothing to protect them. Teachers allowed the bullying to continue even in the classrooms. I watched this lovely person shut down emotionally over a period of months, losing focus as one of the leads in our drama production. Shortly before opening night, they hugged me for the first time in ages. The next day, they died by suicide in a very dramatic fashion. Another good friend had to take over the role."

"For some reason, the death was kept secret, and we were led to believe that they had possibly run away for a week or so before it was announced. Why this play went on, I’ll never know. It was a horrible, traumatic time for all of us. Years later, some weak attempt was made to use my friend’s death as a platform for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance at the school. There is a stone marker in an unused area of the school. My beloved friend was not a poster child. They were a victim of continued abuse and a willful lack of response from the school. I’ll never not be angry and sad about my beautiful friend."

—Anonymous, Age: 46

10."Last day of sophomore year in HS before exam weeks — it was around 10 am, and the fire alarms went off. We all evacuated. Stood out in the rain for about 40 min. The fire dept and police all show up. Finally, we were told we could go back in, yet we were separated into different areas of the building, like the cafeteria, gyms, and auditorium. Everyone was drenched from being out in the pouring rain. The superintendent showed up and went off, saying how much of a disruption this had been and that they would get to the bottom of what happened, but everyone just seemed really confused and didn’t know what happened."

A woman in a casual setting wears an orange blouse and necklace, looking at someone with slightly raised eyebrows

11."This was back in the mid-80s when there were obvious cliques. A bunch of the 'popular' kids were caught with booze in their hot chocolate thermoses at the Friday night football game. It was the talk of the school the next Monday. I think they had to serve detentions."

—Anonymous, Age: 54

12."I was homeschooled (stay with me here). There are two instances I can think of. One is the usual high school co-op dating drama. And the other happened my senior year. I was almost ready to graduate (in 2021, so I don't know what that looks like). My mom sat me and my sister down in the kitchen and told us why our dad wasn't around. We had speculated for years but never quite grasped it. She said that just after I was born, my dad cheated on her. Of course, I already had an idea. But then she told us that he did it again, WITH THE SAME WOMAN, while my mom was about to pop out my sister. That second time, the little chica got pregnant and had my little bro. I didn't learn about him until senior year because he may not be my little brother, but we paid alimony for 18.5 years. My high school was essentially my own home, so that is in fact my high school 'incident.'"

A woman with braided hair looks surprised, standing in front of a market cart with pumpkins, with text "Oh, my..." at the bottom

—Anonymous, Age: 21

Disney / Via giphy.com

13."We had four assistant principals, one per grade. It was really common for administrators to get their recent college grad kids a gig as a substitute teacher. One of the most beloved assistant principals was engulfed in scandal when his daughter, who was a substitute teacher, was rumored (and later confirmed) to be seeing an underage female student. I don't know what happened to her, but he promptly submitted his retirement papers. It was really sad for the student body because he was so good at his job and really connected with students."

Moira Rose from Schitt's Creek looking to the side and speaking, wearing a large pearl and gem necklace and a black outfit

—Anonymous, Age: 29

CBC / Via giphy.com

14."A girl's promiscuous pictures got spread around the school, the school got the police involved and then got sued for having police interview students without parents present."

A woman in a houndstooth blazer reacts with concern, saying, "Oh. That's not good."

—Anonymous, Age: 31

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15."Where to begin? Our superintendent was removed when we found out he was embezzling money from the school to pay for sex workers. That was the first scandal I remember. Then, a few years later, a brand new million-dollar football field was built for the school despite the fact that our football team wasn’t very good, while the arts and music department — which was constantly phenomenal — was deprived of funds and completely DIY by the hardworking hands of the students. We built our sets for the plays from scratch and had to have bake sales to raise band competition trip money, so the football field was like a slap in the face.

So at the end of my junior year, we all woke up one day to find that a student (who was involved in art and stage crew, if I recall correctly) paint-rolled a gigantic penis onto the football field. I’m not sure he ever actually came out and said that his reasoning was more than just a senior prank, but we all like to think it might have been. The absolute worst, however, happened after we graduated so I’m not sure if it counts, but it’s pretty bad. A guy I graduated the same year with had an affair with his boss’s wife, and he and the wife plotted to kill the boss/husband. They murdered him in cold blood and then buried him behind our high school, eerily enough. It was even on an episode of Dateline.

—Anonymous, Age: 35

16."Two guys from my class stole other people’s laptops, iPods, and cellphones. Unfortunately, when something was misplaced back then, the school didn’t offer any help in recovering stolen items because the school was huge (kindergarten to 12th grade). The class older than mine had it, and when one guy’s laptop got stolen, they went to all the classrooms in the high school section until they found the laptop, among other things. They were selling them in a barbershop in front of the school. They were suspended and didn’t graduate with the class."

The image shows a person saying, "That is terrible."

—Anonymous, Age: 32

CBS / Via giphy.com

17."A senior got two girls pregnant at the same time. One was his on-again-off-again-sometimes-side-piece at school, and the other was his girlfriend outside of school. He acknowledged the side-piece’s kid but not the non-school-girlfriend’s kid. When the non-school girlfriend got sick of him and raised the kid on her own, he said that proved he was NOT the father. After a second kid with a side-piece, he married her. They are still together and had a third. Well, 25 years later, the non-school girlfriend’s kid did ancestry.com and sibling-matched to the side-pieces oldest. She grew up knowing he was her father and that he denied her. The craziest part: the side-piece was shocked about the DNA match because she was literally the only person on the planet who had actually believed the other kid wasn’t his."

The image shows two people talking in a kitchen. One of them, in a denim jacket, appears confused with "WHAT?" in bold

—Anonymous, Age: 47

ABC / Via giphy.com

18."In high school in the Deep South in the 80s, we had a new student who was Asian. He kept to himself and just did his thing. One day after school, a bunch of white jerk racist bully football players decided to jump him in the parking lot. He effectively took them ALL DOWN swiftly. He was a quiet master of martial arts. I HATE violence and always have, but that was pretty amazing. (And he was SOOOO handsome). No one EVER messed with him again. I still think about it and hope he's doing AWESOME!"

A man enthusiastically celebrates during a UFC event, saying "HELL YEAH!!" into a microphone

—Anonymous, Age: 55

UFC / Via giphy.com

19."A friend got super drunk at a party our sophomore or junior year and swallowed a live goldfish on a dare. That story will never go away."

A woman looks surprised while two men stand nearby in an outdoor setting. Text reads, "EXCUSE ME?"

—Anonymous, Age: 40

NBC / Via giphy.com

20."One year, a bunch of popular juniors and seniors went down south for spring break. While there, a senior guy stole a girl's car, drove it drunk, and ended up hitting two pedestrians, killing them instantly. He then drove back to the hotel, put the keys back in her purse, and pretended nothing happened. When the cops showed up at the hotel, he tried to pin it on the girl whose car it was, but fortunately, the cops had obtained CCTV footage of him getting out of the car to check on them and then quickly getting in the car and driving away. His parents bailed him out, and for the rest of the year, he continued to go to parties, drink, and brag about what he did, positive he would get off."

"He was eventually convicted on multiple charges and served jail time. Before the incident, he had a full-ride scholarship to a big university that he obviously lost, and l occasionally see him around town, working low-paying jobs and still living with his parents. The school still puts out a warning every year before spring break about the dangers of underage drinking and drunk driving and encourages parents to chaperone their kid's trips."

hotmesstrain

21."My favorite English teacher was obsessed with Twilight (can you guess the years I went to high school?). At the end of the year, we found out that she was sleeping with a sophomore at the time who really resembled Taylor Lautner. The boy was dating a cheerleader, but he was cheating on her with another cheerleader — and was cheating on both of them with their coach! It was all over the news at the time, and now it is wildly sad that I’m an adult."

A man with glasses and long hair says "Scandal." in a scene from the show Ted Lasso, shown on Apple TV+

—Anonymous, Age: 29

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22."High School was horrible for me. I developed early, and by the time I was 10, I was a DD bra cup size. My mom wouldn't get me proper bras that fit and supported me. One day I wore a bra that was the wrong cup size and the straps were attached with bobby pins. I took that bra off, put a different one on, and put that bra in my locker. I went home for lunch, and to my horror, when I returned, that bra was hanging on the outside of my locker. There was a crowd of kids standing around looking at it and laughing. I was mortified. And I knew who the two girls who did it were."

A woman looks expressive and upset. Text reads: Total and Utter Disrespect

—Anonymous, Age: 62

Paramount+ / Via giphy.com

What are your thoughts on these high school "incidents"? Let me know in the comments.

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length/clarity.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386. 

StopBullying.gov is an organization that provides resources to prevent harassment and bullying against children. Stomp Out Bullying offers a free and confidential chat line here.

If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453(4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.