is this sap week or what?
I was an insecure kid. My entire high school career is best described as a slow and tortuous slog out of the pits of social phobia and mortal embarrassment - I still to this day have moments when I realise I have a social life and go "Huh. When did that happen?"

I was prone to random crying fits, mostly when something embarrassing happened, which was a sort of vicious cycle as everyone would then crowd around me going "Are you crying? What's the matter?" which was, obviously, EVEN MORE EMBARRASSING than whatever teacherly telling-off, wardrobe malfunction or snide comment prompted it in the first place.

So one day we had to get into groups of five for a project. The class had about thirty kids in it, so it was a relatively even split. People were generally sitting in groups of five-ish friends, too, so they mostly didn't bother moving, already knowing what their groups would be. I didn't have friends in that class, not even just the sort I'd hung out with a couple of lunchtimes and therefore could assume would let me in their group, so I already had the sinking feeling that I'd end up in a group by default of them being the last group with not enough people, but the divisions weren't obvious enough for me to just count and quietly go sit down with the smallest bunch. So I screwed up my meager courage and approached some people to ask if I could join their group.

"Sorry, we already have five people." Was the answer. "Oh, okay." so I moved on to the next group, and the next - only to get the same response. None of them were particularly hostile, but having been publicly rejected from four groups was enough for me, and I calmly walked outside to have a bit of a cry outside the purview of well-meaning interrogators.

And a tall girl who had absolutely no reason to like me or feel that my wayward emotions were in any way her problem came out and just hugged me for a bit. She didn't say anything. Afterwards I went back inside and approached the last remaining group, who turned out to be the one missing a member.

It was just a little thing, I still remember it and am grateful for the small kindness. And also quite happy that nothing has happened to me that was so bad as to NEED a greater kindness than that, honestly.
(Lieutenant Colonel Oblivious brought to you by intravenous sugar, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 15:36, Reply)