Some things are never quite left behind from high school: the acne, the immaturity, the insecurities, the need for social acceptance, but most importantly, the unexplainable urge to create drama. We all claim to hate it and that we’re too good for it. But, come on. Who are we kidding? We’re not in high school, but our mentality is perpetually stuck in it. We thrive on drama because it’s probably the most exciting thing that happens in Ithaca other than a frat party and maybe acing a prelim. It always starts with something small. Then through a series of he-said-she-said miscommunications, one thing leads to another until it finally explodes and turns into an episode of Gossip Girl. And I’m not going to deny it: girls do start most, if not all, of the drama and insist on adding fuel to the fire. Sometimes, for absolutely no reason. Just because, y’know, you have to tell someone if Amanda is being, like, such a bitch — gawd!

But to be fair, guys do have their own sort of “drama,” too. Most of the time, they just handle it in a different way. They either act like they don’t really give a shit, or they actually don’t really give a shit. If it escalates into anything other than glaring at each other, it’s usually resolved the next day with a Halo campaign on Xbox LIVE and an awkward exchange that goes something like this:

“Hey, man … we cool?”

[An awkward pause, controller button mashing…]

“Yeah, whatevs, brah.”

“Cool.”

Girls, on the other hand, have to drag it out, make a mountain out of a mole hill, and create a masterpiece out of trash-talking. There is always going to be some form of miscommunication, something they heard from someone who heard from another who heard from their cousin twice removed. And when there is some sort of confrontation, they pretend nothing is wrong and plaster on a fake smile. Don’t shake your head no. Don’t say, “Oh, I don’t do that.” Unfortunately, we’re all guilty of being conniving bitches at one point or another. Hey, I know I am.

More often than not, girls are driven by their emotions and are a lot more expressive about how they feel than guys. It’s all about how we feel at the time, not necessarily what is reasonable. Of course, guys have their feelings hurt too, but they just prefer not to show it or admit it (not exactly the best thing to do either). However, when we feel like we’ve been wronged, we want to make it clear exactly what is wrong, why this person or that person is wrong, and how we justify being right. And when it comes time to face the other person, we immediately clam up because, hey, we’re bitches, but we don’t want anyone to actually know that. Plus, it’ll be awkward and we all know that awkward moments are simply the worst thing to happen. Ever.

But how long has something dragged on just because you want to avoid an awkward moment? Guys are no different in this respect. By pretending they don’t care, they’re letting something drag out longer than it needs to be. By not getting to the root of each problem, feelings of resentment begin to harbor.

So let me remind you, we are not in high school anymore. It’s not that college is even close to maturity, but we’re all here to learn. We’re adults now, but we’re acting like silly kids when it comes to arguments in friendships and relationships. It would be so much easier if we were all just honest, or if we come to understand that there is simply no use crying over spilled milk. Shit happens all the time, so when it happens to you, handle it with some sense of maturity. There is no point bickering over the little things, talking shit about people who are supposedly your friends and not having the courage to own up to it in the end. Your life, quite frankly, isn’t a TV show, so don’t act like it is — no one is watching.

Sandie Cheng is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She may be reached at scheng@cornellsun.com. That One, Please appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.