Spouses Who Married The Popular Kid In School Are Revealing What They're Like Now, And I Did Not Expect Some Of These
Have you ever finished a teen movie where the nerdy main character and the popular kid fall for each other, and you wonder what happens next?
Well, a little while ago, Reddit user u/DeezyEast posed the question, "Spouses who married the cool girl/boy from your high school, what are they like now?"
And there were so many interesting responses! Here are some of the top-voted answers:
1."My parents were both the 'coolest' kids in school. Prom queen and prom king, and my dad was football captain. When I was a kid, my mom would pull out their high school yearbook and show me. I would be so upset because I thought that I wouldn’t be as cool or popular as they were when I was in school. But they didn’t really do anything, so I grew up poor in a trailer park."
"It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I realized they were fucking losers living in the past. My mom still talks about how cool my dad was in high school, and she’s almost 60. It fucking sucks."
—[deleted]
2."I was the loser who married the prom queen. She came from a rich family that gave her everything she wanted. I grew up in a very poor family; we’re talking 13 people in a one-bathroom house. I thought she was kinda snobbish, but it turned out she’s the kindest person you ever met. We moved in together, and she had no concept of money. Her family didn’t like her moving in with a guy before getting married and cut her off financially. My friends warned me she’d be gone by the time the rent was due, and we couldn’t afford it."
"Instead, she got her first job (while in college full time), and we cut back on everything. She couldn’t cook to save her life, but I could, so we didn’t go hungry. Overnight, she became a normal college student. She finished college, we put her through law school, and she made good money after she graduated. She still has her prom queen streak — she likes to dress up and buy nice things — but she now goes to thrift stores and garage sales and refuses to pay full price for anything. She got very good at DIYing stuff and made us a beautiful home filled with stuff she made herself.
"I’m very happy. Friends warned me that she would take off when we went broke, that she would cheat on me (she is WAY outta my league looks-wise), and that she’s not the kind of girl to stick around long. Turns out she’s in this for life."
3."My husband was the good-looking, athletic guy with a great sense of humor who all the girls adored. I was the petite blue-eyed blonde cheerleader he chased all four years in high school. We ended up getting together after graduation and were engaged six months later. I should have kept running from him like I did in school. He’s now an addict who is verbally and emotionally abusive, and he’s a compulsive liar. He’s very jealous and has accused me of having an affair with every man I’ve ever worked with, all without any merit whatsoever."
"I teach high school English, and he is jealous of my male students because he claims he 'sees the way they look at me.' I’m happy to say that he’ll be getting served with divorce papers very soon. God help the woman who takes my place, because he can’t do anything for himself. He’s never paid a bill, made his own doctor appointments, etc. He’s exhausting. He’s also that guy who likes to tell our son what a stud he was in school and how he eventually got the girl he wanted. While we were dating, he portrayed himself as the man he thought I would see as husband material; however, I quickly saw it was all an act, shortly after we married. If I had it to do over, I would leave the country to avoid him. The only good thing to come out of our marriage is my son."
4."My mom was the nerdy girl who got all the A's and had zero social skills. Somehow, she managed to start dating my dad, who was the popular, good-looking guy everyone thought would peak in high school. She was actually told by her family and friends that he wouldn’t give her the future she was hoping for. They got married at 19 and had me when they were 20. While they were pretty broke the first few years of my life, he paid for my mom to attend law school, started his own business, and 25 years later, with three kids, they’re still so in love and have a pretty cushy life."
"My dad actually met one of the loud voices who told my mom she was making a big mistake marrying him. This person said how she always knew he would turn out well, which he found hilarious."
5."My husband was the prom king and star athlete. I was a super-awkward marching band nerd with severe scoliosis and a heart condition. He’s always been sweet, silly, smart, and kind. Still can’t believe we’re married."
6."My mom was the elite Atlanta debutante and lived a very cushy life at a budding Miami country club. Beautiful and very popular at the private school. My dad grew up on a farm in Virginia. They weren't poor, but they were definitely not refined. Eventually, my father's family made it down to Miami after selling the farm. He became the lifeguard at the country club pool where my mom spent days lounging about. My parents say they saw each other, and that was it. The scandal was great — the debutante and the lowly lifeguard..."
"They just celebrated 54 years of marriage. My 'lowly' lifeguard father made quite the life for my mom, regardless of what all those elite twats said was going to happen. She gladly left the country club life for him, and they are still so utterly in love. He carries a photo of her at the pool where they met. The only references she makes to being 'that girl' are that they proved everyone wrong. They are beautiful, and I love their story."
7."He was the one who had the six-pack, the one all the girls swooned over. Very popular. I was not. I saw him after just leaving high school, and we started going out. God knows why we got married in our early 20s — I guess we thought it was just what happened next? He never grew up. All he wanted to do was constantly play online games. He would get home from work, walk past me to the spare room, go straight online, and play until the early hours. Get a bit of sleep, then go back to work."
"Same thing, again and again. Never wanted to go anywhere. Just wanted to game. Eventually I gave him an ultimatum. He chose the game. From what I gather, he’s remarried to someone else we went to school with and has two kids now. I was told she had to give him an awful lot of ultimatums before he eventually grew up."
8."I married the cool girl. Super athletic, everyone was her friend. We started dating in high school. She's kept up everything people loved about her. Nowadays, she isn't as interested in other people and focuses on herself, her career, us, and our future. We're planning to buy a house and have kids soon. I'm the breadwinner today, but I'm not so sure that'll be true in a few years lol."
9."I married the popular guy. We didn’t go to the same schools but met when we were 30. He was extremely charismatic and likable, but he was used to having everything handed to him and done for him. He constantly spoke about how, prior to me, he was always with hot girls and how he basically settled for me (I know I’m pretty, but I’m also overweight). He didn’t seem to realize that while he was in shape in high school from playing sports, he ballooned up as an adult. We divorced earlier this year.
"He’s already living with potential wife number three; his first wife and I have bonded over how terrible he treats his spouses. He’s 35, but he doesn’t think he has behavior that needs to change because he spent his whole life hearing he was the best."
10."Not me, but my mom married my dad, who was hot shit. They met in college when he was an absolute hellion. But since then, he's become a doctor and is still a really fun dude. He’s also a licensed contractor, so when he was bored, he built a 6,000-square-foot barn in our backyard over 10 years, completely on his own. Absolutely stand-up dude."
11."I started dating a popular, athletic girl (varsity volleyball and softball as a freshman) in our senior year, when I was at the peak of my weird emo phase. People teased her so badly that she broke up with me the first week, but she quickly realized she didn't give a shit about what others were saying, and we got back together. We've been married nearly six years now."
"She's largely the same sarcastic, funny person I fell in love with, but more mature, as you'd expect with age. Very great mother, the breadwinner, and the glue that holds us all together. We also have an asshole dog now too."
12."My wife was the hot girl everyone gossiped about. She is still super hot but is such a wonderful, supportive, loving person. It makes me sad no one took the time to get to really know her when she was young."
13."My brother was one of the 'hottest' guys in high school and went on to be a model. He’s still cool and hot to many, but now he’s a bit fat. He’s my brother, so ew on the hot part, but women still swoon, and he’s so obnoxious. Think Matt Dillon. He got dumped by his model wife (17 years younger) for a 26-year-old. He has impossible standards, and it’s making him miserable. He’s into these flashy, shallow women. But overall, he’s doing well, and his business is thriving."
14."My mom was the cool girl. Still is — she literally gets stopped by strangers talking about how cool/pretty she is. But she's divorced (husband cheated) and widowed (second husband died), so she never really managed to get a happily-ever-after in romance. I’ve only seen her as a grown-up, of course, but going by pictures and what I remember as a kid, she hasn’t changed all that much."
"I think sometimes she’s too used to people being 'in her orbit' and will get sad if something happens where she’s not involved. Not overtly so, but you can see she’s expecting everyone to always want her there."
15."My dad was super popular. Prom king, salutatorian, running back, serious ladies' man. He met my mom in a nursing class in college, which he took to meet girls (he was the only guy in a sea of women — this was the '70s). They married, and he became a car salesperson. Then he developed a terrible drug habit and died of a heart attack at 52."
16."I dated a popular class clown out of high school and got pregnant. He was and still is a pretty big deadbeat. Years later, I ended up marrying a nerd a few grades above me. We had two more kids, and he is an amazing dad to all three of the children. He is also a goddamn snack and a half. We've been together for a decade."
17."My mom was the cool girl all through high school, undergrad, and grad school. But life didn't go that well. For most of her life, she had to care for someone in the family who was ill, and that took a huge toll on her. First it was her dad, then it was me (I had childhood illnesses), then her in-laws in quick succession, then her dad again, and finally she had to nurse my dad until he passed away from a terminal illness. She was meant to be social and have fun, and instead she was forced to be around sickness and sadness for her best years."
"But she is a very happy and mentally strong person in general who made the best of things. She hosted a lot of people and events. When I was growing up, my house was full of people visiting and having fun. She's very charming and easy to talk to, and she has a lot of fans all the time.
"She also expects a lot from other people and is constantly disappointed. She wants to be the center of everything. She doesn't know how to be a guest at anything; she somehow ends up running every event she's invited to. She sincerely believes she's helping, but it's just disrespectful sometimes, and when we tell her that, she doesn't get it. She likes to dominate everything and make decisions for everyone. We joke that if the prime minister was her friend, she'd somehow end up running the country for them."
18."As it turned out, I married one of the mean girls. I didn't go to her school and didn't find out she was considered that until after the divorce. That's how it turned out. Then I dated one of the cool chicks. I did go to her school and knew she was considered that. She was the most amazing human being I've ever known. That one didn't work out either."
"Now I'm just retired from relationships for a bit; strike three would kill me right now. I have friends and family who are awesome. Hopefully, I'll have more someday. For now, it's me and my kids I'm focusing on."
19."He was a football player and hung out with the jock crowd, and I was in the drum line. He kept his nerdy side under wraps in high school so as not to be bullied, and it's now out in the open. He ended up becoming a software developer. We still hole up and have Lord of the Rings weekends and watch the trilogy or have gaming nights. We've been married eight years. He helped me follow my dreams to become a vet and supported me through going back to school. I would 10/10 marry the hot jock with a sensitive, geeky side all over again."
20."Fell in love after we met a couple of years after graduation. She used to be the cool girl, and I was the quiet introvert. I found out that apart from being cool, she was also a very loving person. Married her. She gave meaning and purpose to my life. I can get through life only with her beside me. She is still as cool and as hotheaded as she was — quick to battle anyone and everyone if she thinks they are wrong (to my dismay)."
21."Recently found out from my aunt (I'm 30) that my dad was extremely popular in high school. I had no idea he was an all-star football player with lots of college offers and was prom and homecoming king. He never talks about it, but he's doing well. Two kids, a dog, and a loving wife; IMO, he's still winning."
22."I married the homecoming queen, head cheerleader, and star basketball player. Yes, just one person. At 50, she's still stunning, with an amazing drive. We're partners in real estate sales, and she's the engine that keeps our team successful. I just keep trying not to fuck it up."
23."I married my high school sweetheart. We started dating in the late '70s. A girl everyone loved. Long, straight hair down to her rear end. Smiled all the time. Always in the beauty contestant shows and always generous and friendly. Fast-forward to now, and she is still good-looking and does not look her age of 60. Great mother and grandmother, and still as good a person now as she was when I met her in '77."
24."I married the prom king. Sadly, his addiction to alcohol and drugs was stronger than his love for me and his four sons. We divorced, and he left the state. It took him 15 years to be able to keep a job."
25.And finally, "I sat next to the popular guy every day for five years, and I was so afraid of speaking to him. I watched him and his friends chasing each other around and throwing their shoes at each other. Typical school shit. They were rowdy and loud and intimidating, but he was the quiet yet seriously funny one. I crushed on him HARD for years. He remembers me as the little blonde girl who didn’t speak to anyone (because I was so anxious all the time). He also protected his sister from some assholes every break time, and she’d come to find him for safety from bullies."
"I should have spoken to him sooner than when school finished, because we have the same music taste, and we get on well enough now at 26. We have a 6-month-old daughter together and my daughter from a previous relationship. We just got engaged last weekend. I adore him; he’s handsome, charming, and funny, and I would do anything for this man, as he would for me."
—[deleted]
Did you marry the popular kid in school? How are they now? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
