I had quite the opposite experience -- I had a great time in high school, and loved being there. I certainly wasn't one of the social elite, and spent my share of lunch periods playing D&D in the library. I don't think I ever went on a date, and was never invited to any parties. I was less than fashionable. However, I played on the basketball and volleyball teams, ran track and cross-country, did lighting and other technial stuff for theatre and fashion shows, and did all the math and programming competitions. My final semester was calculus and the top level art class. So despite being on the lower end of the "popular" range (certainly above the smelly kid who was rumoured to have come to school one day with the afterbirth of his dog's puppies still on his clothes), I interacted with a pretty broad range of people (including the smelly kid). I recognized the petty rules and bureaucracy, and just didn't put up with it. I basically did what I wanted, but the reason I got away with it when most other people didn't, was that I had the grades, so it was largely overlooked.