I am 35, and memories from high school seem more recent and real to me than the last 20 years have been.

I can’t tell you anything about my wife’s wedding dress, other than it was white. But I remember the dark blue, sweetheart-cut, knee-length dress with 2-inch heels my prom date wore ten years before my wedding. I remember the limo ride there and back. I remember the smell, the conversation (we didn’t have s**, but I actually very much enjoyed talking to her).

I moved across the country right after high school, and only visit my hometown about once every two years. But when I do, and I meet up with old friends, it still feels like we are in high school. Sure, we look different, and we all have families of our own. And we can afford to eat at nicer places. But damn – I feel like we could spend the nights watching the stars from the playground, smoking and talking about our futures still.

I literally can’t remember most of the classes I took in college, or a single professor’s name. The last time I looked at my transcript I was like, “I took that class? And passed it? Odd…” But I still remember the bell schedule from my freshman year of high school. I still know exactly how to get from class to class, who I will pass along the way, and how long I can talk to them before I have to get to class.

I can’t be the only one like this.