Confessions of a Charlotte teenager

Remember being a 17? Your only worries were basketball practice, English papers and if your parents could see what you were AOL instant messaging to your friends. A lot has changed since my teenage years, but after talking to one Charlotte teenager I would also say that a lot has stayed the same. Here are his confessions about weed, make-out spots and secret Instagram accounts.

What’s stressing you out the most right now?

College applications. I just turned in four last night.

Where are the cool make-out spots in Charlotte?

Whole Foods parking deck and the greenway. There’s also a house under construction that people go inside of to smoke or hook up.

Do your parents check your social media accounts?

No. My parents aren’t on anything except for Facebook, and I don’t have Facebook.

What are some ways that teenagers hide stuff from their parents?

I have a friend that deletes her text messages every single time she sends or receives a message because her mom sometimes takes her phone from her. My other friend gets his phone checked by his parents, so he uploads all his photos to his computer and deletes them from his phone.

For me, I use Snapchat’s “my eyes only” section (it makes you enter a separate password) so that there’s no bad stuff in my “memories” that my parents can find.

Do you have one of those secret Instagram accounts? Do you post bad stuff?

Finstas? Yes, I have one, but I don’t post anything bad. I just use it to look at other people’s photos and videos. People post photos of their new bongs, addresses to parties and raunchy photos. I’ve also seen a lot of people exposing their friends when they’re in fights or guys who post sexts from girlfriends after a nasty breakup.

Is there a lot of bullying in school?

Not really. But there is this one girl who everyone bullies, but she asks for it. She’s really full of herself and not a nice person and always uses her phone while driving and everyone yells at her for that. She’s going to kill someone doing that.

Are there parents who buy alcohol for their kids?

Yes, but it’s usually older siblings or cousins who are 21 to 25 who buy us alcohol.

What do you wish adults knew about being a teenager?

I wish they knew that this is just a stage in our life where we have an attitude, it’s nothing personal.

What percentage of high schoolers would you say smoke weed?

I’d say 90 percent have tried it, but only 50 percent do it regularly. People smoke weed more than drinking because it’s easier to get away with. A lot of people don’t drive drunk, but they’ll drive high.

What about alcohol?

My friend group doesn’t drink much, mostly because it’s expensive. Some groups drink every weekend. I’d say 40 percent of my high school drinks regularly.

Do you guys ride Uber or Lyft when you drink?

Yes or we get a DD. No one really messes around with drunk driving.

Do the drivers care that you’re underage?

Usually not unless you’re throwing up. They like making money.

What age do you consider “old?”

50.

Thank you for not saying 31.

You’re welcome.