So, back to the drop-off mom, who I have seen and mutually ignored on many occasions. We have kids the same age and we live in the same area, so we end up in the same circles at the same sporting events, at the same grocery stores, etc.

I have nothing against her now (really, I didn't then either). Truth is, we'd probably be pretty good friends now because we seem to have a lot in common judging by all the places we run into each other.

She is just one of many people I went to high school with that I now ignore or pretend I don't remember.

This particular mom, however, married a guy that was in my grade (yup, the football player). And, he was in the car. And, he was going to have none of my ignoring him. "Hey, Heather!" (I pretend not to hear him and feigned deep interest in the Buffalo/Baltimore football game). "Heather!" Then, he called me by my maiden name (my maiden name! Ugh!) "Heather B -- how ya doing?"

I finally said, " "Oh...hey, Mike. Yeah, I'm great. How are you? Hey, listen, it's Heather Cass now. I'm...I'm Heather Cass now. I haven't been Heather B in a long time," I stammered.

The truth is: I ignore drop-off mom and all those other moms I know I know because I'm just plain embarrassed about who I was in high school and how I acted. Seeing them makes me feel ashamed. And, I wonder if they remember that I was a b****.

And, I figure they think I'm one now.

But, it's been a long time since I was Heather B. -- I left her and my mean friends in high school.

Most kids look forward to their high school graduation because of the independence it brings -- from school, from their parents, etc. I looked forward to my graduation for the independence it would bring from my "friends." People I couldn't wait to get away from. I cut ties. I didn't call them back. I blew them off. I went off to college, and I left them all behind (I hung onto a handful of good ones..and you ladies know who you are). I started over with a clean slate.

Or so I thought.

But, my slate is not clean because I still live here and I still see plenty of girls I was probably mean to and I'm still carrying enough baggage from high school to feel I need to ignore them.

Thanks to my big-mouth high school chum -- a guy I always liked because despite his "jock" status, he treated people equally -- I've decided that I'm done hiding from my past and I'm done ignoring people because of my own insecurity.

I'm a big girl now. I'm not who I was back then and I haven't been Heather B. in a really long time.

Next time I see drop-off mom, I'm going to look her in the eye and say "hello." I'll tell her how cute her kids are, I'll make small talk and I'll try to forget about that night in Jr. High when some of my "friends" and I egged her house. Because, truly, I still feel bad about that.