High School: Confidential–Crystle

By Amy Sondova It’s all the drama, but none of the personal turmoil–it’s high school relived from freshman to senior year through the lives of 12 girls from Northwest High School in Overland Park, KS. It’s called “High School: Confidential” and the show is a new 8-part documentary airing Monday nights at 10 PM on the WE Network. The girls were filmed from 2002-2006.

Used to living in “exotic places” all over the world, Crystle’s family moves to Kansas when she is 11, where she met her BFF, Beth. The youngest of three siblings, Crystle was born in Indonesia where her American father met her Indonesian mother. Because of his international business affairs, Crystle’s dad is gone for months at a time. Consequently, Crystle’s mother goes to visit her husband for long periods of time, so Crystle has been “raising herself” since she was 15, when her mom went to Thailand for a month leaving Crystle the keys to the house and a fistful of cash.

Fortunately, being a good, responsible kid, Crystle never gets into partying and drinking like some of the other “High School: Confidential” girls. Her BFF’s Beth and Tina are her constant companions along with her best friend/boyfriend Tyler. Crystle, Beth and Tina nickname their little trio, “The Tripod” saying, “If one of us gets knocked down, the rest of us fall down.” Unfortunately, the Tripod gets a little unstable after the girls spend vacation time together in Indonesia realizing that being around your friends 24/7 is a lot harder than it seems. A teen model, Crystle decides to focus on her career while Beth and Tina continue to spend time together, eventually deciding to room together after high school. Crystle, who has decided to attend Kansas State with her pals, is furious because she thought the girls would all be living in the dorms separately to gain new experiences.

The saddest part of Crystle’s life is the disconnect she experiences with her parents. While her dad spends most of his time away from home, Crystle also doesn’t have a deep relationship with her mother. She seems to feel abandoned by her family (her two older siblings are never mentioned) and has to “raise herself.” In fact, one of her friends comment that Crystle tells them when she gets an A on a test because she can’t tell her parents. On “Bring Your Daughters To Work Day”, Crystle goes to work with Beth’s dad, and later laments, “Why can’t we do the things fathers and daughters do?”

Tyler, Crystle’s boyfriend since 7th grade, is the stable force in her life. Coming over to mow the lawn, help buy groceries, and assisting Crystle in running the house while her parents are away, Tyler is her “shoulder to lean on.” When the two break up for a brief period, Crystle is lonely and helpless. So it comes as no surprise that Crystle who originally says, “I’m not having sex in high school” takes back her original statement, “Sex after marriage maybe isn’t so realistic after all.” Giggling to Beth and Gina, Crystle recounts her romantic first-time with Tyler. The couple is going to Kansas State together.