No, they're the real deal. Medical practices and CEOs and news anchors and law firm partners and art galleries and university staff are easy to verify. Some of them weren't just cool kids, they were mean kids. Viciously mean kids. I hope they outgrew that.
I was neither of those but I was a smart kid. They were smart, too, so I was stuck with them for thirteen long years, from K-12.
There was a reunion a few years ago. I didn't go but I saw the photos. Some of the cool/mean kids were there. I wonder if they apologized to anyone?

I doubt it but I like to hope they did.
I'm just a weird chicken lady now which is why I don't have much of a social media presence and I definitely don't attend reunions.