A lot of popular kids have a fall from grace at some point.

One minute they’re on top of the world and the next, it all comes crashing down.

Life sure can change in heartbeat, huh? Some of these stories are incredibly sad, just so you know.

AskReddit users shared their epic stories.

1. Truly terrible.

“A cheerleader from my school had a 4 wheeling accident that left her in an almost vegetative state. Through years and years of hard work on her part, she’s been able to gain a little more independence.

However she’ll never be exactly the same as she was before the accident.

It’s really sad and crazy how quickly your life can change from an accident.”

2. Happens to a lot of people, unfortunately.

“The captain of the football team underwent surgery his senior year. I was 13 on the middle school team. His younger brother and I were very close so I was around him a lot, I looked up to him like an older brother. He drove me to early practices, was very smart, dated a pretty cheerleader, not a mean bone in his body, he had it all. For a 13 year old, he was my hero.

After his surgery he got hooked on painkillers. He went from painkillers to heroin. He was arrested multiple times for theft and drug possession. This went on for years, I would always ask my friend from middle school how he was doing. It never got better, he died last year. Drugs suck. I miss my hero.”

3. A sad tale.

“He was an only child, and his dad had died when he was 2. Was really happy go lucky, and he was popular because he was outgoing, supportive, warm and kind to everybody without fail, and although he was friends with the kind of kids who bullied people, he was the first person to tell them to knock that s**t off if he saw it.

When we were 16, his mum, who was one of the nicest ladies I ever met in our small town, was crushed to death by a semi-trailer that drifted into her lane.

He dropped out of school, he stopped talking to anybody, and he refused to let anyone visit him. I have no idea what became of him. Sorry Jay. I hope your life got better.”

4. Getting better.

“My brother was the popular kid in school. He was loved by everyone, and most of the people I graduated with know him but since we have different last names didn’t know we were related until I told them.

He started pills in high school, then coke, then heroin.

In and out of jail, forced into rehab instead of serving jail time. Lived in our moms basement until he was 30. He finally moved out but my parents pay his rent. He’s a year sober now though.”

5. You never know how people are feeling.

“There was this kid that I went to high school with almost 20 years ago who was 2 grades ahead of me seemed like “the popular kid” …

He had a hot gf, he was really funny decent at sports and didn’t seem to have issues. Anyways turned out one day his mom came home to him laying in the basement with a bullet wound in his head, I was told he used a shot gun to kill him self but loaded it bird shot, because of this he didn’t die. I now see him walking around town and he cant speak anymore and walks as if he had a stroke, one side of his body doesn’t work properly.

Really sad and that’s all I can think about anytime I drive around and see him walking. You never know what people actually feel inside, you might wish you could be someone else because everything seems so perfect but rarely is that ever the case.”

6. Disappeared.

“Guy on the football team sent a girls nudes the the entire football team and a good portion of people in my grade.

Got arrested during class.

I haven’t seen him since.”

7. Peer pressure.

“He got made fun of because he wanted to wait to have sex with his new gf (popular girl) so he caved and did it.

Teen pregnancy.”

8. Wish she’d been nicer.

“I actually ran into one of the super popular kids at the local bar when I came home from college.

She would never give me the time of day in high school and I for sure thought she didn’t even know I existed, but SHE approached me at the bar, super drunk, and said “hey, didn’t I go to high school with you?” She then proceeded to tell me she wished she had been nicer to more people in high school and that she has no idea what she’s doing with her life.

Honestly feels good to know that she’s thought about how she treated people back then, not sure if that’s the norm or just a weird occasion.”

9. A fall from grace.

“He started doing heavy drugs and fist fought the vice principal. Parents kicked him out at 18.

Haven’t heard much since.”

10. He apologized.

“I never saw him again after high school but a guy who bullied me told a mutual friend of ours to pass along apologies for the way he treated me. He died sometime later, I believe from cancer.

I wish I could have bought him lunch or a drink. It takes a big person to make that kind of apology.”

11. Sad for everyone.

“Lost control of his car when he and his best friend were driving to Taco Bell at night. He came out of it with a fractured collarbone, his friend died on the spot.

He was really close with his friend’s parents too and vice versa. He made a few posts on Facebook on how he was an idiot and how sorry he was. The dead friend’s sister and parents made it very clear that they didn’t blame him.

It was winter, black ice, and he was 100% sober. Before he was, like, a stereotypical popular dude but in the wholesome way. Dropped out of school and became addicted to painkillers. Don’t know what happened to him afterwards but it was just sad for everyone.”

12. That was it.

“When we walked across the stage.

I was amazed by how much simpler university relationships were compared to high school.

Popular people who picked on me in high school were suddenly desperately in need of a friendly face and it was all water under the bridge.”

13. A death in the family.

“His dad died. It was really s***ty.

Before that he was popular, but also smart, motivated, a great athlete and actually a great guy and person. As much as you can be till you’re 15.

Then his dad died right before he was going to have a football game, heart attack in the shower before they were gonna leave for it.

We heard about it later, and basically, from there, everything seemed to decline. He became angry as you could expect, and I think looking back you’d expect a decline in everything at first.

But he just spiralled deeper and deeper. We didn’t see him for a while, when I did catch up with him later in high school he’d been so into drugs his brain literally seemed fried.

It was sad for every reason.”

14. S***ty move by the teacher.

“In the fifth grade, our terrible teacher at the time told the entire class that the reason the popular kid acted out was because he didn’t get enough attention at home.

She did this in front of the entire class, and he left the room sobbing.

My entire perspective of him changed that day, and we all already knew that the teacher was a terrible person, but that solidified it in all of our minds.”

15. Taught a lesson.

“One kid in school was popular only because he liked to start s**t and bully everyone.

So most people were “friends” with him just to avoid being a victim. One day he tried that on the wrong kid, got beat up so bad to the point he started crying.

Honestly I think it was a win for the bully because it gave him a pretty good wake up call. Became less of a bully and is now quite humble.”

Some sad, sad stories right there.

Did you ever witness something like this? Or maybe you were the popular kid that it happened to?

Tell us your stories in the comments!