Scotty McCreery Leaves High School With ‘Bittersweet’ Memories

Scotty McCreery packed a lot into his four years of high school. The North Carolina native not only became the season 10 winner of "American Idol," he also hit the road with Brad Paisley, serving as the opening act on the superstar's Virtual Reality world tour. It was a lot for the former grocery-store clerk to juggle, all while maintaining his grades, but he says he still has mixed feelings about seeing that chapter of his life end.

"I enjoyed my four years of high school, so it's bittersweet," the recent graduate tells The Boot.

The 18-year-old admits he had reservations about returning to Garner Magnet High School after his stint on "Idol," but quickly discovered his friends didn't care about his new-found fame. "I thought they would [treat me differently]," he concedes. "I was kind of scared going back, because we didn't know how it would work out, but they're probably the ones that slap me around the most and say, 'Stop singing! Shut up, Scotty! They like to poke fun at me."

In spite of his burgeoning music career, which already includes a platinum-selling debut CD, Clear as Day, Scotty wants to have a solid back-up plan. With that in mind, he's heading to North Carolina State University in the fall.

"We're not going to take a full week's load of classes," he notes. "Probably like a two-day schedule. That's the initial plan, but we'll see what works out. It will be a balance for sure. We'll figure it out."

Scotty's run with Brad continues with a show tonight (June 15) in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, followed by stops in Michigan and New York. See his complete list of show dates here.