Looking back on our school years, I think most of us would agree that middle school was a very awkward period in our lives. Yeah, growing up in general can be awkward, but middle school specifically takes the cake. In elementary school, we were filled with the genuine innocence of a child that we wish we could all have again. Recess was the highlight of our day, most of us adored our teachers and we were basically friends with everyone. Our lives were so carefree, and we had no idea how lucky we had it. Jump ahead to high school, and that time of our lives was pretty much on the other side of the spectrum. High school was filled with drama, heartbreaks, part time jobs, SAT's, AP classes, loads of homework, and some of the best and worst days of our lives. Middle school, however, falls somewhere in a weird middle ground between elementary and high school, and most of us try to block it out of our minds altogether due to how uncomfortable it truly was. Only a few of my middle school friends are still around in my life, but those few friends are some of the best friends I will ever have. Let me explain why.
I remember my very first day of middle school. I was so nervous over having to go to different rooms and teachers for different subjects, I didn't know how to open a locker and it was my very first time getting on the school bus all by myself. On top of that, all of my friends from elementary school were zoned to other school districts, and I was all alone. I didn't know anyone. I was an outsider. And to kids at that age, being an outsider is one of the worst things you can be. To middle schoolers going through the transition between elementary and high school, or from child to young adult, being apart of a clique and having a label is essential. Unfortunately, for me, I was new and didn't have one. It was a rough time; I'm not going to lie. Middle schoolers are mean. However, after being friendless for what felt like forever to an eleven year old, I finally met my best friends.
It's funny because we were all so different and unique, but yet we all meshed together so well. We did everything together. When we were at school, we had all the same classes together, and on the weekends, we were either hanging out at the mall, movies or having a sleepover. We had thousands of inside jokes and our teachers usually made us sit apart from each other because we couldn't stop talking and laughing during class. Yes, our friendship was great, and what made it so great was how we found ourselves in each other. That sounds weird and cheesy, but we were at an age where we had no idea who we were or who we were going to be. In middle school, puberty hits most of us like a train, and our hormones, minds and bodies go out of control. We were covered in acne, we outgrew our old clothes, we had attitudes and mood swings, and we were being told we had to start growing up. Recess wasn't an option anymore. We had teachers who we hated and who hated us right back. People stopped being friends with everyone because that wasn't the cool thing to do. It was a scary, confusing and depressing time, but I was extremely lucky to have my friends to help guide me through it.
Fast forward years down the road, and we have all left our uncomfortable middle school cocoon for our much more attractive and much less awkward butterfly. I am still very good friends with three of my middle school best friends, and these girls will probably be friends of mine for the rest of my life. We have endured the last ten years and all the crazy things that have happened in that time together. We have all gone down separate paths at different colleges, and some of them even have kids of their own now. Even though I have made other friends in the last ten years, these girls will always have a special place in my heart. We knew each other when we were awkward, annoying, Twilight-obsessed 7th graders with bad skin and who didn't know how to dress, and we loved each other anyway. Middle school may have only been a dreadful three years, but the wonderful, genuine friendships I made there will last a lifetime.
