High school self: Right now, you are probably sitting all alone in your room pretending that you like being by yourself but inside your heart is breaking because you have never felt so alone. You feel like nobody wants you or to be around you and it hurts. I know that at this point in time everyone is telling you "just you wait, it gets better" and you don't believe it for one second. But even though it's a cliche, I want you to know that it is true. Because it does get better.

Fast forward to college. All of a sudden, you have friends. For the first time in your life, you feel secure and loved. You have a wonderful core of friends who support you and seeing them is the best part of your day. Part of that is because you finally got some confidence in yourself. You finally worked through all the issues that were holding you back. You even have a boyfriend who is wonderful and you spend every day wondering how you got so lucky. School is no longer tedious and boring, because you're studying something you love. You don't feel stupid anymore and for the first time in your life, you actually feel confident in your flute playing. You go to football games willingly and stay the whole time. You cheer until your voice is hoarse. You find yourself trying new things and being sad that you don't have enough time to do all the things that you want. You enjoy working out and eating healthy. You do it because you want to. You feel like a whole new, better person.

I'm not saying it's all perfect. There are still times where you feel the old sadness creep up or you still feel left out and alone. Your old demons and issues aren't totally gone and sometimes they come back to haunt you. And that's okay. Now you start to value your time alone a lot more since it isn't the normal. Your smiles are large, genuine and a lot more frequent. You no longer feel burdened by the stigma that held you down back in Brecksville. You're happy and you don't want to come home.

That doesn't mean that you don't miss the important people from home. There are still a few key people in your life from home and you're very happy you have them. But for the most part, you have left your old life behind.

So high school me, as you sit sulking alone on the weekends just promise that you'll always know that it gets better. Because it does and it will. In just a few short years, you will be the happiest you have ever been and you will wonder how you ever doubted that it would get better.