While scrolling through my twitter feed a few days ago, I came across a tweet that initially bothered me. I only thought about it for a few minutes, but after logging back on later that day and seeing friends of mine responding to it through "quoted tweets," I thought I should take a moment to respond as well. Like most topics, however, 140 characters wasn't enough for me to explain what I felt.
The tweet read, "To all 8th graders: if you think your group will stay together all through high school, you are wrong."
After taking a few days to think about this tweet, I've come to the conclusion that it's beyond inaccurate.
You see, when you come from a small town and graduate from a small class, you realize how important everyone around you means to you. You've been through good and bad with your graduating class from the time you walked into your kindergarten class at the age of about six.
I became close with my "group" in junior high as an awkward little girl with braces and glasses. To this day, miles and miles apart from each other at different colleges, I still talk to each and every one of them almost daily.
Take Keish for example, I literally met Keish when I was six years old. She was only five. It was within our first few days of kindergarten when I knew she was a crazy little girl that I wanted to be friends with. After my second week of school, I started dance class. I walked in and the only familiar face I saw when I looked around the room was little Keish. That Spring she danced on stage by my side dressed as a little frog. From there we ended up in the same class EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. until fifth grade.
Alicia is another great example. Our friendship has been nothing short of rocky. We've gone months at a time without speaking to each other over stupid disagreements. However, Alicia has been by my side all throughout junior high AND high school. She has gotten me through some of my worst days and been there giggling by my side through my best days. Now, despite her being a Spartan, (ew.) we still talk daily. I'm not sure I would've survived my first semester of college if I didn't have her to rant about my roommates to constantly.
That brings us to Telly Peruski. She's a goon, but I love her to death. High school would've been rough without spending weekend upon weekend on her couch watching Law and Order: SVU, eating her delicious pancakes, and sitting around a bonfire in her back yard. Plus, I'm pretty sure none of us will ever forget the time we literally set her porch on fire. I even managed to catch it all on snap chat before deciding I should probably help water the fire. Now, she's in Mount Pleasant, approximately three hours from Dearborn, and she still lets me get ready in her room whenever I'm there to visit.
Oh, Katie Kociba. Things with Katie started off differently. After telling me I couldn't join in a game of tag at recess in first grade, I had some sassy feelings towards her. She was always one of the "popular girls," and I never was. We didn't really talk at all until I found her in almost every single one of my classes in eighth grade. I'm pretty sure Mr. Schmitt's eighth grade English class lead to our friendship. We found ourselves stranded in a room full of immature 14 year old boys, and we clung to each other. Hahaha. By the end of that class, we found our names on the English Department plaque at the Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony. Lots of classes together led to our friendship, which continued to flourish all throughout high school. Eventually she was spending every Fourth of July at my house, we were sitting in the back corner of Mrs. Kervin's classroom together "reading," we went to see Taylor Swift together, and she even made the 16 hour drive down to Destin, Florida with me in the ole mini van for spring break of our junior year. I haven't seen Katie in what feels like forever, but I'm counting down the days until Christmas break because I get to see her!
Overall, my "group" made it through all of junior high and high school together. Now, despite all attending different universities, we still try our hardest to keep in touch as much as possible.
So,
To all 8th graders, if you think your "group" will stay together all throughout high school, there's a very good chance you may be right. No doubt, you're going to experience some ups and downs along the way, but if your group consists of the right people, you'll stay together way beyond high school.
