Hello. It's Us.

Our unannounced, year-long break has finally come to an end. In other words, we're back and starting fresh. It's good to be back. Change is a constant in life; it's unavoidable, so it is best to realize that sometimes it's good to refresh ourselves.

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Time to rewind a bit. 2014: a year of great change for us both. We were in the middle of everything. The middle year of middle school, standing in the middle of two crowds, torn between paths - in the middle of yes and no. 

Melissa: I didn't exactly fit in everywhere. Yet, it wasn't like I didn't exactly not fit in everywhere. Stereotypes and "groups" are common in most middle schools. And I guess, I had just enough of each in me so that I could be approached by everyone. But yet, I couldn't find a place that truly felt like home. I might have talked to everyone, but I talked very little. I only felt comfortable in my own company.

Ally:  I found this year start to rapidly pick up it's pace. It seemed sixth grade had lasted a lifetime and seventh grade was a race that I kept missing because of a blink. But despite that, I had so many memorable moments that year. As for groups, I came to a realization. It doesn't matter who you talk to. It doesn't matter where you sit at lunch. What matters truly is that if the friends you have are true friends. Crowds aside, I realized the friends I had, the close ones, the old ones, and the new ones all made me who I was.

Then, it was evolution. A level up. A "breaking out of our shell" time. Eighth Grade. This year. It was time. Time to choose ourselves. 

Melissa: We both knew that things would change this year. I finally found people whom I could call my "friends." I know it sounds cheesy and sappy, but it honestly made me happy. Humans...we weren't meant to live alone. Desperately wanting to fit in, to share our feelings with people, to share a kinship, a bond, with others - that's what makes us human. I'm kind of hard to "get to know." Like I said, I don't talk much. But I found people who understand me without me speaking, people willing to help me without me asking. And I took their outstretched hands, and I let them guide me to a path filled with confident sunlight.

Ally: Some of the many words I tend to live by are, "The two constants in life are change and growth". And I know that even as hard it is to accept it, things will inevitably change. I know this like the back of my hand and yet it's still difficult to feel okay with change. And that's alright. My friends have stuck by my side, and through trial and error I have made more friends, strengthened old friendships, and peacefully parted ways with some friends. However, I still feel like I could be more socially skilled, It's crucial to realize you are who you are and even though some people may not be pleased by the charisma techniques you have, it's important to be okay with them yourself.

So, you see, we changed. But it wasn't the end.

Friendship is an everlasting bond; it isn't a string - like some say - that can be tugged, broken, or retied. The connection between two friends isn't as pathetic or as weak as a piece of string. Friendship is like a gold rod. To have a friend is to exchange hearts - you exchange a piece of your heart for a piece of theirs under an oath that you'd guard and protect their heart with everything you have. Unless one fails to guard the other's heart or if the heart is thrown away or betrayed, the friendship between the two companions will last until death.

So, the overall meaning of this post is even as we drift in and out of different groups, our kinship as fellow writers, as fellow students, as fellow humans, and as friends will not vanish. Undoubtedly, our paths will always cross. Because we have exchanged a piece of our hearts. Because we have sworn an oath to support each other and to stand by each other until the end of time.