"Those Days"

8 years ago I was a lame kid in junior high that kept to myself. I talked to my family and a select three friends but mostly I kept my thoughts in my head. I didn't know what I liked and my mom still picked my clothes out for me. My go to hair style was a messy bun or just brushed and the makeup I owned consisted of a fake camera that had eyeshadow, blush, and lipgloss in different slots. I listened to Justin Bieber and whatever anyone around me was listening to. I loved my cat so much I tortured her by wrapping her up in a blanket so tight she couldn't move and made her sit on my lap. My weekends consisted of playing sims more than I'd like to admit. Back then sims 2 was the thing to be playing. Even though I was 12+ I was still too scared to stay home by myself at night and my cousins had to babysit me while my mom was taking pictures at weddings. I didn't try in class and in response I would often be grounded from the TV and internet for 2-3 weeks at a time, which usually only lasted a week because my parents would forget or I would sneak TV in while they were asleep. Needless to say I was an awkward kid, but I was happy.

5 years ago I was 14 and started my Freshman year of high school. I had made a group of friends different from the rest of the kids at school. You could say they were a "darker" crowd. I still hold 2 of them close to my heart today. I never regretted the friends I made, only the arguments we had. I still didn't try in school and with the addition of a cell phone the punishments for bade grades turned into the phone being taken away. At this point I was getting sneaky and took the letters from the mailbox before my parents could see them in order to avoid trouble. I think I hid over 7 letters total. I would dress in only t-shirts from hot topic and wear makeup that looked like a fat crayon went around my eyes ten times. My hair was either black, bright red, or some other absurd color. I went to concerts, specifically warped tour, and listened to all the alternative bands you can think of. And yes, I even had the haircut. A friend referred to me as "the happiest emo kid in the school".

2 years ago I started to learn who I was as a person. I was a senior in high school and a "manager" (water girl) on the football team. I didn't have black hair, and I wore whatever I felt like at the time, whether it be a t-shirt or a nice shirt with an a-line skirt. I listened to whatever I felt like that day and I went to country concerts with my mom. I talked to as many people as possible and never wanted to be alone so I made friends with anyone I could. My grades weren't the best, but they were better. I was the happiest I had been in high school.

Today I am in my second year of college. Grades still don't come easy but I try, and I don't get grounded anymore. I still listen to Justin Bieber and I still have all those bands on my iTunes. I still go to country concerts with my mom and I still go to the alternative concerts. I'm not scared to stay at home by myself but I am still scared of being alone. I still talk to most of the friends I made in high school, and I've added a few more to my list of good ones since going to college. I have cat named Wayne and plan on getting more as I grow older. I've gotten better at makeup and I still have a few of my favorite band tees. I still keep up with how the football team is doing and I look back at pictures and smile. I still try to make as many friends as possible and I'm still an awkward kid. And I'm still happy.