Dawn and Dusk and Dawn Again

Prologue

    I know it sounds funny, but I actually expected my middle school years to be something like a straight line - normal, maybe even a little bland. I expected that I'd just be the same kid daydreaming about my own adventure, while sketching in the corner of my textbooks.
    As you've probably guessed, it didn't go in that direction.
    Right now, it's more like an uneven wavy line, with problems and drama slamming into me at every corner. They vary in importance, but each one certainly made an impact.
    Through all this, life still goes on. It always does, and that's one of the things I admire most about it. The sky is still the brilliant blue it always was, and the food they served at the cafeteria didn't get less hair-filled.
    From the outside, everything is as it should be. When it is anything but.
    Middle school really is The Time. The Time you discover yourself, or try to, at least; The Time you make mistakes; The Time you try to make up for them; The Time you make the most friends; The Time you lose the most; The Time you question almost everything you've ever known, or thought you knew, and navigate your way through it all, either singlehanded or in the company of others. It is the Golden Age. For everything.
    Hey there. I'm Ikrosia, and I would be honored to have you join in on my journey through middle school - get the best view of all my most embarrassing, relieved, joyous, painful, nervous and thankful moments, with a side of my absolutely adorable puppy, Cocoa. Come on, a puppy always gets you extra credit.
    Besides, it'll be fun.