Third person, January 2021
Maryn turns to her friends and smiles. "Well? This is the last meeting I'm documenting for my project. What have you learned?"
Asher, who once was the shy friend who didn't want to share his thoughts, speaks first this time. "I know that I want connections with the people around me. But I never try, because I'm always afraid of what will happen. From now own, I'm going to just go for things, and see where they take me."
River nods her head and presses her fingertips together as she figures out what she wants to say. "I want to do fun things, you know? I haven't figured out what I'm going to do about that yet. I think generally, I just have to try new things and appreciate what I already have in life. Because I have so much. Life is full of experiences, and if you keep focusing on what could be different you'll miss out."
"Ayla?" Maryn turns to the last of the group.
She closes her eyes, and a bittersweet expression overtakes her features. "I think...I was spending too much time in my head. And because of that, I missed out on so many good things, that are real. I've learned that in real life, you don't live your fairytale dreams. Sometimes, real life sucks. Like when Lucas left, and I didn't know what to do with myself. But other times, it's really great. Like you guys, and all the great times we've had and will have together. And you have to remember those good moments."
Maryn folds her hands together.
She looks at each one of her friends before taking a breath. "I realize that I haven't shared a lot during these meetings. Partially because I've been busy writing down what you guys say. But partially because I somehow already knew what I wanted to say at the end. I've waited so long for high school, and now covid screwed it up. But I'm not going to focus on that. I'm so grateful. My family, friends and I haven't been affected by the virus. I didn't "get myself together" like I thought I would at the beginning of this journey. But sometimes, you can't do that in a certain time frame. Change takes so much longer than that. And I'm going to keep working on myself. Eventually, I will reach a point where I feel content, and satisfied and fulfilled. Right now, I'm just going to keep trying. Growth is continuous.
"And the story never ends with the book."
YOU ARE READING
The Story Doesn't End With the Book
Dla nastolatkówAt the beginning of the year, I was so confident that everything would turn out perfectly. It was supposed to be a great year. Full of potential. But no matter how many 'real life' stories you read, they never actually prepare you for real life. Whe...
