Aria's Story

~ Chapter 28 ~

~~Five Years Later~~

High school has changed the people around me, for the good and sometimes for the worse. But if one thing is true; you find out who your true friends are. People say high school is about getting an education and getting in a good college to succeed in life. Well, to me, I think high school is about having the time of your life and is about making memories and good times that will last forever. The truth is, you need both of them to succeed in life. High school is hard, there's no doubt about that, but if you can get through high school, I believe that you can get through anything. High school teaches you a lot of life lessons and sometimes it doesn't stop at the end of the school day, it follows you home most of the time. Though some days can be a struggle, it's very important to have something that will motivate, inspire, and help us stay strong and positive and keep moving forward in life.

They say that you should follow and chase down what you dream but if you get lost and lose yourself, what does that really mean? No matter where we're going it starts from where we are. There is more to life when we listen to our hearts. And because of Hunter and Nicole, I had gained the strength to start. When you surround yourself with good people, you start to look forward to the future and you start seeing the world as a much better place, and you'll feel happy and safe. Friends can help guide you in the right directions but they can never chase your dreams for you, that's something only you can do.

I never expected to be here; sitting down on this plain black comfortable chair, thinking about everything that has happened throughout high school and what's happening now. I never thought I'd be in recovery from the things I dealt with in high school and I never thought I'd be this happy, with the most amazing friends, and incredibly supportive boyfriend. Last year, I didn't even think I would have made it this far, turning 23 in just a matter of months. I was at my lowest point my senior year, and I didn't see any kind of future for myself. I got addicted to things that were destroying my body and that were so harmful and dangerous. I skipped school most of the time, and blocked out the world, and it really hurt me in ways not a lot of people would understand. My point is, I was a mess, and I was so scared of the future. I had to come back to school even though all of my friends were moving forward in life without me. But then I made new friends, really great and supportive friends. So don't be afraid of change, even though it may be scary at times, if I can make it through, so can you.

Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them but you know they're always there. I had a whole group of friends when I started my high school career but by the time it ended I was left with only one friend and one guy who stole my heart. I had to walk past people who used to be my best friends and now I feel like I don't even know them. Every person I talked to and were friends with had some sort of meaning to me and that will never go away. I lost friends, and I gained true friends this past year, and that's something that I'm proud of. I'm glad I met my true friends.

Blair Harrington was one of my past friends and I'm not too sure if she would have stayed or not. She left for boarding school at the time where the rest of my friends were giving up on me, the time where they all left me. Her parents found her making out with her step-brother in the basement of their house, and told her that they want nothing to do with her anymore. Not only that, though. She got pregnant by her old boyfriend and now she's being a mom and going to school, she's always been so strong and I'm happy to know that she's working hard for everything she wants. I wish there was some way I could speak to her again. But even though she's struggling right now, I know she's going to be okay.

"Is everything okay?" Danielle Wilburn often asked me. She was the closest friend I had but she left me when she realized she couldn't help me. After that, we got into tons of fights which lead to us not speaking to one another anymore. She beat me up and that was when I knew she wasn't ever going to be my friend again, and I was glad I realized that then.