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I discovered Kik about a year and a half after I met the four, and shortly after that, I found out that they all had a Kik. Feral Heart became less and less frequent, and Kik more and more of a daily thing. I spoke to all of them every day, sometimes even into the wee hours of the morning, but it was so worth it. I found out what Alex looked like, and what Pop looked like, and in turn, the four knew what I looked like. I still didnt know Pop's name, however, but she didnt know mine, so she was simply Pop, and I was Gad. It may not have been smart, but I have to say that I trusted them. A lot. Maybe not with my life, but I trusted them. Feral Heart was a once-a-month thing, perhaps even less, but I didn't need it anymore ti communicate. I texted Alex and Pop every chance I got. Much to my dismay, though, Galaxy and Night began to drift away. Alex became more secluded and short with me. It made me so sad that it was physically noticeable in school, with my real friends. I missed his sexual jokes, much to my embarrassment. I hardly spoke to Galaxy and Night anymore. And then I learned that Alex was actually a girl named Icely. Now, this didn't bother me as much as it should have. Actually, I accepted it right away, but she was still somewhat disconnected with me. Pop and I spoke every single day, but with Icely.. It was maybe once every two weeks. I have to say that it hurt. I missed the old times on Feral Heart, where we would lounge around in a big dog-pile and laugh over jokes and stories and random things that we all pitched in. I guess you can say that I had a hard time coping with it, letting go. I don't think I ever will let go. Icely still talks to me sometimes. They were the best friends I could ever ask for, no matter if they were across the roads, across the country, across the world. They meant a lot to me. Pop and I, we still speak, everyday if we can on Kik. She makes my day every time. The pictures she sends me, the stories she tells me, the drawings she sketches, the reactions to things I say. They all make me smile so hard that my cheeks hurt. She's basically the reason I am who I am today. Sure, I have seven or eight friends in my real life, but Pop.. Pop was something different. New. Unpredictable every day. She brings a
lot of color into my life, I can tell you that. Her advice leads to decisions that I end up liking.
For that, I am forever grateful, because even when some people may not understand, it truly
is wonderful. And I have to admit, I really do, that Pop's pulled me back from the edge ofdepression a few times. Whoever I'm glum and sad and overall DEPRESSED, teetering
INTO depression, she always says JUST the right thing to pull me back and make me laugh
so hard I snort. So, thank you Pop, if you're ever reading this. My friend across the roads
