What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Felicity left California four years ago. She left her friends behind and once she'd settled in at her new home, she cut ties to them all within a couple of months. They attempted to talk to her but it was as if she had just walked off the face of the earth.
Now, she's back in Cali for her senior year. She looks different and is now regarded as a nerdy introvert. Almost no one recognises her which is what she wanted. She just wants to live out her final year and graduate before moving off somewhere else without anyone realising who she is. But if she didn't want to be recognised, why did she move back to her hometown?