A sea full of stars

The first ten years of her life she struggled to belong.
She couldn't quite grasp the concept of friends,
Of people you trust, people to catch you when you fall.
People who throw surprise parties, instead of letting you wonder whether or not you're invited to their birthday.

Until she was 13, she thought she had found those friends.
That was when she learned how much words and letters can hurt you.

That was when she started to become herself.
She realized that no matter how much she tried, a puzzle piece in the wrong box would never find its place.

So when she was 14, she started to stand up for herself.
Decided to stand tall when someone laughed about her hobbies or dreams or hopes.
That was when she learned that you can let things get to you, pr you can close them off.
Lock them away and toss the keys.

At 14 she found her real friends.
For the first time, she didn't have to worry about belonging.
They weren't always the same, some came, some went after a summer trip and some stayed.
And then, when she sat alone in her bed, worrying about it all, there were people calling her, making sure she was going to be alright.

At 17, she decided to move away.
The biggest decision of her life, made without a second thought.
Her friends too started finding their callings in different cities, countries, on different continents.
And she hoped she would to.
This is as much her story as it is everybody else's, and it is a love story, but mainly it is the story about how you should face your fears and live the way you want to.