Out of My Comfort Zone

June 12

We’re all in the back of the auditorium, we could hear families settling down in their seat. Everything just
hits me all at once. I don’t know what to start thinking. These people who’ve i’ve been in the same classes with for
almost 10 years are all going their separate ways. I mean yes, I’m still going to be in the same high school as some
but it’s just crazy to think of how this is the last time i’m going to spend this day with the whole class of 2015.
These people are like my family, including the whole staff, who has watched me grow every year since Pre-K.
Today is the day I’m graduating.

“Everyone please settle down, settle down,” our principal happily announced to the audience. “Here we
have today a special memorable moment for us and these wonderful kids, who I even consider my own children…
Class of 2016”, our principle continued. All of us in the back are just goofing around, enjoying each others
company. But the graduation ceremony starts playing and it all hits us and we start getting nervous and overly
excited, “yooo before this ceremony begins we should have a group hug,” said emotionally. We all group up and
hear “awes” and “ews”, we were one big happy family. One kid comes out from each door and we could hear
everyone cheering, “whooohooo”, we would even hear parents proudly shout, “That’s my kid!”. As the line starts
getting close and closer to me, it’s finally my turn. I see my whole family cheering me on and I can’t help but smile
the entire way I walk down the aisle. Finally, all graduates including me walk out through the front door and it’s just
a relieving feeling but yet strange.

Throughout elementary and middle school, I was one of the “quiet” kids, especially in middle school. We
all know that in middle school there’s certain friend groups. We got the popular kids, nerdy type, shy kids, etc. Me
being one of the quiet kid, my friends were also quiet. It’s not that I hated speaking to others, it’s just that some
situations would be awkward. As 8th graded ended, I realized I wasn’t acting like myself. There was two way too
different Vanesa’s, one at home and another at school.

Summer days

Summer was passing by so quick and there was no way to stop it. I made a couple new friends during
Freshman connection and it was comforting. Getting to know new people and just being in a “new” environment.
Even though for high school I literally just moved up one floor, since I graduated from TCA. But yet, I was still
nervous to start this whole new “High School” thing. Maybe because I went from being the “top dogs” in middle
school to being the little new kids in high school.

First day etccc

Everything went pretty smooth my first day. I had my cousin showing me around and what not so that
definitely made it better. Almost in each of my classes I recognized some familiar faces that I met during freshman
connection so it was a welcoming feeling. The week after went on and it was the same as usual.

I crawled out of my shy shell and began talking in class and communicating more with teachers, such as staying
after school for help and asking questions in class.
October

My last period we had a substitute and as wrong as it is but us being kids, we would just goof around in
class. Since it was still the beginning of the school year, we were still getting to know each other. Me, Dylan, and
Jonathan began talking, adding each other on social media and just playing around doing what we weren’t supposed
to do. Something about the connection between Dylan and I was different.

It was finally the weekend, Dylan and I began talking a lot more. As time went by me and Dylan began
getting closer and expressing how we feel about each other more than friends. We spend months and months talking
more than friends instead of moving into things so fast. We didn’t consider each other as “just friends”, it was way
more than that. We acted as if we were already in a relationship but without a label. We would also argue about
certain things. Of course this was my first time having any sort of a relationship with a guy that was more than
friends, so I was new to all this but it wasn’t a weird feeling. I was comfortable with the whole situation and that was
my favorite thing. We got through everything together and stuck by each other all the time.

May
We became official but I mean it didn’t feel like anything new. Like I said before, it already seemed as if
we were in a relationship. We would spend as much time with each other whenever we got the chance. Everything
was just going so well with my relationship and even school.

As time went by, I was being myself finally and it was one of the best feelings. I wasn’t that “shy” “quiet”
girl anymore. There was some classes that teachers had to move me away from talking way too much and goofing
on.

Summer break

Everything started to feel so distant. Some may say, it only felt this way because it’s summer break where
we don't see each other everyday in class. We would still hang out when we could but nothing really felt great. Some
communication was lacking and it just didn’t feel the same anymore.

We talked about it one day and decided to just break it off. No, it’s not that we gave up on each other
because i mean there was still love (i think) but the lack of effort and communication was drifting. It wasn’t a rough
break up at all because at the end of the day we let each other know how much we still cared about each other.