Freshman Year

(I have finally convinced Missy to write a blog entry for our family blog)

The end of freshman year. I never thought it would end this fast. It feels as if just last month I was starting at Central Cabarrus, and here I am wearing a CCHS Viking’s T-shirt that has phrases like, “best friends forever” and “I’ll miss you”. When the truth is… they aren’t my best friends, and if you really think about it, I won’t miss them, and they probably wont even remember me next year.


Honestly, I won’t miss Central one bit over the summer. No, I will miss every bit of Central. At Central Cabarrus, there’s more to life than homework and test scores. There is a whole other life. My freshman year has been filled with this other life; some of the good and at times it felt like most of the bad. The other life at CCHS, is a life not many have found yet. (Those are the people stumbling to your left, who are also violating the dress code and disrespecting the faculty) I had a hard time recognizing this life. This other world. I pushed and shoved it away when it came to me with open arms. These last few months however, I have found, this other life is a place where people know who their true selves are. I thought I knew who I was as a person in the beginning, but now I realize how wrong I was. I finally welcomed that side of Central into my life.

I have learned that life isn’t always easy, sometimes problems can come at you in multiple directions. That person you wanted to believe you could “love” “forever and always”, sometimes you just can’t. Sometimes love isn’t always true. Sometimes, you have to take a step back and look at things through the eyes of an adult. Sometimes, you have to break someone’s heart. And when your real best friend starts to branch out and find herself, sometimes you have to hold dear the old memories and make room for the new. I have learned people will make attempts to hurt you, but whether they fail or succeed is your choice to make. Sometimes it isn’t your choice though. Sometimes, you will get hurt, you will fall down, but when you pick yourself up and hold your head high, that is not defeat. That is courage and bravery. I have learned to hold on to friendships others throw away. To forget about all the hurtful remarks and make friends with the boy whom used to tease you in the sixth grade. (Usually, those people have an amazing story to tell that will warm your heart and hold onto them tight so they can’t get away.) To look back on friendships (and yes, even the boyfriends you weren’t allowed to have) and remember all the good times you had and trash all the bad.

Most of all, and this one was the hardest, I learned to stop trying to change myself for other people. I learned to except myself as the person I truly am. I learned that if I can’t be myself around someone then I shouldn’t be around him or her at all. If you are constantly taken aside and told how to act, then that person isn’t worth your recognition. I have many friends who are dealing with this problem right now. They know who they are, but people are telling them to change. It’s a constant battle for control… a battle I once fought too. I choose to fight it or be apart of it, no more. It’s wrong to try to change people. They are who they are, whether you like it or not is your problem.

I am who I am…and I have a lot of growing and changing (on my own, I may add) to do. And yes, I will miss those dreadfully cruel eight hours of my day being wasted. I may even miss the homework, oh no, sorry, that was a typo. The correct statement would be: I will NOT miss the homework, or the eight hours. My apologies to my teachers but honestly, (on a lighter note) IT’S SUMMER!!!

- Melissa Riley