It was Zoe’s first day at her new school, the 18th of October, nothing special. She had just woken up, a pit of dread in her stomach, she had moved schools before, but not during her freshman year of high school. Begrudgingly she threw on the first thing she found and trudged down the stairs, deciding to skip breakfast, she grabbed a granola bar, just in case and walked out the door. Arriving at the school, all she could see was a sea of students, taking a deep breath, she dived, soon being enveloped by her new peers. Schedule in hand, she searched for her first class, a seemingly impossible task, considering the sheer size of her school.

She found that class all right, though she stumbled in ten minutes late, as she introduced herself to the teacher, she surveyed the class, none of which looked very friendly. Taking the only vacant seat, one of which was near a group of girls who gave her a rather nasty look as she sat down, Zoe couldn’t remember a time she felt more out of place. This seemed to be a constant feeling, throughout the day, she continued to feel out of place, and she couldn’t help but wish she were back in Vermont, it was so much prettier there and people were so much kinder, but here, in this rural town in Texas, she didn’t feel as though she belonged. In fact, she never felt she belonged there, all through the rest of high school, she was this quiet figure who ate alone, no one ever talked to her and she was fine with that, these weren’t her people and that was okay, but all she wanted was a place she could belong. Eventually she went onto college in New York and found a place of belonging there, but it was a rough four years.

My childhood was full of winding drives With you. Past snow capped, crisp mountains Snuggling close to my warm, red blanket Talking of nothing and everything Dreams of traveling the world Perhaps to beaches with water so crystal clear you can see to the deepest depths Or Jungles so thick every turn is an adventure Yet those were only dreams I moved away from these crisp mountains of my childhood Away from you. Conversations became fewer between Life became different, No late night talks of dreams, childish dreams, sure but they were ours; And that’s all that mattered Some nights, the aching isn’t noticeable, life goes on after all Others, I lay in bed contemplating, wishing you were with me Spending life with you. Life is short, after all Shouldn’t it be spent being happy Sitting by a fireplace, reading the latest novel Perhaps running in the pouring rain, feeling only bliss Yet, life is a rollercoaster It’s full of night’s you think you won’t survive Hours wasted waiting for the day to end Perhaps even medication taken simply to survive You see, life is terrible, yet it’s full of beauty Sometimes it’s only in the little things That walk you took after work The steaming pan of crisp, rich brownies you made on a Sunday afternoon After all, it’s just life- So go live, don’t just survive