All my life I have been a reserved kid. I would never really get into trouble, but I had a bit of a hard time making friends. The only friends I had were my two cousins that lived in the apartment above me. Up until the later half of third grade, I didn't have many friends so my days were filled with loneliness. I also didn't really like school. I would always beg my mom to let me stay home and the result of all my skipping was that on the final day of my first third-grade year, I got a letter saying I would be held back. My reaction was that I would lose the small amount of friends I had, which was a nightmare to me and made me dislike school even more than I already did.

Eventually my family had to move, and I moved away from my two cousins. I had to switch schools, which felt like a fresh start for me. During the move I made a vow to myself that I would make friends and not allow myself to get held back again. My first day at the new school eventually came. I started a month later than everyone else, and my first day was typical for a new kid. Everyone was intrigued at the new face. Me? I was a little bewildered, but my teacher introduced me to everyone nonetheless. She told me to sit next to someone who introduced himself and his friends, one of them being a kid named Brennan.

Eventually recess came along and I told Brennan that I would climb to the top of the highest place I could reach and jump off. I wanted to impress my new classmates. I climbed up to the top of the Spider Pyramid Net, a ten foot tall tower made of netting. Looking down, I stood there for a few moments and thought about my previous anti-social ways. Then, I took a breath and jumped.

I flew through the air and then landed on the ground, doing a roll to break the fall. I stood back up with my head held high. My new classmates gasped and cheered for me. After that a lot of people started talking to me more and that’s how I met my lifelong friends. Around eighth grade I started to revert back to my awkward behavior from the past because I was going through puberty at the time, so I was trying to figure out who I was. Luckily, I still had all of my friends.

Then highschool started. I still had my friends from middle school, but I wouldn't be able to see them everyday like I did before. I wasn't too discouraged because I had started a new school before, so I knew I could do it again. I couldn’t make friends by jumping off of a Spider Pyramid Net, but I had more confidence in myself and my ability to make friends. Eventually, I found other people with the same interests as me. I was still somewhat reserved in my first meeting with them, but as the years went on, my new friends helped me come out of my shell even more, and I am genuinely happy I've met them.

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