I just realized: All my friends, of whom I kept a pristine and unchanging mental image, are now in High School.

High School.

Where friends are supposed to do stupid stuff for each other "Because I've known you since third grade, man."

And you're supposed to finally come into your own thing, with the help of your friends.

But I'm without those kinds of things. All I have are friends whose knowledge of me is, without exception, "The Human Dictionary."

But I feel I'm more than that.

I'm the kid who knows to think before letting go of the brakes, who love a good swordfight, who loves to play as Kirby and over-use the B+down move.

I'm the kid who hates supremacists, who holds many people as a friend.

More to the point, I'm the kid who loves Georgia and all her quirky inhabitants.

Sure, the Internet has kept me in touch with a couple of my friends, but it's not the same. I can't just randomly show up at someone's door and say, "Hey! I thought of an awesome way to get across the creek," I can't come over to someone's house and bike off to the Mall to just hang out and do nothing, and I can't see how you guys are growing.


I don't know who you guys are talking about when you say, "Oh, yeah. She's really hot," I don't know the magic of Taco Mac, I've never been paintballing.

I don't know how well Angel's doing in Football, if Shadow can finally take responsibility, if Maverick can still weave through my best attempts at blocking his bokken and smack me in the sides.

I miss you guys, but I'm also a little afraid that I won't know anything about you when I finally do get back.