Summer semester is coming to a close, and the rest of our little "friend group" is beginning to return to Auburn. I never really felt like an actual part of the school family, more thrown into it than anything else, but appreciated having people to spend time with. The two people in the above pictures basically defined my first year of school- Cass was my roommate and best friend for a while and Jake was my boyfriend.

Cass and I spent a lot of time together, at first because we didn't know anybody else, but she met a lot of people and took me along for the ride. I always felt more comfortable around her than anyone else, and she made me feel at ease in the group of people I didn't know particularly well. She found a niche for herself and I kind of felt disconnected. But since she went home for the summer and most of us stayed here, it's been nice getting to connect with them in a way I wasn't able to before and building better relationships with the people that I spent the majority of my time with in school. It's weird now though, because when she comes back, things won't be the same- the people who stayed behind are more connected and she's sort of gotten left out, and the dynamic will have shifted. Jake, on the other hand, made me grow as a person, to get to know myself better and settle into my own skin, for which I am eternally grateful. Our time together is over, but I'll always remember the things he taught me.

It's just strange how the two people who were most important to me for all of my freshman year either won't be a part of my life anymore or won't have as much of an impact. I'm glad they went home though, because I've gotten more independent and feel as if I belong more than I did before.