You and Astrid were the weird kids. The outcasts.

The laughing stock of the school — ever since kindergarten — everyone made fun of you, but at least you were weird together, right? Even while you got yelled slurs at, and hit, you were still there for each other.

You had been best friends since the start of school, instantly clicking. Even when you got older, and while everyone in middle school was having petty drama and leaving all their friends for stupid reasons, you and Astrid stayed.

You silently made fun of the people that made fun of you. You made fun of the popular kids. The kids that succumbed to peer pressure. The kids that thought the world revolved around them.

Just the two of you, judging the world.

Until there was one summer. You both usually spent summers together because there was no one else to spend it with — but this year, Astrid was staying with her grandparents so she barely got to talk to you aside from the few phone calls.

And today, the first day of school after summer, you looked completely changed. She walked into the courtyard, seeing you with a new posse of girls. The girls you both used to make fun of.

You looked different, exactly like what you and her resented — used to at least. You grew your hair out, had more make up on, you’d lost weight, the braces you used to have had turned into a tongue piercing, along with a belly button piercing that was visible in the top you wore which showed your stomach and cleavage, you had low rise jeans on, some belt, and tons of cool jewelry.

You carried yourself more lightly and confidently, already writing down your number for people and looking other people up and down while looking back to your new friends, laughing at them.