The first day back at my seventh grade filled me with layers of excitement that were not present when I began my sixth grade year. For starters, the school administration didn't wreck my schedule like they did previously, even though it did happen to a few other people I don't know too well.

As a teenage boy, I shouldn't have been excited to be back in these classes. But things have changed since before. For once, my usual circle of friends were all still there and still together. Even with the new class roster I was getting, both my English and Math classes had most of the same people in them. As usual, Banarus sat with Malica, Maddison, and this time Laura, with the addition of another new person Ashly. But the true glory of each day would be sitting right next to or right in front of Malica in class. Just being near her again in person was so rewarding and uplifting, I blessed my luck for morphing from bad to good.

With my positive outlook on the rest of the school year, I studied my new class schedule with eyes of joy. There wasn't a way to see ahead of time and know who was in each class, so the first day back was hectic. Everyone buzzed around the halls looking for their friends, comparing the notes, and piecing together who went where. Most of the classes sounded the same, only being a grade level higher, but the timing was switched around too.

Looks like my elective this year is music, which could be interesting. I'm also happy that it is followed by Gym, since exercising early in the day sucks the most. With little to complain about, I made way to all of my classes throughout the day, enjoying above all my math class. With the whole gang there, everyone was happy to have me sitting there, mostly because it was what Malica wanted the most.

Even on the first day back, we were able to converse with ourselves and joke around like we used to, making ourselves laugh while Banarus had her fun teasing Malica and me about the crazy things we did or didn't do over the summer. Our little relationship was still moving slowly, but I was proud of that development. After all I have seen on TV shows and heard from rumors around the school of other girls talking about their problems, there seems to be a common theme among teens who hook up and break up. That theme is that the relationship moves way too fast.

It made sense to me, the idea of taking things slow and playing it by ear. I'm sure Malica on some level wanted me to be a little more physical with her. Deep down, I wanted that too. But I also knew the virtue of caution. Not only have I never done this before, there was only so much I could expect from myself. I'm only 14 year old, and Malica is actually thirteen. I understood that any fantasies of living together or getting married one day were better left to the imagination years later, once I am even more certain of everything.

But it didn't stop the two of us from getting all mushy with each other, ignoring the watchful eyes of anyone around us. I certainly didn't care if Banarus or anyone else teased us about anything; what remained important was how I felt through all of it. And from what I could tell, Malica was enjoying this as much as I was.

Still, among Malica's group of friends, word got around pretty quickly that the two of us were dating, which was the reason random chicks I didn't know the same day in other classes asked me about dating Malica Moringstar. They were friends or acquaintances of hers, and their reason for asking was simply to hear a cute summer love story still in progress.

For the most part, we all slipped back into our usual habits despite having new classes. I sat with mostly the same people at lunch, including Veronica who only accepted me in their group because I could apparently handle any conversation. Unfortunately, I was now used to hearing any discussion, including the kind of things only girls should know. Some found it respectful, others found it weird. I was still capable of behaving girlishly myself, but I no longer did so automatically. Before, it felt like I was being shoved into behaving that way, but now I felt I had a bit more freedom to mess around with.

My English class was a little more involved too, with my teacher as Ms. Dang. Only Banarus and Maddison were the familiar faces that time, but I still got to have my own kind of fun in there. Writing turned out to be my natural talent and strong suit. I was born with that gift, but I only became aware of it in the fifth grade, when a certain teacher encouraged that talent to come out in full.

Of course Gym was the same as ever. Laura and Kaitlyn were still in that class too. Despite what happened before, Laura seemed to change her behavior around me the most; as if she were a completely new person, and always laughing at something too. I guess since she realized that I was dating Malica, the untruthful idea that I still had a crush on Kaitlyn fell apart. Of course, it also seemed like she and Kaitlyn weren't acting as one pair anymore. Maybe they had some kind of falling out or something?

It didn't matter. I managed to make newer acquaintances in all classes including gym, all by latching onto the people I knew, and interacting with their friends which I didn't know as well. There wasn't that many people to talk to in that regard, but as the day grew older, we all found our balance for focusing on academics and social communication pretty quickly.

For my last elective class, I had Ms. Patterna, the music teacher. Apparently we were going to learn guitars and notes instead of focusing on other instruments. I tried to care on the first day, but it was hard for two reasons. The first was that my taste in music made all of the reference material to me sound like bollox. I was only interested in real orchestra masterpieces, not the demo list of garbage they wanted us to focus on.

The other reason was a small yet welcoming surprise to me. Malica was also in this class, though none of her other friends were. Laura was there, but she and Malica were not directly friends with each other, they only shared the same pool of friends. While it did make the material difficult for me to focus on, I decided that I would pair up with her for any pattern assignment every time, no matter what! And when the time comes, maybe I can become the class clown here too.

Yep. Life was pretty good this time around. Thinking back, I still have no idea how this all happened. I entered middle school with no friends or social connections whatsoever. And because I couldn't help but act like a weirdo, becoming as girly as possible, which unintentionally raised my popularity with the people around me, it all led up to this moment. I had people I considered at the time to be friends, and a cute girlfriend on top of that. Not to mention, by constantly telling stories and getting each other to laugh, the experience overall gave me a better handle on how to be more social in the first place, even though I was still awful at taking that first step. Unable to start a conversation easily, I knew for sure how to keep one in progress going.

My capacity for making even more friends should have shot up as a result. In time, I knew I would get to know even more people, while strengthening the bond with Malica at the same time. Of each passing day of my life, I could only grow happier with a more positive outlook on life...

How naive I was at the time. I had yet to learn a difficult lesson all people do growing up; that nothing lasts forever.