After Amadea was inducted into our little squad, I didn’t spend that much time with her one-on-one. In all honesty, I was slightly intimidated by her presence. She was the new kid on the block and also a force of nature. She introduced us to the concept of swearing which took me a while to get used to, but eventually, I caught on. Her thinking of non-PG related content was mind-boggling and somewhat corruptive, in a good way. There was never a dull moment with her. Weird non-sequiturs, random pop culture references (usually SpongeBob), not to mention the classic dirty jokes were constant, which both entertained us and pissed off the yard duty person.
J: Do you remember how we met?
A: Okay so I just transferred to your elementary school in like 4th grade and I was making new friends, so Audrey and John started hanging out with me and introduced me to you [guys]. We had lunch together in the schoolyard!
J: Describe how you see yourself in the present and in the past. What’s the biggest difference between those versions of you?
A: I was obviously a lot younger and immature, so I didn’t really have a really strong sense of self. I think I was one of those cringe-worthy emo-weaboos which was pretty funny. I was trying really hard to fit some preconceived image of what was expected of me. Now I’m still trying and still immature [lol] but definitely not as much.
J: What is your favorite memory that you have of us or our friend group?
A: Yo! We all went to Japantown together in like 7th grade! That was such a big mood it was so cute. We took pics in a Pika Pika thing and Braeden was the cutest anime girl.
J: How do you think you’ve changed because of me or how has my influence changed who you are?
A: Honestly, without you, I don’t think I ever would have gotten comfortable with who I am. You have a somewhat understated and mellow demeanor, but it doesn’t keep you from being silly and enjoying yourself. You really taught me what it means to “be yourself”. I remember the eighth-grade dance and how you were quiet but you danced like a badass and how it was super funny and great and all that jazz. You were never trying to fit into a certain image, or at least it never seemed that way, and your humor really rubbed off on me. Which is great because you’re funny and I’m too loud sometimes.
J: Has high school affected your friendships?
A: High school has really expanded the number of people I hang out with since there are way more students than at my little Catholic elementary school. It’s obviously way more difficult to hang out with old friends from elementary, especially since they’re so far now. But the problem with more students is that it means more opportunities to become friends with [snakes], or just, like, people who don’t really care about you as much as you do them. Or people who are still so obsessed with their self-image and identity that they think they’re too cool for you.
J: What is your style? (if you have one)
A: I don’t think really have a style yet. I just like wearing things that look good and make me happy. On a day-to-day basis, I’m pretty bland, and when I’m feelin’ it, I’ll spice it up a lil. I thrift a lot because I’m #hellabroke, but I like cute weird logos and stuff like that. I wore black glitter tights under mom jeans one time; it was kind of a Look. I have one pair of musty ripped old vans I wear pretty much all the time, b/c again #hellabroke. I’ll listen to any kind of music as long as it’s good, but I’m partial to stuff with guitar and heavy reverb or sweet lyrics and melodies.
J: How do you think friends impact your actions?
A: Real friends are family. They the ones you gonna call up if you really need somebody and they will be there for you even when you’re really hurting. And visa-versa!
