How Times Change
Consecutively Thursday and Friday, I took my nights off to enrich and learn about others. Last night, I caught up with Jake. Oh how times change.
‘I don’t news and I don’t literacy but I feel more like myself than I have for a long time’
Not Jake’s exact words for the second part.
But yes he doesn’t news and he doesn’t literacy.
Obviously.
He’s all numbers.
He studies Electronic Engineering with Space Systems at the University of Surrey.
He’s currently on a year in industry.
It was nice to catch up.
But it was even better to see him like I remember him to be.
Let’s rewind.
Jake and I know each other from Beths Grammar School.
He didn’t join at the start, but after Christmas in Year 7.
I always forget when he actually joined because my only known fact was that he wasn’t there from the start.
But when he joined he wasn’t in my friendship group.
Jake is pretty good at football so he became friends with that group.
At some point he became friends with someone in our group, might’ve been Will.
And since then I’ve known Jake as a good friend.
I remember this specific memory from a trip to Bluewater when he got particularly angry because we left Bluewater without him.
He was emotive.
An extrovert around people he’s comfortable and shy around those who are new to him.
As he puts it, and pretty bang on.
Until you get nine Disaronnos down him.
Specifically nine as I found out last night.
For someone who was shorter than most (although I was equally as small), he made up for it with his character.
A loud, fun-loving and incredibly intelligent person.
We went until Year 11 and he excelled in his exams.
When it comes to exams, Jake and I are polar opposites.
My A Level grades came as a shock to Jake and I’m sure to many others.
Jake did amazing and landed his first choice at Surrey.
Before then, Year 12 came around and that’s where I started to see a change.
I never spoke up.
I wasn’t even sure of myself.
So how could I judge someone else?
Also I had built a negative feedback loop of speaking up and ending up in trouble.
I became very quiet.
For Jake and I, we both changed in sixth form.
In some respects, we both became more reserved.
Calmer.
I was calm before but I was definitely less vocal in sixth form.
Jake lost that infectious character.
He was still great, but not the same.
Jake and I spoke about how important it is to be yourself.
How he found his group and felt the freedom to let loose.
It took him till second year to reach that point.
Around four years since he’s back at that point.
Granted I haven’t seen him in two years.
But it was different this time.
He was laughing and joking like he used to.
I remember school vividly.
A lot of things that happened, good and bad.
Jake noticed I’ve changed too.
We’ve both changed for the better.
He told me about all the times he’s done stupid stuff.
But it didn’t matter, because it was him being closer to who he feels he is.
And that’s all that matters.
All I want for all my friends from today and the past is for them to be happy with themselves.
Rest assured Jake is happy.
How times change