Moving On

I put off going back to school because I knew my decision would be life-changing. I'm fairly change-averse in general, so making a quick decision to go bschool like I did was definitely abrupt. I knew it would affect my current relationships but that I would make new ones in their place. I was ready for a change, and a change I sure did experience. I gave up kickball and almost everything that came with it (read: Sunday afternoon beer pong tournaments, Monday morning hangovers and boys, boys, boys). I also gave up a ton of free time and a great deal of money. What I didn’t anticipate was giving up my house.

That sounds a little dramatic. I’m a renter and I have a roommate; this isn’t a tragic story about foreclosure fortunately. But it is a tragic story about two friends growing apart.

The roomie and I have been almost inseparable friends for over three years. She was one of my first real friends in LA, and I hers. We have experienced a lot of together, from boyfriends and one-night stands to job losses and family tragedy. We can finish each other sentences and even have coasters with our pictures on them.

When I got into Pepperdine, I was over the moon. My family was thrilled and I was not a little bit scared. I was sad to leave my relatively carefree life behind, but we’ve all gotta grow up sometime. I received (and still do receive) the most amazing support from everyone at work and even my little brothers think it’s great. But they don’t have to live with me.

From day one, the roomie wasn’t thrilled. I can’t put my finger on it, but her reaction was never what I had anticipated. While we remained good friends, our differences seemed to be exaggerated. Her work travel slowed down and I was either on campus, studying, exhausted or trying to catch up on my social life. Though I won’t get into detail on the interwebs, suffice it to say I need a place of my own.

I’m ready to make this change though too. I’m excited at the prospect of only having to stare at my own dirty dishes and clean my own bathroom. I’m excited to stay up late listening to music while I study or enjoy a blissful Sunday of homework, bagels and silence.

They say that going back to school and working full time is hard on relationships. I don’t have a significant other in my life so I thought I was exempt. Apparently not.