Dear 8th grade me,

You're only fourteen, but you've been through so much.

You have three siblings, two who are just babies.

Your sister drives you absolutely insane, but you love her so much.

You've loved, argued, hated, and cried so much, especially through middle school.

But let me tell you a secret: you're almost through it.

High school (and then college) are just around the corner.

There will be new challenges, but they're going to do so much to shape you as a person. I think you're really going to like who we become.

You know, we both still love writing. I'm even still working on that next-generation Harry Potter fanfiction.

I work at that minigolf place, the one where we wanted to work at when we were nine.

I still play the flute, and we're still doing theater.

I even managed to snag us a boyfriend, though he's history to me now. 

Those two girls whose friendship you lost... It still hurts.

But you have to remember to learn from it.

Anger and resentment only leads to more anger and resentment.

We have new friends, who treat us better than the other two girls ever did. 

Our brothers, the ones we didn't really want? They snuck into our heart when we weren't looking, and we love them so much. I cannot imagine life without them.

They've grown so much. I can't wait for you to get to know them better. 

You have so much to look forward to. Don't miss out on it by looking back. 

You've got this. I can't wait for you to see our future.

Love,

You, in 2018