Ryan O’Brien Monologue

It was the summer of all summers. I spent the last two months on my own with my best friends. With my parents being in Florida all summer, there was no stopping us. Sleeping late, out till five in the morning, having the time of our lives. Our summer started with a week in Wildwood. Knowing this was our last summer before college, we wanted to make it our best. Whether it was going to the beach, going to graduation parties, or just driving around Staten Island aimlessly, we were always having a great time. Each other’s company was enough to keep us happy, even if we were just in Wendy’s parking lot, blasting music in the car. When the last week of summer was coming to an end, I began to lose control of my emotions. These were the people I grew up with. I’ve spent just about every day with them since elementary school, and now we would all be hours away from each other. My best friends made me the person who I am today. They are my support system. Without them, I would be nothing. Out of all of us, I was having the most difficult time. I have never been an outgoing person when it came to meeting new people. The idea of moving into a new place with strangers started to terrify me. As move-in day became closer, I was starting to regret my decision to go away to school. Move-in day was August 19^th, but class didn’t start until eight days after. How would I deal with these strangers for the next week? The morning I left for school I visited my best friend Megan, who has lived across the street from me my entire life. As soon as we saw each other, I began to hysterically cry. Megan was in shock; I never cry. I’m pretty sure the only time she has seen me cry was when I fell off of a seesaw in 3^rd grade. After I said my goodbyes, it was time to go. A short drive later and we arrived. I was the first one out of my roommates to arrive, so I got first pick of the beds. I looked around my room and thought, ‘Well, this is it.’ One by one, the rest of the kids on my floor started to arrive. As suspected, meeting my roommates was awkward. At this point, all I could imagine was the three of us awkwardly and silently living in this room together until the end of the school year. Fortunately, things got better over time. We slowly began to become more comfortable with each other as we started to learn more about each other. Slowly but surely, everyone on the floor became friendly with one another. Who would’ve thought? Ryan O’Brien making friends. Although I was still awkward, I found people who luckily accepted my awkwardness. I came to this school thinking I would never find people as great as my friends back home. However, these guys come pretty close. There are eleven of us who we call “the Family.” Every Sunday we have family dinner, where we take turns cooking. Our “family” is just like any other, we have our drama but we would be lost without each other. I am so grateful it turned out the way it did. I have even introduced some of my friends from home to my new friends, and we have had a couple of great nights together. It feels great to have new amazing friends and to know I have friends who love me back home as well.