The first day of 8th grade felt different.
Gone were the worries of middle-school awkwardness.
Grace walked into 8A with Julian, Zoey, Ella, David, Dylan, and Ethan following close behind.
She felt… confident.
Powerful, even.
Because this year, she wasn't just a girl surrounded by friends. She was the center of a circle that had solidified over the last two years.
Julian walked beside her, hand brushing hers lightly. She didn't pull away.
"Ready for a new year?" he asked quietly.
Grace smiled. "With you and the group? Always."
Across the hallway, the rest of the friends were settling into their own classes:
8B Nate, Claire, Peyton — still competitive, still fun.
8C: Lucy, Adrian, Audrey — Lucy looked more reflective this year, calmer, aware of the group's bond.
8B: Theo and Zoey — Theo had learned to respect Grace and Julian's connection, Zoey had grown even closer to Grace.
Even Lily was around — watching from a distance, clearly still interested but noticeably cautious after last year's events.
Zara, meanwhile, lingered in the background, her plans for disruption quietly simmering.
At recess, the squad assembled immediately:
Grace, Julian, Zoey, Ella, David, Dylan, Ethan.
Everyone fell into their easy rhythm: jokes, teasing, small competitions.
Julian handed Grace a small notebook he had decorated over the summer.
"For… notes, doodles, maybe some reminders of how amazing you are," he said, slightly teasing.
Grace laughed. "You're ridiculous."
"But you love it," he said with a small grin.
And she did.
Lunchtime brought the next layer of the 8th-grade dynamics.
The group clustered together, still the loudest, most chaotic corner of the cafeteria.
Lily approached with a forced smile. "Hey… mind if I sit?"
Dylan, without missing a beat, whispered to Grace, "Yeah… nope."
Julian didn't even hesitate. "Sorry. Table's full."
Grace leaned back with a satisfied smile. "Maybe next time."
Even Lily had to recognize: she couldn't penetrate this group.
And as they walked down the hallway, side by side, Grace realized something:
She wasn't shrinking anymore.
She wasn't fighting alone.
She didn't have to guard her heart.
Because the past two years had built something stronger than she had ever expected.
And 8th grade?
It wasn't going to break them.
It was going to make them unstoppable.