Finally at peace

By Isabella P.

Two years ago, Samantha Perales, a junior at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, had just begun her first year entering as freshman with her three friends since grade three, being in elementary and middle school together. The four friends never had problems until their first year of high school together.

Going into high school, Perales had developed new traits and new interests such as having colored hair, and looking a bit “emo” compared to them, being quiet rather than loud as they were, and more. These new traits and interests had set aside Perales from the rest of her friends.

“All 3 of them had the same interests and same taste in guys and they started getting similar and they had the same sense of style and I didn’t have any of that,” said Perales.

Through Perales’ freshman year, she was rejected by her friends several times. Perales would dye her hair monthly and her friends wouldn’t adore it so much. She was unable to hangout with her friends sometimes to the point where her friends disliked her for that too. Perales felt sad and annoyed when her friends would leave her out and have her walk behind her at school as if she was an outsider.

“They never wanted to be seen with me,” Perales claimed,” they’d always tell me that you’re out of place. I would try to include myself and they would get mad at me then tell me that I don’t talk to them and I’m so quiet.

Soon, by the end of freshman year, Perales fell out of the friendship after being denied by her friends several times. Having no friends in high school made being at Yerba Buena exceedingly difficult for Perales, especially since Perales is an antisocial-type of person, but Perales realized that talking with people and interacting isn’t all what high school is about. 

“I hated school enough as it is and the only thing that really was alright with coming here was my friends,” said Perales,”I eventually ended up falling out of that too, so it was really hard coming back here, but I eventually I realized being alone is kind of alright too.”

Since the time of quarantine in 2020, Perales had found her sources of happiness: music, art, reading, and nature. After the break-up between her friends and her, Perales kept herself occupied with the following activities as school continued on.

Perales listens to music on a daily basis whether at school, home, out for a walk, or doing any other activity she loves. She loves music and continues to explore different artists such as The Weekend, The Neighborhood, Chase Atlantic, etc..

“I listen to a lot of different types of music. I like jazzy types of music and instrumental types of music,” Perales said, “I listen to a little bit of everything.”

Other than listening to music, Perales enjoys being out in nature and reading often. She loves being surrounded by green, her favorite color, and reading because it makes her feel peaceful, calm, and sometimes even at the tip of her toes as her book is reaching its climax.

Perales says, “I think with, you know, the plants give air the plants let us live. Being in a forest is better than being at a beach where there’s a bunch of people and everything, so I think that’s good.”

As Perales scores to be at her best mental being, she continues to try her hardest to fight through the toughest times in her high school experience.