The primary group

Of course, it left some marks on me. I'm now genuinely scared. I'm scared to feel too much, and I sometimes find that I force myself to turn my head away. I wasn't much more open about my feelings before this; I'm used to hiding behind glass masks. This world is built on cruel ground; you learn to harden along the way.

Then I guess I was indeed hurt. I'd pretend I wasn't. I pretended it was nothing, or that it was supposed to be like this. But the feeling of wanting something or someone in such a pure, earnest, and powerless way, but not being wanted back with the same intensity - no, far from it - is extremely painful. It was as real as it could get for me. As a consequence, I now subconsciously force myself not to lose my guard or let go.

I can't. I'm scared. I won't. I don't want to allow myself to feel too much anymore. Even if I were to get lost in the sudden bombs of intimacy and its aftermath, I wish to pull myself away as soon as the option becomes possible to me. I don't feel safe to expand my tentacles of feelings and grant my trust to people so easily anymore.

I am so vulnerable.

Lost in the steel and concrete structures, where most people choose to shield themselves so they won't need to feel, I am out of place.

Then I suddenly got my group of friends. My girl crush is most probably going to go through a breakup soon. Teacher Li went through a pretty bad heartbreak half a year ago. I told them we should have made this "breakup/heartbreak help plan" a long time ago because I "fell in love with a playmate" last eight or nine months, and without you guys being there for me, I was often crying myself to sleep. Aren't we Chinese too soft and too ready to fall in love or be in relationships??? 

Now we've established the "breakup/heartbreak help plan" in our group: whenever one of us is going through something like that, we make sure to take them out for food, have a ride in the Miata, sing on the beach, and enjoy karaoke together. Crying or getting drunk by oneself is dangerous and unhealthy; we will cry and laugh together.

And we just realized my 14-year best friend Sandra and my girl crush are both Miata fans. I sent Sandra photos of the friends who are coming to Sunday dinner, and she immediately recognized that my girl crush has a Miata. I had no idea. These two Chinese Miata fans must be the rarest creatures in the Miata community, and I am so glad that they found each other through me. I expect hours of nonstop Miata talks between the two.

Just like that, my heart felt full.

I'm still scared, and I still suppress most of my feelings and emotions so as not to get hurt, but laughing at the jokes we crack throughout the day makes my heart full. More than that, knowing I now have a group of friends I can talk freely with about everything and anything, and who care for me as intensely as I care for them, makes my heart truly full.

It makes me strong.

They make me strong.