I’m just going to say it: I’m terrified to go back to in-person school and, in my opinion, reasonably so: My rare interactions with human beings over the past couple of months haven’t been the best. 

A couple of weeks ago, I tried opening the door for this really nice lady at Starbucks but instead spent 30 seconds trying to push it open when it clearly said pull and then dropped my phone, wallet, and hand sanitizer in her path so she had to wait an extra 2 minutes while I picked my stuff up.

Being in quarantine has somehow fueled my introversion to the point that I could be considered a hermit. To be fair, I’m short and have terrible posture, so I was basically already there.

But, honestly, I don’t mind not talking to people. I stay in my house all day and just vibe. Sitting in my bed and watching shows like “Avatar the Last Airbender” with a buttery bowl of popcorn never gets old. Being in quarantine just allows me to have so much more time for myself rather than stressing over everything I have to do every day. Because of the more relaxed school schedule, I’ve finally been able to find the free time to catch up on the books and watch the TV shows that I never seemed to have the time to read or watch. 

Also, for the first time in nearly six years, my entire family is living back at home, which has fostered a sense of competitiveness that I usually lack. We now have weekly board game nights that often result in screaming matches about who’s cheating and are having reading competitions to see who can read the most books by the time quarantine is over.

There’s something about being alone that offers a whole different perspective on what I could be spending my days doing. Most of the time, I just end up passing out for 75 percent of the day. But still, I’ve been trying to live a much healthier and less toxic lifestyle. I’ve stayed relatively out of drama and most people have forgotten my existence since I don’t really talk to that many people. And while I still crave a little bit of junior year tea, staying out of contact automatically makes you unproblematic.

My social life now consists of Facetiming two people interchangeably and bothering my labrador Zuko until he hides under my mom’s desk. 

The time away from in-person school just allows people to take a breather from the constant stress that high school is filled to the brim with. This quarantine won’t be forever, and it’s refreshing to just be by myself. If this is what it takes to help flatten the curve, then I have no problem with it.

Overall, these past couple of months have shown me that talking to people is not my strong suit. And honestly, I think I’ve accepted it.