As the semester winds down, I still have time to salvage my friendships, because none of them are going to Chicago anytime soon. Recently, I emailed Ricky, asking him for one last chance, and he told me that the only way we could be friends again was if my friends and I moved to Chicago, and they would be friends with him, too. I told them about it, and they all said no, so I rejected his offer. So the friendship between me and Ricky is finally over after seven years, and I'm ready to move on. I've never felt more free than I am right now, and that's because I have real friends on campus. I would've felt sad that it had to end this way, because after all, we were good friends for the first six years. And then it fell apart when I blew off a meeting with Ricky when he came into Charlotte. If I had known that it would've gotten this bad this fast, then I would've dropped him on that day. Now, I'm focusing on patching things up with my remaining friends, and I'm tired of taking them for granted. I've read somewhere on his blog that he's been seeing a therapist about his anger management issues, and it's a good thing that he's getting some help on that. However, even after he's resolved those issues, neither one of us has any reason to be friends again. He has his own set of friends, and I have mine. Hopefully, with him out of the picture, I can focus on improving my friendships, and I blame him for letting my GPA drop a few points. With five weeks left, I hope to get it back up as quickly as I possibly can, and if I can survive the dreaded finals, then I'm home free. Soon, it'll be time for the Spring semester, and I already have a good idea of which courses I should take next. I will look over my schedule and mark some courses that I plan to take. Currently, I have 54 credits left, and I'm just taking it one day at a time. The next time I pay for classes, I will have some additional assistance, because I've been approved for a Federal Pell Grant. The Financial Aid department sent me a letter informing me of the approval, and it's a huge relief on my wallet. Since I paid for the Fall semester by check, I will be reimbursed for the fees, and I can also use some of the remaining funds for the Summer semester, as well as transportation to and from school. The new semester will start in January, and I can't wait to go back to class by then. I know for a fact that most of my friends will also return, so I will be able to see more of them. And sometime this summer, I'm planning to take some lucky friends to Atlanta. I will inform them of my decision in May. I can't wait to see the ATL next summer, and I know that it will be a very special trip for me, because I'm sharing it with my friends. Until then, I have the next semester to get through, so wish me luck!