  I’ve identified another inherent part of me. One of those traits I’ve probably had all my life and just forgot to notice. Whenever I meet someone or read about someone, I always identify with them. It doesn’t matter who it is. I always find something about them that we secretly have in common. And if it’s a person I know personally, I will amplify those similarities when I am around them For instance, Robin. Robin likes to laugh, but it’s a sad, bitter-sweet kind of laughter. She’s so sad all the time. She’s vibrant and good-humored but there is always this underlying theme oh “Oh shit…” whenever we’re around each other. We have one of those entirely fucked-up, co-dependent friendships in which we feed off one another’s sadness. Everything is louder, bigger, funnier, more tragic when I’m around her. Then there is someone like Dunn.
She’s had the worst adolescence of us all, and yet she’s the sunniest. Even though I find something really unsettling in her mania, that full-mouthed smile that really never goes away, I feel compelled to wear the same persona in her presence. It’s really sort of sick, in a way. Because I know she’s covering up some horrible things with those pearly-whites, and yet I just join in. Melissa. Suddenly I’ve very devout and everything is “sooooooo sweeeet!” or “sooooooo funny, oh-my-gosh!” And when I’m pretending to be having a “suuuuper” day around her, I feel dishonest and dirty.
From her, though, Melissa’s latest Christian exploits are genuine and sincere. My chameleon-emotions aren’t exclusive to my inner circle. They spill over to my parents, to my teachers, to the school bus driver and that kid who always opens to door to History for me. It dizzying. How long have I been doing this? Why do I do this? Do I even have a personality? Affectionately… Anna 
