The minute the sun comes down, the moon shines us with a white bright light. Without the beautiful bright light that the moon gives us every single night, it'd be dark, all the time. There are two bulges in the earth due to the gravitational pull that the moon exerts. One on the side facing the moon, and the other on the opposite side that faces away from the moon. The far side of the moon also called the “Dark Side” is never facing towards us, It could only be seen from space. The speed at which the moon rotates has led to this phenomenon. The side facing towards the sun is lit up, and the side facing away in the shadows. However, there are a couple spots on the moon which are in eternal darkness. Just like people, it covers the spots that they want no one to ever see.

When I first moved to Cromwell, like any other 13 year old girl I was scared I did not know what to do. Switching schools after being with my friends for over  6 years, I was heartbroken. When we first moved I did not know what to expect and how. So many questions were going through my mind who am I going to sit with at lunch?, who’s going to want to be my friend?, no one wants to be friends with the new girl. I went to bed the night before staring at the wall in nothing but a dark room, just as dark as the other side of the moon is.  I was so nervous I could not bare myself to this idea. Starting a new school tomorrow when there is 4 months left of school. WOW. Can someone please shoot me.

The next morning I woke up at 6:30 am, and as I got ready for school I could feel the anxiety and butterflies in my stomach flying like if they were trying to escape but couldn’t. As I was walking down the stairs to eat breakfast I looked out the window, looking at the white sparkling snow, and the moon looking as if it was sitting on top of the clouds.

“It’s cold outside and It might be snowing, so don’t forget to put your hat and scarf on” My Grandma said, as she was drinking her everyday morning coffee, “ You’ll be ok, trust me you’ll make friends”.

I immediately replied“ I hope I do because I'm terrified, like why does this have to happen to me” Trying to keep the tears in and shaking, I gave her a kiss, and left.

Walking outside to the bus stop was terrifying. That’s when I actually believed that I was switching schools. As the bus came and I got on it, I was confused on how the school would be all because I was on the bus and there was not many kids not it. Just breathing in that cold winter air. I start hearing the bus come to an end, the bus doors open. I'm here,  Well at least I got on the right bus.

When I entered the school I could not find the office, as I started walking around I found a teacher that was right down the hall.
“Um, excuse me Miss but can you tell me where the office is I’m new and I can’t-”
“Ok, first take of your headphones you're not allowed to have it in school.  I'm Miss. Lynch, and you passed the office. The office was on you right when you came, go straight back and it’s going to be on your left”.

“ Ok thank you”

That was awful I haven’t been in the school for a good  5 min and I already got in trouble. Yup this is definitely going to suck, there’s no way it’s not.

When I finally found the office a breathe of relief came to me, I felt like I was almost in my safe zone.

“Hi honey, what’s your name? Oh wait are you the new girl that just moved to Cromwell?”

“ Yes I am. I was told I had to come see the guidance counselor”.

“Ok well the office and the guidance counselors are always here in the office, your guidance counselor, is Mrs. Steven. I’ll knock on her door she should be here already”

Knock, Knock. Hearing every time her knuckles hit the door terrified me, this made it official. Im screwed.

“ Hi Mrs. Brown how are you? This is the new student you were expecting today.”

“ Hi Im Mrs.Brown I'm your guidance counselor. So if you ever have a problem or anything come to me. Now please enter my office.”

Ok good if I just open the window I won’t even have to jump that far, I can just walk home. If I only knew my way home. UGH!

“Hi there, welcome to Cromwell, how do you pronounce your name?”

“Arieshka (ari-esh-ka)” I said,  as my heart was pounding louder than a bunch of wild horses stampeding through a field.

As we walked into her office, I noticed there were two doors but I  was not sure what the other door was for. Then suddenly as soon as I sit down, That second door opens, a tall green-eyed, light brown hair girl walks in.

“Hi my name is Riley.” She said to me, seeing how happy she was, and how nice I thought to myself ok this may not be bad, she does not seem mean at all or evil. 

Nervously shaking and barely even able to talk I said, “ Hi, I'm Arie.”

Maybe this won’t be bad.  As the guidance counselor was  talking, I heard her say that Riley  was going to be showing me around. When she said that it relieved my anxiety a bit. I was glad that at least I was going to be able to sit with someone at lunch.

As the day went by I noticed we had plenty of classes together. Out of the 8 periods in a day we had 6 together. I was happy because even though I did not know her well enough, from watching how she acted and treated other people made me think we might even be really good friends. All because she was kind, compelling, outgoing and optimistic. As time flew we went from January to March and, at this point me and Riley  were becoming really close. Closer almost than her other best friend. I was happy because even though I left all my friends behind in my other school I really liked having a “Bestfriend” in Cromwell. 

So what’s the reason for the moon’s split personality? A thicker far side prevents many things from happening, while the near side you find your way around to the surface. The moon moves an equal amount along its orbit, hiding what would otherwise be exposed.

One day in Cromwell she decided to hang out and and go to her house. “C’mon, please it be so much fun! You should come, and I'm just going to be home with my mom and baby sister. Text your mom now.” Riley said as she was begging.

“Well I don’t know because I’m supposed to watch my sister today, I don't know if my mom would like the idea. Hold on I’ll let you know in a minute, Just let me send the text.” As I said this I was definitely unsure, and doubting that I’d be able to go.

In my white Iphone 4s I saw as the phone just sat there on the table and shake the minute it vibrated. I knew my mom had texted me back right there, as scared as I was because I really wanted to hang out with her I unlocked my phone, and opened the message. “Yes” the text said. I felt my heart pumping.

I turned around and said, “Riley, she said yes! I can go to your house, but can your mom drop me off home because my mom does not know  where you live and we don't know our way around Cromwell”.

With a big smile on her face she said, “ Yes! Ok that’s fine let me just tell my mom. This is going to be so much fun”.

As excited as I was, I was kind of nervous I did not want to be a bad friend. She was the only one who I could be myself with and she would understand. Throughout the day I texted her, and I got on bus 8 like she told me to. The illuminated half changes as the moon orbits around us more and more it slowly starts to change.

We went  to her house and hung out, and had a blast like two 13 year old girls would. But the more we talked and hung out, the longer I started to notice something different almost dark about her, but I kept hanging out with her. I did not think much of it, until one day she had not came to school. When I texted her she did not reply back, as clueless as I was I  just told my teachers and classmates she was sick.

Another day and she’s not here again what the heck, where is she? I wonder if she ok, I hope she is that’d be terrible if she was not.

The next day I walk into the classroom and it was the same thing, for the rest of the week, until one week became two, it was like she disappeared from school. The far side of the moon is naturally shielded from us, and the communication.

Monday morning comes, I wake up take a shower, get dressed, do my hair, and then leave.  As I'm walking to the bus stop, my phone vibrates. It’s a text from Riley ‘Hope to see you in school. We have a lot of catching up to do.’ So much angriness and excitement went through my mind that day.

My bestfriend’s back finally now she can tell me where she went and what happen. I won’t be as lonely now as well.

The Moon used to rotate at a different rate than it orbited around Earth, but over time our planet tugged at different parts of the Moon. The minute I entered class I was so happy and relieved to see her. She was back but not the same. We went through the day barely talking, the more questions I asked the more annoyed her face would look. I knew something was wrong, every time I asked her a question she quickly changed the conversation as if she was stalling me. Finally we get to gym class and that’s when I thought why not ask her one more time, just incase.

“Hey are you sure ok?” I asked hesitantly “If you need to tell me something you can, you can always trust me. Your not acting the same I hope everythings ok.”.

“No nothing is fine but why does it matter to you? I'm not sure I can trust people, in this town everyone has a big mouth, and everyone knows everyone's secret, so if I tell you it won't be now. I’ll tell you when we're taking our 12 minute jog.”’
 
She’s going to tell me but how bad is it that no one can’t overhear our conversation, by not even word.

When we go outside and take our 12 minute jog she starts saying all these crazy things, things I would not imagine this girl going through. Things I can’t imagine. She’s not as bright or as cheery as she seems. As she was explaining this to me I was in shock but I was still there.

The next day she comes to school  for a couple of weeks but seems to disappear for a while again, except her disappearance this time is starting to seem permanent.

I was still lost on why she was gone, I always seemed to see her mom at the school and not her. I was confused on what was happening, but for a couple days straight I was texting and calling  her to make sure she was  ok. I had no hold of her, maybe she did not want to be found. Maybe she just embarrassed from what she told me.  A couple of weeks turned to months, I eventually gave up. She was  not where to be found and I just did not have the energy to keep looking for someone who does not want to be found.

Only 59% of the moon's surface is visible from earth. From Earth, we always see the same side of the moon; the other side is always hidden.

One day I was going through my everyday middle school routine, I go to school and then come home, When I'm on my way to get on my bus to go home, I see her standing in the parking lot. I had nothing to say, but as mad as I was I went up to her.

“Hey.” I said with a monotone voice.

“Hey” She said with a bad look in her face. “Why’d you tell people, everything I told you everyone knows now?”

“What are you talking about I did not tell anyone and don't forget you did not only tell me.”

“That’s not what Destiny told me, I trusted you and now that everyone knows I'm officially leaving the school, because i'm so embarrassed.”

“Oh well bye then, i'm not going to argue with you because it’s just not true and you're wasting my time. I did not tell anyone and you know this, I barely know people in the school to.”

After this conversation I got home and thought about what had just happened, I did not tell anyone. I texted everyone I knew which was about 5 people at the time and they all told me that Destiny told everyone. I was clueless, I did not know that everyone knew either. As lost as I was I continued with my life, I did not tell anyone and that was the truth if she wanted to leave the school for something so immature and stupid that was her fault.

It is possible to have a month without a full moon,."Moonquakes" are millions of times less powerful than earthquakes.