Onyx was dark and lovely. And she was delighted to be. She was an elegant, classy girl, working in the finance industry as an investment broker. She could hold her own with any counterpart, regardless of gender or generation, ethnicity or experience.

Candace had a good heart. It was her mind that held her captive. She couldn't seem to shake those negative thoughts that kept popping up in her head. Thoughts that she didn't quite measure up, that she wasn't good enough. She couldn't bring herself to believe in a life without constantly having to grapple with those thoughts.

Lorraine wished life could be the way it was before she learned of its ups and downs. She'd say to herself, "Wouldn't it be nice to go back? To go back to a time when life was simple and good?" But she knew she couldn't go back. She knew if things stayed the same, she would never be challenged. She would never grow. Not physically, not mentally, not emotionally. You can't move forward while looking back.

Amber was the kind of friend who would always be there. When she said, "If you need me, call me", she wasn't just saying what a friend was supposed to say. She meant it. If you needed her, she would be on your doorstep, whether you needed a sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to share a gallon of Blue Bell.