I miss life during highschool

It's been over 3 years since I graduated from highschool (2020). I'm now a senior in college about to earn my degree in computer science.

However, despite being an introvert and getting bullied in highschool, I can't shake this feeling of nostalgia for the time.

The covid pandemic left my high school experience incomplete. Before I knew it, I suddenly lost touch with most of my peers. While I was able to stay connected with many acquaintances through social media, it's ironic that the ones I truly missed were also the ones that had 0 social media presence. This leaves me with a burning question, where are they now?

I miss being able to interact with some of the realest people I knew on a daily basis. My so-called "friends" on social media are obviously only there for the fake attention. While my classmates in college are either commuters or work right after class. Overall, It's incredibly difficult for me to make new long-term connections.

I miss having free time. Back during highschool, I could simply go home with peace of mind, play games, read manga or watch anime. College on the other hand, is a completely different beast. The learning doesn't stop outside of class hours. I spend hours practicing code, fixing complex logic errors, editing my resume, worrying about internships, preparing for my job as a TA, performing research, networking and so on. This is a huge step up in difficulty compared to the biggest dilemma I had as a teen, which was figuring out what mods to install on skyrim.

I also miss not having to drive. The license has given me some freedoms, but also created far more problems to deal with. I hate having to spend hours to and from college. I hate dealing with gas, repairs, traffic and insurance. None of these were an issue as a kid, because I could just jump in my parents' car, fall asleep and wake up at my destination.

Finally, I miss what my little town used to be. Prior to the pandemic it was full of life. There were mom and pops shops, local grocery stores, and all sorts of fast food places. Today, my neighborhood is an empty nest. The shops that closed, never returned. Likewise, the vast majority of the population had left the area for better opportunities. I've had fond memories of stopping by the small donut shop every week and hanging out at the arcade. Sadly, those days are over.

Now I know talking about the past is a pretty cliche topic, but I just really wanted to throw my own version of the story out there. It sucks to know that my happiness peaked during high school and that I will probably never have another experience like it again. I've spent my entire life up until this point studying, just to compete with others for highly competitive jobs. I don't feel ready to enter the real world yet.