The year is 2013. I had just graduated from middle school, which were easily some of the worst years of my adolescent life. High school was quickly approaching, and boy, was I nervous.

I didn't have many friends at that point in my life. I had a few falling outs that year that left me pretty lonely the entire summer. I had no idea who I really was yet: I had spent my entire middle school experience trying to fit in, trying to be one of the pretty, popular girls, and thinking that having a boyfriend was the key to complete happiness. I tried so hard to please others, that I had no real sense of how I wanted to please myself.

I had hardly anybody, and I had absolutely nothing that I was passionate about.

I loved music. I knew that deep down. But my fascination, passion and love for the industry didn't blossom until I discovered this little, up-and-coming band from Sydney, Australia.

Many may know 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) as the band who sings "Youngblood," has a collaboration with The Chainsmokers, and is redefining the eye-glitter-and-black-nail-polish look.

But to me, they are way more than that. Having been their biggest fan for now six years, I feel as though I know them on a personal level. Which might sound crazy to some of you, but it's the truth.

To me, they are my favorite band in the entire world. They are a huge reason as to why I am studying Journalism, why I was able to make it through high school sane, and how I became the person I am today.

I was definitely a fangirl before this. I was a hardcore One Direction fan when I was 12, and that came with all the perks of the fangirl life: daydreaming about Harry Styles, searching for 1D fanfiction on Tumblr, and drawing carrots and the Irish flag on my arm.

I didn't think fangirling could amass to anything more than what I was already doing, but when I fell deep into the 5SOS hole, that expectation quickly changed.

To go into detail about everything 5SOS-oriented I did would take all day. So here's just a quick list of things I used to do:

1. Drive two and a half hours to Los Angeles and stay a night in the band's hotels, just for the slight chance I'll meet one of them in the lobby.
2. Camped out 12+ hours for their concerts.
3. Created a YouTube channel dedicated to their music.
4. Set my phone to receive notifications for every one of the band's social media posts.
5. Knew exactly where they were at all times, what hotels they were staying at while they were on tour, who they were dating, and pretty much everything about their personal lives.
6. Knew every single word to every one of their songs (always have, and always will).
7. I could search "5 Seconds of Summer" on Google Images, and probably be able to tell you where and when each photo was taken.

If you're reading this and have had similar experiences with your favorite band or celebrity, then I'm sure you can relate. But if not, you're probably judging me so hard right now. Which is okay, I can take it. I'll get into why I'm not ashamed of my fangirl past in a minute.

From 2013 to 2017 the 5 Seconds of Summer fandom was like a cult if I'm being honest. And I was very, very invested in it.

I had internet friends from LA to Australia, and everywhere else in between. Everything my friends (internet and IRL) and I did revolved around this stupid band. They were literally the only thing any of us could talk about.

The fanbase was a whole community, separated from the rest of the world. And now that I think back to all of that, I can't help but laugh. It genuinely feels like I was trapped in a simulation for five years straight.

The conglomeration of 5SOS fans on the internet was huge, and it was oftentimes a frightening place. The Twitter drama was real, and it was intense.

If you met a member of 5SOS on the street, got a selfie with him, and posted it on the internet, every other fan was happy for you. But if you just happened to meet him again the next day, you were suddenly public enemy #1. That's when the jealousy and "fan-hierarchy" would really ignite within the 5SOS fandom.

I puked while meeting 5 Seconds of Summer | STORY TIMEwww.youtube.com

Yes, there was such a thing is a fan-hierarchy. Nobody liked to admit it, but it was definitely there. The realm of Twitter that 5SOS fans occupied felt like a second high school: You were popular if you had a lot of followers, met 5SOS members more often than others or were involved in some sort of internet drama.

Fans who lived in LA had the worst reputation, simply because they lived in the same city as 5SOS, and thus had a better chance of meeting them on the streets. And we were all genuinely so jealous of that.

I'd go to 5SOS concerts and see fans I recognized from Twitter. Other fans would even recognize me because I was the girl who made videos of herself reacting to 5SOS songs on YouTube.

Fans who went to more shows acted like they were more worthy than other fans like they were "bigger" fans of the band than everyone else. And I hate to admit it, but even I was one of those fans, too. After striving so hard to be "popular" in middle school, I found myself striving to be popular in a pop band's fanbase.

I was so invested and obsessed with it all: what the band was doing with their personal lives, the Twitter drama, the never-ending river of "tea" that flowed through my social media feeds. I gulped it down like I needed it to survive.

See what I mean? I'm telling you, I was trapped in a simulation. Because why would anyone actually care that much? How could a fan possibly be that invested in a band's life when the band never even knew she existed? Why did she care so much about their personal lives? Isn't the music what really mattered the most?

When I'm old and gray, will I look back on my high school experience and regret dedicating all of my time to a pop band?

The answer is absolutely not.

Everything I did revolved around this band, and I'm not ashamed of any of it. Because what being a "stan" meant was that I finally belonged somewhere. I didn't know what a sense of community was until I fell into the 5SOS fandom. Some of the people I was closest to at ages 14 and 15 were internet friends who lived across the country.

Though it may seem bonkers to be so invested in famous peoples' personal lives, that's what I'd do to fill the many voids in my life. I was shy, insecure and constantly paranoid I'd be alone forever. The only times I could distract myself from all my personal demons was when I was on Twitter, watching videos of 5SOS on YouTube or at one of their concerts.

I was no longer the girl who wanted to be cool and popular; I just wanted to worship my favorite band. Once I had accepted that, I became much happier. All in all, this band and their music helped me through some bad stuff when I was younger, and I can never thank them enough for it.

Loving a band and following their every move was what I was really passionate about. And now that I'm three years out of high school, I've been channeling that passion into a career. So that's why I'm studying journalism and social media. It's why I like to interview bands and photograph concerts. It's why I take my segment on Blaze Radio so seriously.

I want to work in the music industry one day because musicians are fascinating to me. And that all stemmed from 5 Seconds of Summer. I bet y'all didn't know it was that deep.

I'm not sure when I got out, but I can say with confidence that I am no longer in the stimulation. I love 5 Seconds of Summer with all of my heart, but it's a different kind of love now. Today, I couldn't care less about what the members are up to or who they are dating. Michael Clifford is engaged, for crying out loud, and I just don't care.

I don't pay much attention to their personal lives or follow their every move. I love their music, I support them and I see them live every chance I get. Though I have grown out of my fangirl phase, the passion and appreciation I have for them is still there.

I've seen 5SOS live in concert a few times since the end of my fangirl phase. And still, even as a 20-year-old college student, I cry every time they walk on stage.

If you love a band, singer or celebrity the way I loved 5 Seconds of Summer, own that. We get such a bad reputation from other people: They say we're crazy and obsessive, but honestly, they just don't understand. We're just passionate, that's all. I remind myself how much time and energy I put into a pop band all the time, and I try to put that same energy into the things that matter to me now that I'm an adult.

I guess the moral of this article is to never be ashamed of the quirky things you loved when you were younger. I believe I had a bad case of Celebrity Worship Syndrome, but I'll own it and take it to my grave.

Our hobbies and passions can come from anywhere, and it's up to us to not judge another person because they are passionate about something that we're not.

And if you're still in your fangirl phase, I commend you. Sometimes I miss it, but unfortunately, I have a lot of other sh*t to worry about right now.

I will end this article on one more note: Stream "Easier" by 5 Seconds of Summer now!