At the End of Fourteen Days

Coming back after two weeks at home was an easier transition than I had expected. I, surprisingly, was ready to return to college life and to take a full dose this time. While at home I had a lame open house which none of my friends could attend hardly on account of them having already left to their various institutions of higher learning or on their excursions across the globe. On top of that, the friends I thought I had in high school were altogether less appealing to be around, still stuck on old drama that suddenly seemed so petty and obnoxious. I never imagined settling into a bare dorm room would be so comforting, but it was.

It wasn't long before kids from summer term scouted me out in an excited tizzy to see how much I changed over fourteen days. It was as if we were old women being reunited after years of living separate lives and never being able to catch up. We all had so much to share, because when you're 18 and recreating yourself, you have a lot of history to share, withhold and stretch. My girls from the summer and my new roommate Amber sat in my room with boxes of Dominoes Pizza and pillows strewn across the floor. A lot had happened over 14 days. Break-ups and make-ups, romances and tragedies. Joy was telling us about how her life long love betrayed her with some sophomore, and how she decided not to make him the goal in college. Lynn vented about her and her bf's roller coaster relationship. Marlena and I just listened intently, not having any recent and relevant experiences to contribute. Amber held her tongue and refrained from bragging about her spicy relationship with her boyfriend in this conversation and just listened, fascinated by all the tales.

At the end of a long night of unpacking and catching up, we decided to start our fall of with determination. There was still a few days before classes started for us to get our foot in the door. There was a Sigma party coming up the next night, the livest party of the semester, the night to remember, the perfect place to meet new people to erase the eyesores in our minds from past relationship fails. We knew that this party was going to be a milestone for all of us, and we had to be prepared.