Roshni Nagarakanti
I fell asleep in the backseat of my dad’s dark blue jeep, listening to the tires play along the road and the music on my phone. The noises did not match together well but they provided enough comfort for me to lie down, despite the fact that I hated how the car shook when it went over a speedbump and the way it felt like you were suffocating when it got too hot.
I didn’t want my dislike of the car to cloud my parent’s minds as we drove. We were heading to Pennsylvania: The Keystone State, when it really should be called “The State My Sister’s College Is In” because that’s all it counted for in my head. My daze was broken when I felt a turn and my mom turned around to let me know that we were almost there.
I wasn’t scared, but the anticipation I felt was not quite confident either. I awaited the moment when we would reach and see my sister for the first time in what felt like a year, although it was much shorter. I missed seeing her every day and having someone to talk to about everything, but I didn’t know what she was like now. Did her taste in music change? Does she do her hair differently now? and questions along the lines of that were all I was thinking.
It’s natural to change. I understand that as best as any other person. But change, although inevitable, is not always to everyone’s liking. I hoped she would be the same, or similar enough so it wouldn’t be like talking to a stranger. Seeing my own sister made me panicky. My concern was unwarranted, as I’d spoken to her on the phone or texted her a few times before, yet it still took control over my mind as my dad finally parked the car a few blocks away from the school. The Pennsylvania air flew into my face as I opened the door and it felt fresh, compared to the worn-out air that the car was smothered in. As it washed over me, my mind and my worries were clear for a short period of time.
Step after step, pavement after pavement, the two-minute walk to her college felt like two hours. The clouds swirled in the sky like they were running from the sun. The inch of grass lying next to the sidewalk was cut too short and even then, was crushed as I took one step onto it. She wasn’t out of the building as soon as we arrived, but her text showed up on my screen addressed to our family. “I’ll be out in a second,” it said, so we waited for her.
When I saw her, in the familiar gray sweatshirt that I’d seen her in many times before, I instantly felt my shoulders loosen and my smile stretch. She hadn’t drastically changed over the span she was at college. She was still my sister regardless of the fact that she lived states away from me.
“Ok, are you guys ready?” she asked, prepared to show us a tour of her campus and where all her classes were.
For once that day, I could finally answer the question honestly. “Yeah.”
–
Roshni Nagarakanti, a dedicated student and a hard worker, is a rising sophomore student at a high school in Arizona. Roshni Nagarakanti has been passionate about writing since she was young and puts the skill to use in writing memoirs displaying her emotions in a relatable way.
Diamond Gazette 