Happy New Year! I was going to make this longer, but then I didn't.
Rolling over in her bed for the millionth time in an hour, Natara sighs. She bunches up her pillow a bit more and lets her head flop back down onto it, then lets out an impatient huff as she flips it over to the cooler side. She manages to lie still with her eyes closed for a few more minutes. Then, just like before, she has to roll over again. Her gaze falls on her bags in the corner.
She wonders where the last few weeks have gone. It seems like she blinked and all of a sudden it was the end of August. And normally she would be thrilled to be going back to school, if only because it was something to occupy her days with anything other than unrelenting boredom. But things were different this year.
Mal would be leaving for his school later in the week. Understandably, he had mixed feelings about it. She thinks she might feel the same way, if she were in his shoes. His sister and his mom insisted everything would be fine and that he should focus on school, but that didn't stop him from ruminating.
She'll be leaving for school in the morning. Early in the morning. They'd all pile into the car by 6 am so they could get to Grantmore for her 10 am move-in time. And then her parents and Neha would drive home, and she would stay there.
It's thrilling on some level. She's been looking forward to college for years, always hearing about how it's the best time of your life.
But at the same time, it's terrifying. She's leaving behind everything that's familiar and comfortable and safe. She has no idea what's in store for her. She's about to be on her own for the first time. She's only talked to her roommate on the phone a handful of times, and really, they'd only barely gotten to know each other. She's not even sure she actually knows how to make friends.
She rolls over again and stares at her ceiling. She can't stop thinking about how it'll be months before she'll see it again. She's never really looked at it before and appreciated it, but tonight it's beautiful and familiar and safe, and she finds herself admiring it. Which is ridiculous because there's absolutely nothing interesting about it. She punches her pillow a few times and rolls on her side.
She doesn't remember falling asleep that night, but she jolts awake at the sound of her mom knocking on her door. A quick glance at her clock tells her it's just after 5 am.
"Yeah?" she calls, her voice still thick with sleep. Her door opens and her mom pokes her head in.
"Wake up sleepyhead! We've got to load up the car soon. You can sleep in the car, there'll be plenty of time."
She wants to be excited, she really does. But her mom is too chirpy, and she feels like she only just closed her eyes, and there's a weird rolling sensation in her stomach. Still, she sits up and throws her covers off, because she knows if she doesn't, she'll end up falling asleep again, and she doesn't particularly want to make her parents mad just before leaving for college.
The mess in the living room makes it look like she and her family are hoarders. There's empty boxes stacked in a corner, leftovers from packing. All the stuff she's bringing with her to college is piled by the garage door, and she thinks it more resembles a mountain than school supplies.
She'd told her mom she wanted to keep her dorm room modest, so as not to stand out, but she's pretty sure modest isn't in her mom's vocabulary. She'd insisted on buying her things like an ironing board, a humidifier, a floor light and a desk light, a shoe rack, and, most ridiculous of all, a full cutlery set. She has no idea how they're going to fit it all in the car, nor where she's going to put all of it in a cramped, shared dorm room.
Her mom practically force feeds her waffles as she slowly wakes up, while her dad begins to pack the car. Neha whines about everything, from the taste of the syrup to the feel of her socks. Natara eats mostly silently, ignoring how dry her mouth is and how she nearly chokes as a bite of waffle sticks in her throat.
It could be any other weekend, one that her dad insisted on taking her camping.
But it's not.
She nearly has to be sick as her dad finishes loading her last bag into the car. She manages to choke it down, but is left feeling even worse than before. Neither of her parents notice. They just herd her and Neha to the garage and into the car. Natara presses her forehead against the cool window. She hears the familiar rumble of the garage door opening.
They're just about to pull out of the driveway when a car stops on the street outside their house. Natara perks up immediately, and turns to her parents as the other car's door opens.
"Wait!" she cries. "Stop!" She fumbles with her seatbelt, and is out the door before the car completely stops. Behind her she hears her parents protesting. She doesn't care. She just flies straight into Mal's arms.
"Can't believe you were going to leave without saying goodbye," he grumbles. She pulls away to poke him squarely in the chest.
"I said goodbye to you last night. I didn't think you would want to show up at my house at 6 am."
"Natara! We're going to be late!"
She turns to shout at the car. "One minute!"
"I forgot to give you something," Mal says, reaching back into his car. "Didn't realize it till late last night, and I figured showing up at that time would guarantee me a spot on your parents' shit list for all eternity."
"Very wise," she smirks. Mal lays a badly wrapped package in her hands. She tests its weight, ignoring the way he rolls his eyes.
"Just open it," he says.
"Killjoy." She tears the paper off of her gift, and has to smile. Inside is a framed photo of the two of them as children.
"We found it going through more boxes in the attic," he says. "My mom took that photo."
"I remember," she says. She's surprised she does, if she's being honest. But the photo brings the memories back- the winter concert in third grade, the year she was friends with Mal. Both of their faces are painted to look like snowmen, both grinning widely at the camera. She and Mal had been extra enthusiastic with the hand motions that went along with the song their class sang, and they'd received stern looks from the teacher. But they hadn't cared. And afterward, as they all snacked on cookies and juice boxes, his mom had taken a picture of them.
"I love it. It's perfect." Mal leans down to kiss her quickly.
"I'm glad."
She throws her arms around him again, but she can feel her parents growing more impatient by the second and has to let go. She hugs the photo to her chest instead. She's surprised to feel her eyes prickle with tears, but she wills them away. It's not like this will be the last time she sees Mal. Just the last time in a while.
"Have a safe trip," Mal says with a wistful smile.
"I will," she promises. "I'll call you once I get settled. My mom got me a phone for the dorm room."
"Cool." He shoots her his trademark grin, and she has to turn and walk back to the car or else risk running back to him and pissing her parents off more. Neha wrinkles her nose at her as she buckles her seatbelt once more and waves to Mal as they drive by.
"Boys are gross," she gags. "They have cooties."
"I promise you, someday you're going to want to catch cooties. And when that day comes, I'm going to laugh so hard."
