The Beginning, Middle, but not the End

Day 5,940 (January 21st)

I pull my denim jacket over my sweater and look in the mirror. Someone knocks on the door but enters my room before I say a word. It's Callie. She stands behind me and looks in the mirror, "Are you gonna be okay tonight?"

I roll my eyes, "Everyone keeps asking that. Yes, okay? I'll be fine. Don't worry."

She sits on the end of my bed, "I'm just checking. That's my duty as your big sister. Plus, I'm going to Camden's tonight. I won't be home until tomorrow after work." She and Camden have been dating for 247 days. Our parents trust us both with boys. For instance, Dallas and I have been having sleepovers for years. It's cool I have laid back parents, I guess.

Callie's phone buzzes violently, indicating an incoming call, so she leaves, waving goodbye on her way out. I sit down at my desk and pull out my camera, a nice Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Last Christmas, Mom and Dad bought it for me when I joined yearbook. I remember unwrapping it, I was so happy. It was probably the best day of my life. The camera buzzes to life when I turn it on.

I look around the room, spinning in my desk chair. I begin to take random photos of items in my room; admiring the way the fairy lights, which wrap around my bed frame and light the edges of my light purple and white bedding. The little lamp I got from IKEA months ago reflects a warm, white light onto my lavender wallpaper. All the lights in my room, I now realize, are all a warm white color. Even my large white dresser shines the same warm color because of the light reflecting off of its glossy coat. My closet doors do the same. The wooden floor has little bright reflections from the lights around my room too. My room is pretty cozy.

My eyes stop in their tracks when I come across an old picture of Dallas and I. It's framed on my desk. It's not very big, but the picture's meaning is. The picture is of us on our two-year friendaversary. He's holding my hand as we swing together. My best friend wears a huge, childish grin plastered onto his face. Autumn was beginning to arrive, so we had our coats on to protect us from the cold breeze. I remember this day like it was yesterday. After his mom had taken this picture of us, Dallas looked at me and said, "We're going to be best friends for a super eon." I had no idea what that meant then, but he did. Dallas used to be a science-driven kid when we were younger, so he would say all these big words with big meanings that I had never heard of. Later on he explained it to me what a super eon was, and I realized he was right: we will be friends for a super eon. I can feel it deep down inside of me. I know we will be best friends for a very long time.

I fade back into the moment and glance out the window above my desk, from the top floor of our house I can see the roofs of other houses. The sun has just set, but it's still not pitch black out. The street lights illuminate the windy road below, where the cars drive along.

I return to spinning around. I take a shot of my purse, which hangs on one of the bedposts. Another spin a bit to the right, and I stop. I see him through the lens of the camera. "Are you ready, Jo-Jo?" Dallas smiles at me.

I take a photo of him, "Now I am."

We all take our skates and go to the locker area. We lock our phones and purses in a safe, then slide on our skates to the rink's gate. Zelda almost falls, making us laugh. I look around, there's a lot of people watching those in the rink, but there's even more people actually in the rink skating. I don't know if I can do this. What if something happens? What if I fall and get hurt? What if people start toppling me, each sharp skate digging into my-

Woah, I need to stop. My skin cringes at the thought of something going as wrong as that.

I follow the group as we enter the rink and attempt to start pushing ourselves around on the ice. I'm finally getting a hang of it, but Dallas holds onto my arm so I don't fall. He lets go, releasing me into the chaos of a St. Louis skating rink. I pass Dante and Zelda. I feel infinite, the cold wind in my hair and the exhilarating feeling of actually being good at something like this, which ignites a fire in my bones. This is the high of merriment I strive for.