Reminiscing

Chapter one: Change

"The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself." ~ C. JoyBell C.

In one of the last summer sunsets that portrayed in Seattle, Washington. The warm summer breeze brushed against a tree where a leaf blew with the wind. As the blustery wind died down, the leaf landed safely upon a porch of a wooden gray house. Where through the window on the left rested a girl named Luciana Pimenova. She was playing with her chocolate brunette hair that flowed with the strawberry red ends of her hair as well as her piercing pear green eyes made her appearance divine. She wore an oversized black hoodie designed on the front with flowers as if it was copied off of the new Shawn Mendes album. Her thoughts were consuming as they became louder and louder as she thought about the life-changing moment that would happen tomorrow. College. She had been preparing for it her whole life and now that it is finally here, the fear of the unknown made her breathing harder to keep up with the fast beating drums of her heart. She cant imagine being away from everything and everyone she has ever known and loved. Growing up she was always around her family, especially at their family-owned bakery, Antoinette's. Every now and then one of her parents would come home smelling like fresh beignets. Luciana always wanted to see more than what Seattle had to offer but to leave Nadia, Lucas, her mom, and dad how could she leave. What if Nadia has a boy problem now that she is going to middle school? Or Lucas when he starts learning how to drive, maybe he would want me to teach him. Luciana was just secretly hoping to have more time or her parents would want for her to stay.

A sudden knock on the door brought Luciana back into reality. She got up ad walked passed the coffee table then got on her tippy toes to see through the peephole who it was. Luciana's heart stopped as she opened the door. A young girl with dirty blonde hair with coffee brown eyes met mine as I ran up to her to hug her. She smelled like warm vanilla which meant she put on perfume before she got here. Then I let her go she was wearing a cherry red Thrasher hoodie with some black leggings.

" I thought you already left for Maryland weeks ago," Luciana said as she held her friend's hand.

" Well..actually I did but Andy and I had this huge fight and we broke up. Then as I was crying my way through my cartons of ice cream, I realized that how can I start over if I was going to be constantly reminded of my past that is Andy. I had to decide what would be good for me and how to do that. And in that moment a picture of us of when graduated fell from my board of memories on the wall. So I called a certain college to see if a spot was still open and as it turns out there is one so...DRUM ROLL PLEASE!" She throws her hands onto her knees and hitting them like drums.

"WHITMAN COLLEGE!!" She yells in excitement. Luciana's eyes widen as she was taken back at the fact that she would be going to college with her best friend. Suddenly she found a reason to be alright with the fact that change wouldn't be so horrible after all.

"OMG OMG OMG!! Luciana exclaims as she throws her hands around her friend. They both held each other as they jumped up and down screaming.

"Amara, we get to spend the next four year together. Oh my lord, what if we get married at the same time or have babies!! WAIT, I have to tell my mom. Come with me and close the door behind you" Luciana says as she runs upstairs to find her mom. They both run down the hall and into the first bedroom onto the left. Luciana found her mom in her room watching an episode of "Friends" where Ross is carrying some couch with Chandler and Rachel. Luciana's mom paused the show and looked at her daughter. Luciana and her mom were almost identical looking except the eye color. Her mother has beautiful sky blue eyes that were absolutely stunning.

"Is something the matter?" Luciana's mom looks concerned.

"You will not believe who is going to college with me." Luciana folds her hands together with a huge smile. Luciana moves out of the way for her friend to come through the door.

"Amara is going to college with me!!" Luciana sings happily as she holds Amara's hand.

"Wait what? I thought you were going to the University of Maryland?" Luciana' mom say taking off her glasses and setting them down on the nightstand.

"That was the original plan but I had some things in my life come up and decided that being closer to home is the right move for me." Amara smiles at Luciana.

Her mom puts her hands over her mouth as she moves from the bed and towards the girls. She hugs them both as the girls look at each other over her shoulder laughing. As she pulled back she cupped the girl's cheeks and looked at them sadly.

"You both will always be those two girls that had tea parties at our treehouse. But I am so happy for you both though." Luciana's mom says as she looks at the girls.

"Okay mom I think you've embarrassed me enough, now I am going to show Amara my room now," Luciana says pulling Amara's arm in the direction of her room. They walk down the opposite direction in the dark hall and into the last door on the left. As they enter Luciana's room, the first thing that caught Amara's eyes was the number of boxes. Some boxes were labeled for either clothes, books, or personal belongings. But as Amara walked passed a box called memories. She opened the box to see pictures of Luciana's life, like when she went to Greece, met Dwayne Johnson at an airport or when Luciana and Amara went to New York together and many more. Her lavender room that used to be filled with lights and photos is now a dark room with an empty dresser, makeup counter, and an old mattress that no longer had bedsheets where Luciana used to sleep in.

"It's so surreal," Luciana mutters under her breath.

"What is?" Amara says grabbing Luciana's hand.

"The fact that tomorrow is going to change," Luciana says staring out at the window as she moves to sit on her old bed.

"I know how you feel...remember when I dropped off Jared at the airport?" Luciana nods at Amara.

"Well as I drove him there we talked about that one time we pranked Mr. Doran in the 8th grade by putting gum on his chair. Man, we got like a week of detention but the look on his face was so worth it. But then we pulled up and we had to say goodbye, I felt a sudden sadness and it wasn't because he was leaving but the fact that everything I ever knew and loved was going to change." Amara says with her head down. After a minute passed, she moved her hair out of her face and smiled.

"What is it?" Luciana ask with curiosity. Luciana wonders why Amara would smile at a melancholy thought.

"I just realized that I won't be totally alone and not everything I love will change. If I only have you than thats all I need." Amara lays her head on Luciana's shoulder as they continued to reminisce their old memories and what tomorrow may hold. As life simply puts states you can't always plan for every obstacle that life will throw at you. Everything does happen for a reason. But will Luciana be able to handle the obstacle that will change her life forever?