Towson

The Start

Kona felt particularly lazy tonight. Her hair was always in a mess, but tonight, it felt just a bit messier.

It's only been a few weeks since she graduated high school, and only a few days since she's applied to her college of choice. She began to feel a bit silly for only applying to one. Everyone else had backup plan after backup plan, but her?

She couldn't be less prepared.

'What if they don't take me?' was a thought that pops into her head all too often. Then she'd go down the list from worse to worser case scenario. No matter any slightly reassuring word she'd give herself, she can't help but think back to the list.

'Well, there's always community college! What if I fail that, too? I suppose I could work at that convinience store! They're still hiring, right? What if they aren't? Well, how long will my mom let me stay here? What if I get kicked out? How long could I live on the street? Would I get anything if I went out begging?'

If you're wondering, you're only a quarter down the list she made for herself. Given, at the end, she jotted down that she'll die in a nuclear accident, so perhaps it adds on to how unrealistic it really is. That's what she tells herself, anyway. But the first item on the list seems realistic enough! And now she's back in the list loophole she made for herself.

Even so, she had surprisingly high hopes. Sure, her grades sucked, her academic achievements were nowhere to be found, and all she wrote down for extracurricular activities was "Guitar Club." But, uh...she was passionate? They couldn't really get that on a sheet of paper...did she fuck up? Well, it's back to the list again.

No! She can't keep doing this to herself. If she beats on herself too much, she'll die in a nuclear accident!

Maybe she had a bit too much coffee for her own good.

"Kona! The letter from Towson came in!" Her mother says.

Suddenly, a switch in Kona was flipped. The letter! Her worries will no doubt disappear if she knew. She always figured she wouldn't get in, but knowing it for sure might knock off that pesky 'nuclear accident' at the bottom of the list. Or would it? Okay, seriously? She needs to stay positive. Maybe she did get in.

She clung to that thought, hoping it would be her last, but a small voice peaked through before then.

'Nuclear Accident.'

She rolls her eyes at her own thought and drags herself downstairs.

"Let me open it!" Kona hollers.

Kona glances at her mom, her thin, cold hands gently wrapped around the prestigious looking letter. She looks slightly amused at her misery, and seeing that made her chuckle a bit. It did feel a little unlike her to bear a grey cloud. She was always the peppy one, even as the oldest child.

Kona squeezes her mother's hand a bit before gently taking the letter, the crinkling of the envelope beckoning her to open it.

She takes out a thick piece of paper and reads aloud.

"Dear Kona,

Congratulations! On behalf of the Towson University community, I am pleased to announce your admissions for fall 2021!"

Suddenly, the grey cloud above her was replaced by a flurry of excitement!

"I got in!" Kona says, smiling wider than she has in a while.

"I'm so proud of you! I remember the first time you played for me. When you played Mary had a little lamb, your first words after were, 'I wanna show everyone how to do this!' Now you're one step closer to teaching guitar. I can hardly believe it. I swear, I blinked my eyes, and you just grew up." Her mother says.

Kona felt tears in her eyes as she laughed. She had forgotten her first song on guitar, her first dream. But now that she was here, she would never let go.

"God, how long ago was that?" She chokes out, still recovering from laughing so hard.

"It still feels like yesterday, but knowing how old you are now it must be like, 12 something years?" Her mom chuckles.

"Twelve years, huh!" Kona's eyes widen, then shrink back into a warm smile.

"God, how late is it?" Kona asks.

"You brought your phone down with you, right? Why don't you check on that?" Her mom asks in return.

"I'm in PJs, I don't have pockets. I don't have my phone with me." Kona sighed.

"In that case, It's probably late enough to head to bed. I mean it. No more late nights playing, okay? We still need to sleep too." Her mom said in a light-hearted tone.

"Alright, mom. I'll see you in the morning..." Kona groans slightly, but immediately perked up.

I'm gonna have the biggest day of my life tomorrow, huh?