Girl Meets World
by Chloe Cullen
“Don’t be Drunk Girl – you’ll know Drunk Girl when you see
her. I remember the girl who got really drunk the first weekend of school,
and we called her Drunk Girl whenever we saw her for the next four
years,” my dad said with his head half-turned as he tried to keep his eyes
on the road, multitasking navigation and last-minute advice. My mom,
who went to the same college as my dad, nodded in agreement from the
passenger seat. Soon I wouldn’t be in their control anymore, and every
piece of information that might help me maintain the person they had
craft ed was hurled around the car. The clutter of clothes, boxes, and a
later-discarded, broken, full-length mirror all swayed from side to side in
the trunk as we traveled north to unpack everything into my freshman
year dorm room.
My dad continued, “Make sure to shower everyday, and wash
your hands whenever you think about it. College breeds germs. And
STDs.”
“Collin!” my mom interjected from the side.
“It’s true. I’m a doctor, I’m supposed to know these things,”
he shrugged as he continued holding onto the steering wheel of our
oversized car, holding the excessive amount of what everyone else claimed
to be college necessities.
Later that day, when the unpacking had finished faster than any
of us had expected, we looked to each other to say goodbye. My best
friend Maggy had stepped into the room, and because she had been
settled into her room since 9 that morning, she quickly told me about
all the facilities and buildings and dining halls that we should check out.
My parents and two younger sisters, the only ones out of my five siblings
to venture on this road trip, turned to me to say goodbye. Surprisingly, I
didn’t shed a tear. The wave of sentimentality never knocked me over like
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