The Incredible Ryleigh Barlowe

I threw the shifter in park and let my head hit the torn leather square behind me. I closed my eyes, and filled my lungs with the stagnant cold air cranking out of the small vents on either side of the steering wheel. Even stagnant, it was a welcome reprieve from the thick south-eastern heat. The entire sequence honestly would have looked a little dramatic to anyone watching. I hadn’t had a rough day, or finished running a marathon. I was just thankful to be out of my moms house for the Summer. It had been a long two and a half months since last semester ended, and I felt like a literal weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
I turned around and looked out my back window to see if Callie had arrived, but couldn’t see past the boxes and stuffed to the brim Target bags full of clothes. My entire life’s possessions crammed into the back seat of a golden four door sedan. Perks of having a sedan - great gas mileage. Cons of having a sedan - absolutely no trunk space.
But as a college kid - the latter really didn’t matter. I pulled my keys out of the ignition and begrudgingly opened the door, sliding out and resting my hips against the hood of my car. A quick scan of the lot, and I realized Callie hadn’t arrived yet.
Callie was the dictionary definition of a best friend, and also my college roommate. Today was campus move in day, and she offered to swing by the housing department office to grab the keys to our new to us humble abode. That meant I would be stuck outside at her will until she arrived.
The hot asphalt was buzzing with kids carrying boxes, weepy parents following close behind and excited chatter about the year to come. It was a scene I was so familiar with, but it still managed to fill me with an almost palpable excitement. Move in day on campus was almost symbolic to me. It seemed silly to make a metaphor out of such a trivial event, but I loved the chance at a fresh start that it brought.