n' love with the sight of you

off to college. College does have a way of bringing out the best in people. Hopefully, it'll do the same for me. I sighed, staring down at the spectacular view of Los Angeles stretching beneath us. The city shimmered in the early morning light, looking almost unreal from above. I pulled out my phone and quickly captured the breathtaking scene before the moment slipped away. The land scape glowed in the golden light of the sun set. Every blade of grass, every building that stood tall shimmered with warm amber light that seemed to set the city ablaze with quite beauty. I cracked open my cola soda while scrolling on my tablet, searching for that favorite song since i wasn't vibing with the one correctly blaring through my headset. "Yes! There you are!" I mouthed as I clicked on it. The moment my finger tapped the screen, my phone's volume blasted to full, shattering the quiet around me. At the same time, I jerked in surprise, sending the soda of cola straight onto my olive-green cargo jeans. A horrified gasp escaped my lips as icy soda soaked through the fabric. Becky's head turned toward me in an instant making her stop at what ever she was doing. "Seriously?" I muttered under my breath, squeezing my eyes shut for a second. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. Let me take care of that for you." Berky set aside her laptop, grabbed a few tissues, and walked over to my seat. She gently began dabbing at the cola stain on my olive-green cargo jeans. Most times, she made me feel like a baby. Her concern for me was unmistakable. She was the closest thing I had to family—always there when I needed her most, and even when I didn't. When Mom and Dad buried themselves in work, Berky became the closest thing I had to an older sister, even though we weren't related by blood. "thanks Berky, lemme do that." I said, taking the tissue and doing it myself, she nodded with a smile standing beside me like she wantted to be sure I did it right. "but you OK right?" she reassured. her hand placed softly on my shoulder. "yeah, I had my figure on the volume unknown to me and changed the song and I got startled I'm fine nothing to worry." I reassured her with a warm smile, pulling down my headset. "OK sure but be conscious next time, I won't be with you any longer especially now that you're off to college." she said walking back to her seat. "though I'll miss you a lot." she said quietly and i heard it clearly but i wanted to make fun of the moment. "did you say something?" I tilted my head in a way norrowing my eyes to sound more serious. "what?" Becky." pretending to be ignorant. "um, not that I didn't like hear the whole thing just the last part, can you repeat that part again?" I kept it real, wanting her to admit what I already hard loud and clear. she exhaled her shoulder dropping with it as she turned toward me slowly. "ok, not that I don't know the game you playing," "me games, no" I cut in before she could finish. "but for the sake of my sanity, I said I'm going to miss you a lot Camberley. my grin went wilder, feeling pleased with myself I had accomplished something big. Like every other time, my parents choose again their work over me. I would say that i was use to it now, but I was hoping that, just this once, they might actually be present for something as important as this in my life. It’s my first day of college—what parent would miss out on that? I usually thought that maybe my parents were growing apart or that they married based on a contract or something. Eventually, I realized they’re two people who just love—no, are obsessed with—work, and that is just enough for them. I feel like I’m just a mistake that got in the way. "Alright, ladies and gentle girls, fasten your seatbelts; we are about to land," Pius announced over the microphone. "Show off, P," I said out loud, giggling, while Becky fastens her seatbelt, smirking at me. "His just doing his job," Becky replied with a shrug while working her seatbelt, a smile evident in his tone. I chuckled fastening my seatbelt preparing for landing. As soon as we got off the plane, a flashy black Tesla was parked out front alongside two black SUVs. It looked like everything had been arranged ahead of time—probably by one of their assistants. The Tesla was the latest model, and I still hadn’t even gotten over the brand-new car sitting untouched in our garage back home. They were always ready to spend money on me. Just… never their time. Back in high school, they never showed up to my games. Mom came once—just once—and for a moment I thought things might change. But she slipped out without notice, and after that, neither of them ever came again. Was I privileged? Yeah. But not in the way that mattered. A tear slipped down my cheek as I watched the buildings blur past the window. I wiped it away quickly—thankfully, Becky was busy with her tablet. “Oh my God, I can’t believe they got you this car. This is insane, Camberley!” she gushed, like she’d just landed in Paris for the first time. “What? Like you didn’t know they could pull something like this, Becky.” I folded my arms across my abdomen and sank into the cushioned seat. The interior was purple—exactly how I liked it. That only made me more suspicious. “Camberley… don’t you like it?” she asked, her excitement fading as she noticed my tone. “Actually, I do. Which is why I think you knew all along. In fact, I think you orchestrated all of this.” I gestured to the interior. She dropped the act, realizing I’d figured her out. “But do you like it?” she pressed. “I was so excited when your dad told me he was getting you another car. He wanted it to be a surprise, and I thought—why not fix up the interior? You know… make it you.” I rolled my eyes, a small smile betraying me. “I like it.” “That didn’t sound convincing.” She nudged my shoulder and started tickling me, trying to force a laugh out of me. I gave in almost immediately, laughing as I tried to push her away. “Okay, okay! I love it. The interior—honestly, that’s my favorite part. You did a really good job.” “Thank you,” she said, beaming. “But you should give your parents some credit too.” “Yeah… I do,” I replied, quieter now. “But for some people, this is supposed to be a big moment. Something that actually matters.” My voice tightened, the words coming out sharper than I intended. “Why do I have to be the exception to everything?” I turned my head toward the window so she wouldn’t see my face, but it didn’t help. My shoulders began to shake as the tears came anyway. I felt… invisible. Like I wasn’t loved-Like I was never enough to deserve their time. And the worst part? That feeling has been there for as long as I could remember.