Bound by pain

Bye, Bye college days

The sun’s rays gleamed like an overzealous cheerleader bursting into Gabriella’s room, cheering “Rise and shine!” a bit too loudly for her throbbing head to handle. With the finesse of a partially functional zombie, she rolled over, her brain still in a hazy fog likely caused by the “just one more drink” mantra that had turned into a couple dozen the night before. With all the grace of a baby giraffe, she snatched her phone, only to find an email from her college that suddenly reminded her that graduation wasn’t just a mythical creature but a reality that demanded attention. She sprang from her bed like a jack-in-the-box on a caffeine high, sheathing herself in a blue flannel shirt that could double as a circus tent, black skinny jeans, and Converse shoes that whispered, “Please don’t make me run.” Her hair was tossed into a messy bun that looked like it had survived a tornado. After staring at her reflection and deciding it was time to scare away any potential admirers, she charged down the hall to investigate the mysterious sounds (or lack thereof) coming from Sam and Dominic’s room. With the stealth of a cat burglar, she knocked on the door, praying that Sam had escaped the throes of a deep beauty sleep. Sam swung the door open, her disheveled appearance radiating the joy of last night’s partying. “It’s like 8 in the morning; normally, you’re still snoring,” Sam mumbled, voice thick with the residue of dreams about puppies or whatever else people hoped to wake up to. Gabriella had to stifle a laugh; she must have looked equally victorious or horrid—or perhaps a great blend of both. “I know, but I got an email from the school!” she exclaimed, her excitement bubbling over like champagne that just realized it was at a New Year’s party. Sam squealed in delight, a bright beacon of enthusiasm in the freshly brushed chaos of their morning. In a burst of laughter, they shared glances, oversleeping Dominic, who was competing with a bear in a hibernation contest. “He can call me when he wakes up!” Sam quipped as they bolted out the door, which was quite the feat considering the amount of time it took to get out of bed in the first place. They hopped in the car and cruised toward campus. Gabriella practically piloted the vehicle with sheer glee, ready to introduce Sam to her hallowed halls of hair and nails and some questionable social interactions. Upon reaching their destination, the “salon” as they lovingly referred to it, Gabriella snagged her suitcase of dreams—packed tight with mannequin heads that had seen way too many bad hair days, blow dryers, scissors, and enough hair product to store in a bunker. As they exited, Gabriella practically radiated joy; she swung her suitcase like a trophy and proclaimed, “I’m finally done!” just as Sam captured the moment for posterity, proud tears barely contained in her eyes. On their return trip, Gabriella cheerily mentioned, “Oh, my sister is throwing me a small graduation party, so we should probably raid our closets and maybe check in on Sleeping Doby over there,” as they echoed across the parking lot with laughter that could have woken even the most comatose of individuals. Sam said, “He hasn’t called yet—he’s either still asleep or battling video game zombies,” before they both giggled again. As they reached their home, the anticipation in the air crackled—Gabriella to unpack her mountain of cosmetology goodies, and Sam to check on the elusive creature that was Dominic—after all, who knew if he was still dreaming of video game glory or merely snoozing his way to a new record of sleepiness?