Regina T

The Destinations of Life and the Stops Along the Way

At the end of seventh grade, when my family planned to move to northern Virginia from our home in Roanoke, I left all of the people I had known for so long. Saying goodbye to the cozy realm of all that I knew was such a hard thing for me to do. Even though I knew I could keep in touch with my friends and family and that I would visit a lot, I also knew that each of our lives would go on in separate directions, and that it would be hard for us to not drift apart. The worst part of moving wasn’t the actual act of going somewhere unknown and starting over, but the fear of forgetting the people and things that I would leave behind. Even though I might not have wanted it to, the summer continued on; and before I knew it, the school year had arrived.  

It was the first day of 8^th grade and my new bus had just screeched to a stop in front of me. The morning was beautiful. Warm sunshine beamed down on me as I readily strode toward the bus. I was eager and glowing with a smile on the outside, but inside I was very nervous. I missed my old school, my friends, and my family. I didn’t know what anything would be like, so I set very low expectations for the day. The energy I hoped to greet my day with was gone as I reluctantly scrambled onto the bus and found an empty seat. I carefully looked over my schedule and studied a map of the school, ensuring that everything would be perfect for the day.

“Hey, can I sit here?” asked a girl who had just climbed onto the bus and was standing next to the seat I was in.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, moving my backpack to the side clumsily. She casually scooted into the seat and plopped her backpack down. She was tall and appeared friendly; and had long shiny jet-black hair that spilled over her shoulders and hung in loose curls. She was very relaxed, talkative, and had a warm, confident smile.

“I’m Sayler,” she said, turning towards me.

“I’m Regina,” I said back to her. I almost let out an audible sigh of relief that I wasn’t going to be forced to face the day completely alone.

“Are you new?”

“Yeah,” I said with a laugh. “I’m kind of a mess… and pretty nervous. You can probably tell.”

“Oh, you’re fine. I moved at the end of last year, from Utah, so I get it. You’ll be alright,” she answered. “Where’s your schedule?” She asked. I reached into my pocket and slid out the folded square of paper.

“Really? That’s awesome! It’s right here,” I said, showing it to her. She scanned it briefly and compared it to her own.

She told me that we had gym class and lunch together. I was so relieved that I would have someone that I almost knew in a class or two with me. I didn’t know it then, but Sayler would become one of my best friends. When we pulled up to the curb of the school and got off of the bus, we followed the crowd of students into the building. I saw a myriad of new faces, and wondered which ones I would eventually be friends with. The rest of the day went really well. Most people seemed friendly, I remembered my schedule, and I only got lost once.

The days flew by, the seasons changed, and before I knew it, 8^th grade year was almost over. I had met a lot of really nice people and had adjusted to all of the changes that I faced. All of my worries of the year passed and I realized that moving away wasn’t as bad as I had expected. I frequently visited my friends and family, but it still wasn’t the same.

Since then, however, I have moved back to my home in Roanoke. Going to school with the same people that I left before is not strange at all to me. Good friends are the ones that I could talk to when I moved back and feel like I had never left in the first place. I’m really glad to be able to finish high school with the friends that I’m close with and be near my family again. Even though it may seem at times that moving was pointless, I remind myself that all things happen for a reason. If I had never had this period of my life, a lot of things in my life would be different, and I would have never met some of the people who I am close with today. Every day and every moment of my life is influential; and they all lead me closer towards becoming the person I am meant to become.