Chapter 1
Move-in week is literally the week from hell, and adding financial stress to the mix is making this particular week even more dreadful. I was so close to finally being able to breathe and getting excited for the first semester of my sophomore year when I just so happened to go through the mail as I was packing and found out my financial aid had fallen through. It was not due to my grades ( I made sure of that). When I called Harvard, they said that the original account that was put in place for my tuition has gone bankrupt due to a lack of better terms. The only thing my father ever left me was. Apparently, I was a trust fund baby, but since my mother was a severe drug addict, I never saw any of that money. How I managed to stumble across college money was truly by the grace of God.
Tears are forming in my eyes when my phone rings from my nightstand, and my heart skips a beat. Once I saw the name that came across my screen, I was able to relax. Anika, the love of my life, my best friend, and sister. Okay, I may be over exaggerating a little with the love of my life thing, but you get the point. I, Nyathera Selene, cannot do this thing called life without Anika Kim. I met her during orientation week at University and we have been inseparable since. She was there for me through all my breakdowns, and ultimately, if it was not for her, I would have failed my first year of school. She never made me feel any different when it came to not having my family around during school events, and on breaks, I never had to go home; I stayed at her house. The only reason I have been here for the summer is that, as much as I despise my mom, she needs me. She cannot be left alone for more than a month consecutively. During the semester, Anika would drive me home on the weekends to check up on my mother, help bathe her, clothe her, feed her, make sure the house is not in shambles, and help me buy stuff I need without expecting anything in return. A true angel.
“Hey, baby! Guess what day it is?!”
“Uhm, move-in day?” Even though the actual move-in date is not until next week, Anika decided to move me early to her house; the faster I get out of mine, the better. I have not told her about my financial crisis yet, but by the sound of my voice, I suspect she knows something is up.
“It’s move-in day!” She squeaks out of pure excitement. “What’s wrong, you’re usually squealing with me. In the past, we sounded like a bunch of piglets on a pig farm. Who do I have to kill?”
“Ani, I have problems with my financial aid package, and if I don’t figure it out, then I will not be able to move in. It is a miracle I had the money to begin with. What am I going to do?”
“Let me handle, do not worry your pretty little head. Your job is to be excited for move-in week and get your things packed. I have to make sure that the girls are good for a couple of hours by themselves because my parents are at work, and then I will be right over there. I’ll see you soon. I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, Ani!”
I never understood how Anika is able to take care of three sisters, have a full-time degree, and have time to be there for me. I grew up in a somewhat untraditional household. My mother was always somewhere, never around, and when she was, she was strung out on the drug of her choice. As far as my dad, I would not know who he is if we ended up bumping into each other on the street. How did I end up surviving my adolescent years? Lots of prayers, staying out of trouble, and searching for love in men that destroyed me in ways I would never want to experience ever again. I do not even know how I ended up in college. I personally think it was a glitch in the matrix; other people might say it was in God’s will. Either way, I am here now, and I will be damned if I do not take advantage of it.
Somehow, parts of me got lost. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but I am determined to find it again. People really don’t understand how trauma can affect a person, and just because you have gone through it does not mean your story is over. I refuse to be the statistic of the girl who lost herself and never picked herself back up. I refuse to be the girl that people try to avoid just because I may talk about what I have gone through. One thing I found out is that my voice is important and it will not be silenced anymore. Some stories begin at the very start, and some maybe at the end. Not mine. I will choose how to tell this story as I see fit because, as of right now, it no longer has power over me. Anika was the girl who never judged me for who I was and loved all versions of me. She was the one who encouraged me to continue college, and ultimately, she was the one who told me not to worry about finances.
Unlike me, she grew up wealthy, but no one knows. One of the first lessons she taught me is that money talks, and if you have enough of it, you can have the power to save the world. She is a true nepo baby, but lacks the horrible personality of one. Her mother is a neurosurgeon, and her dad is a lawyer. When she was born, her parents swore that she would not have to face the same generational curses her ancestors had to go through. They let Ani follow her passions and dreams. She is getting her degree in business and one day wants to open up a cafe so that the less fortunate can have somewhere they can call home. Literally, her parents can give her the money right there and then, but she wants to earn it, and that is what I find attractive. Not to mention she is smart as hell (she can build her own electronics).
On the bright side, I am very excited for my classes this semester. One of which favors my special interest in Greek mythology. Those stories were a way to escape my own life. According to the syllabus, each week we are going to go in-depth about a famous myth, and then we are going to recreate said myths. The only downside is that this class has a lot of group work, which I hate. I would rather do everything myself. The rest of the classes are all psychology-based, aside from one horrid math class, which I already failed and have to retake, sadly.
An hour has passed, and Anika is currently sitting in my room, ecstatic to tell me the plans she has for this semester. “I have something to tell you, but do not freak out.”
This instantly makes me nervous because I cannot deal with surprises. I am a person who thrives on stability. “Let me guess, I won’t be able to move in, and now I won’t be getting my degree from Harvard?”
“What, no, I got that taken care of. You’re on a full ride now. I told you not to worry about it. What I was going to tell you is that I am going to be an RA! Isn’t that exciting!”
“An RA, are you serious? You are supposed to be my roommate till I graduate. I cannot room with anyone else.” My chest started to beat rapidly, and I began hyperventilating. Instead of Anika getting mad at me, she reassures me and tells me everything is going to be okay.
“You’re still going to be living with me. I talked to them about giving us the same room. People weren’t lying when they said money talks.”
“You bribed them?”
“Girl, you should know me better than that. No, I did not bribe them. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. They saw how much money I had when I was able to pay for your schooling, so they let me do whatever I wanted. You better not think about paying me back either.”
“What’s the plan now?”
“ It’s time we mark our own destiny.”
