I arrived at the college Friday morning, equal parts excitement and apprehension filling every fiber of my being. Sure, the nonchalant air I gave off was to mask the fear of being away from home for the first time in my life, but I think I did a convincing enough job nonetheless. I had fooled everyone, I was sure, except for my sister, who was a junior. Once Mom and Jessica had helped me settle into my room they disappeared, as they often did after weeks or months of not seeing one another, to “catch up on things.” An hour or so later they returned, Mom kissed me good-bye, told Jessica to watch out for me, and she was on her way back to Macon.
“Now that she is out of the way…” Jessica began with a laugh. “Okay, first of all, big party tonight.