August 27th, 2026
I zipped my backpack closed and put it on. I stood in front of my mirror to study my outfit. A pair of skinny jeans, a black-and-white Greenfield U T-shirt, and a jean jacket. Simple, but good-looking. I’d gotten new sneakers to match, too.
My hair was tied up in a high bun. It was a little difficult at first, considering how puffy and long it was, but I eventually got it to behave. I really looked like a college student. It was believable.
But I still couldn’t believe I was a college student.
I looked around my room. Still my room. Still my house. But it felt way too small, in a way… like I was too mature for it. Probably not true, though; I was only 19. What did I know about the world?
“Di, come on!” Jack called. “It starts at 9, remember?”
“Coming! Come on, Lonnie.” Taking one last look at myself, I ran to the stairs, my loyal best friend trotting at my side. Jack waited for me, wearing an orange shirt and green cargo shorts. I quirked a brow at his look. “You’re wearing that?” Lonnie let out a sort of sneeze that sounded like a snort.
He looked down at himself. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s the first day.”
“It’s Labor Day.” He noticed my backpack. “You don’t need that.”
“I have snacks in it,” I argued. “And extra clothes. And my water bottle. And my charger. And-”
“Okay…” Jack rolled his eyes.
“Wait for me!” Mom came running out of the kitchen, stopping short when she saw Jack. “You’re wearing that?”
He groaned. “I don’t have time to change, okay? I’m a senior.”
“So what?”
“So I’ve been to Labor Day three times already, and it doesn’t get any better.”
“You can still go out without looking like a slob. At least change your shirt.” Mom hurried upstairs to Jack’s room. Tommy had found an apartment and moved out a few months ago, deciding to share it with Harry, so now Kyle and Jack had their own rooms. Soon, it would just be Jack and me until he’d move out at the end of the school year.
“Mom, we’re gonna be late!”
“Well, if you don’t care about it that much, then who cares about being late!”
“She wants to go!” He pointed at me.
“Hey, it’s my first time. Give me some slack,” I said.
He groaned, rubbing his eyes. “I woke up early for this.”
“We woke up at 7:30.”
“That’s early.”
As Dad came out of the kitchen, Mom came down with a red Polo shirt and jeans. Reluctantly, Jack took off his shirt and changed. He then glared at me.
“What, are you embarrassed?” I teased him, getting a twinge of nostalgia. Had we been here before… somehow?
“Just turn around.”
I laughed, but did so. “Wimp.”
“I heard that.” His words finally brought out the memory. My first day of school, when I’d first arrived here. Mom had made Tommy change, and he felt self-conscious around me.
It felt like an eternity ago… the boys didn’t even get along with me back then. How was that only three years ago?
“You guys gotta stay for the photoshoot, remember?” Kyle came down, dressed in a white dress shirt. His hair was combed neatly. But while his top half was decent, his bottom half was dressed in sweatpants. At my look of confusion, he said, “Zoom meeting.”
“Mom, please just let me go and finish college,” Jack said.
“Susan, come on,” Dad agreed.
“Just one picture! Stand over here.” She pushed us in front of the stairs. Lonnie sat next to me, licking his lips, and wagged his tail excitedly. He was just as enthused to start college with me.
We posed together, Jack smiling unenthusiastically. I suddenly felt a presence behind me, which triggered my survival instincts. They were still there, despite all this time without that kind of danger haunting me every day. My elbow jerked back into someone’s stomach and a groan resounded in my ear.
Both of us turned, startled, and saw Tommy sinking to the floor while clutching his stomach. Harry jumped back, avoiding the same fate as my hand closed into a fist. Lonnie happily barked, standing on his hind legs and pawing at the two.
“When did you get here?” Jack exclaimed, laughing.
“An hour ago,” Tommy said, still out of air.
I helped him up, apologizing, and then crushed the air out of his lungs once again with a hug. Harry came and embraced me, kissing my head. He turned to Lonnie and playfully hugged him, sending both of them to the floor, baby-talking him all the way. Lonnie panted happily and his tail was on the verge of smacking someone in the face.
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“We thought we could surprise the two kiddos still living at Mom and Dad’s,” Tommy said, pursing his lips babyishly.
Jack roughly shoved his head. “Or you’re already feeling homesick and you want to move back in with Mommy and Daddy.”
“Not a chance.” Tommy quickly retracted his words. “Not like that, though- I mean- Mom, Dad, you know I love you-”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Dad chuckled. “As long as you visit, I have no complaints. It’s not like it’s a dream having all five of you kids here, you know.”
“Harry, shouldn’t you be at Waterford right now?” Mom asked.
“I don’t want to go to Labor Day. It’s boring.” He dusted the dog hair off of his Waterford hoodie, but it was pretty hopeless. He’d have to give it a wash. “I kinda want to go with you guys, actually.”
“Good idea. You can babysit Di so I don’t have to,” said Jack.
“I’m 19.” I punched his side.
“You’re 19,” he imitated, messing up my hair. I leaned away with a squeal, protecting my perfect bun. He laughed and sung, “Baby.”
“Dingbat,” I sang back.
“Hey.” Dad gave us a brief, stern look. “Alright, let’s get in the picture.”
Mom took a picture of all of us first, then brought a chair to prop the phone on so we could take a family picture. It was quite messy, with everyone moving or making weird faces, but we eventually settled on one where I had a confused smile, Jack was whining at Tommy, and Kyle was clutching Harry’s hair.
“Okay, we need to go,” Jack said.
“Seriously, can I go? Greenfield’s better at this than Waterford,” Harry begged.
“You should transfer, then,” I said.
“Nah.”
After more hugs and kisses goodbye, we headed to Greenfield’s campus. Tommy had a used car, turning down Mom and Dad’s offer to buy a brand-new one, since he insisted on buying one himself. Our parents had still paid for it, but he paid them back monthly. He was working two jobs while finding a way to open his business.
Surprisingly, he was doing quite well since finishing trade school. Mom and Dad had kickstarted his career, of course, but from then, he’d been very clever with his finances and finding jobs. He worked part-time as a Music teacher at elementary schools and also took babysitting jobs. He was really good with kids. Kyle was helping him plan his music business, already finding an empty space for him.
Kyle was doing great in his new job. He was working overtime now that he was getting married soon. Nicole was working as a data analyst in a different company, so they had a good base to start on. I could hardly wait. All our brothers were Best Men and I was the Best Woman. Nicole had four Maids of Honor and one Man of Honor to match.
Jack was going to coach teams at a high school after graduation— definitely not Summit High’s, though. He deserved better than to coach his former friends’ younger siblings. He needed “fresh, new blood that actually has that spirit of teamwork”— his words, not mine.
I sent Tony our pictures once I received them from Mom. He liked all of them and texted, Have a great day, ily. He finally decided to go out of state to Olympia University in Washington to become a teacher. It was hard for me at first, but if that was where he felt happy, then that was enough for me.
I LOVE YOU TOO, I texted back, sending many love emojis.
I got another text from Addie. She was 12 now, but I always imagined her as that little girl I met when I was on my first date… not exactly a date, but my first outing with Tony.
Hi Diana! Have a great first day at college! Tell me allll about it!!! she’d written.
Thank you Addie! I don’t have classes yet but I’ll send you pics of today! It’s Labor Day
Ohhh ok! Yes definitely send me pics! And tell me about everything!!
I will! You too, Ms. 6th grader!
(Giggling emoji) I will promise!
Middle school… I took a deep breath. She was a tough cookie. Lots of her friends were going to the same school, and she still went to the after-school program at the Deaf school. She would be fine. Besides, if any bratty, pubescent 13-year old messed with her, they’d have to answer to Tony and me.
I prayed that even if Tony and I grew apart and went back to being friends, I’d still have this bond with Addie. In a way, she felt like a little sister to me.
Don’t be jealous, Ames, I thought, smiling at the sky. A pang of sadness briefly hit me, wishing she could be starting college with me. But I reminded myself of how happy she was that day I met her, how peaceful it all felt, and the pain subsided, reducing to a smaller ache.
Di whats ur major again? Sams asking, Harry texted from Tommy’s car.
Social work, I answered, with a minor in creative writing. Chills ran through my spine. I could hardly wait to explore both of my passions in school. I knew I’d probably have a lot of homework, but I’d still make time for that autobiography I had planned.
I had diaries from since 2023 to build off on, and I remembered enough from my old diaries to tell my story. It would be a very trying task, revisiting my past, but if I overcame that, it would be a big step. I could bring hope to other foster kids out there— remind them that there was always a light for everyone.
Of course, most of them probably weren’t switched at birth with a stillborn baby, and they wouldn’t eventually find their blood family by being adopted because they looked like their deceased, long-lost twin. But everyone had a family. Everyone had a chance. I wanted to show them that.
Even now, they planned to foster more children once Kyle moved in with Nicole. I’d also gone engagement-ring browsing with Jack. He wasn’t going to pop the question just yet, but it was in mind.
As for me… I wasn’t ready to be out on my own just yet. One day, I probably would be. Maybe I’d convince Mom and Dad to let me dorm in a couple years, just to start getting more independent. Wouldn’t Jack be furious at that? Hmm… maybe not. That felt a bit mean.
But with every year, I was better, more capable, more happy. Maybe I’d reach a point where I wouldn’t need Lonnie to be at my side every second of the day. I looked at him in the back seat. He was sitting down, as good a boy as he always was, with that constant dog smile on his face.
“You ready for school, Lonnie?” I said.
He licked his lips in response.
“You nervous?”
He shifted in his seat, as if saying ‘yes’.
“I am, too. But it’ll be fun.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Jack. “You’ll eventually get bored, like me.” He shifted the gear to start parking.
“You’re bored because you’re boring.”
“I’m a very fun person.”
“So your idea of fun is sitting in your room and doing nothing?”
“Excuse me, I have homework.”
I laughed. “You play on your computer. I’ve seen you.”
“I need breaks!” He flicked my ear. “You’ll see when you’re a senior.”
“Well, I’m not. I’m a freshman, and I’m gonna enjoy my life.”
“Talk to me when you have 50 essays and 100 papers due by the end of the week.”
I clicked my tongue. “Stop exaggerating. You’re just lazy.”
“You can’t blame me.” He finished parking the car.
We got out and headed to the campus, which was bustling with activity. Freshman students rolling huge carts with their belongings, groups of friends taking pictures, families carrying heaps of things from their cars. Music boomed from a speaker somewhere and decorative banners hung over the dorm buildings, which buzzed with the most people.
Dorm life sure did seem fun… but the idea of living with a random stranger in a tiny room all year scared me.
Tommy and Harry came out of their car, coming to stand next to me and Jack. I clutched my backpack straps, taking myself back to my first day at Summit High. I wasn’t that girl anymore.
“You ready for college, Di?” Jack held out his hand.
I took a breath and accepted his hand. “Yeah. So ready.”
Tommy put an arm around me as we walked onto the festive grounds.