In the hot sweltering sun, my little brother walks towards me from a far distance. His eyes squinting from the sun’s strong gaze, his small hands tightly grasped around multicoloured wrappers. Annoyance flares up inside of me as I realise I’ve been waiting – and burning – for far too long. Something in me stops the harsh words riddled with anger from escaping myself. I look into his innocent face.
Had he not left me alone in this sultriness, I would not have thought about what I’ve been avoiding for so long. I had been reassessing and evaluating long enough to reach my conclusion. I know what I have to do. My skin may be a few shades darker, but what does that matter now? I have conquered this dark mass inside me that consumed too much of my time. My mind wandered every spare moment, yet today I’ve made sense of it. I have made my peace. No demons will accompany each moment of my being. A rush of new-found strength flows through me.
I smile back at him as we share a moment of silence. And at that moment it felt like the sun cooled down just for me; for us. For the sake of forgetting my anger and appreciating the long wait. I sling an arm across his skinny frame, steal a bubblegum from his sweaty palms and head toward the bus stop.
Sofia Alston
When so much of your childhood is documented, there are going to be moments you wish had been left out. For me that moment is an entire era: middle school. It begins with a hike up Baxter Mountain.