It has always been difficult for Riley to cope with change. She has turned 18 today and will be soon off to college in a month. College is a big milestone for anyone and comes with a lot of changes in your life, changes that Riley was just not ready for. She had to leave everything behind, her friends, her family and her childhood home, just to start fresh in a new and unknown city. Riley was scared but excited. She was excited to start this new chapter in her life and walk down the path to her future, but at the same time, she was scared. She feared that it may not all be how she imagined it. She didn’t want to leave her friends behind. However, she knew they were always going to have her back no matter what. Just like that the day to leave for college arrived and she said her final goodbyes to her friends.

 Day one of college and Riley was already late for class. She rushed to get dressed and reached her class 15 minutes late. When she entered the classroom, she saw about 15 people in the class out of which 5 were boys and the rest were only girls. She walked in with a smile and tried to talk to this one girl sitting alone in one corner of the class. The girl introduced herself, “Hi, My name is Alex”. Riley and Alex sat together for the day and had a long conversation. Riley was happy she made a friend. During the classes, they learnt about what she would be studying this year and met her professors. She was excited to start working towards her future.

After college, she would talk to her friends back home every evening because of how much she missed them. It didn’t always work out since her friends would be busy and were not free to talk. Riley felt bad about it. She felt as if her friends were drifting away from her. She expressed her feelings to her friends and they kept reassuring her that they’re always there for her. They might be busy in their own routines but that doesn’t mean they forgot about her.

As kids Riley and her friends would meet everyday. It was like a routine. Riley started to accept that they are all growing up now and it won’t be daily meet-ups anymore. Life is changing and this change is inevitable. All we can do is accept it and move on with our lives. Those who are truly there for us will stay even if you are continents apart.