Copyright Sierra Hill 2017
My parents are going to kill me.
Not literally. Well, maybe…God, I hope not.
My dad is a well-known criminal lawyer, so if they do murder me, they’d probably get off scot-free. I wouldn’t blame them if they did – at the very least, they are going to punish me in the worst way possible - because this is the worst mistake I’ve ever made in all my nineteen years of life. Believe me when I say, I’ve fucked up a lot.
As the ‘middle’ child, it’s my lot in life. You can’t change your personality traits, right? I am who I am, and all that shit. Plus, I’m stuck between two scientific geniuses. Who can compete with that? My older brother, Cade, just graduated with a degree in biomechanical engineering. He’s brilliant, but has always downplayed it with his good-looks and his basketball-God-like status.
And my twin sister – younger than me by a mere seven minutes – is studying to become a scientist. She attended school this past year in California, but announced to my parents a week ago that she would be transferring to Cade’s alma mater, ASU, in the fall. And she’s moving in with her boyfriend, Van.
The good news is that with her announcement, along with my brother’s proposal to his girlfriend, Ainsley – it might take a little out of the sting of my decision to trek across Europe with my friend, Isadora, or Izzy as she prefers to be called.
But I have royally fucked up this time. Not only did I drop out of college – and don’t plan on going back next semester – but I left for Europe without my parents’ permission and I’m now stranded in Italy of all places without any means of getting back.
I told you it was a colossal fuck-up.
Going home after school ended wasn’t even an option. I couldn’t possibly go home with my tail between legs. I’d have to explain how I flunked out of my first year of college, I don’t have a plan to go back, I don’t have a job, really don’t have any career aspirations at this point, and have decided to spend the next three months in Europe.
So, I just went ahead and skipped town without telling anyone. Booked a flight to Amsterdam with Izzy, and have spent the last two weeks having the time of my life.
I’ve been drunk for thirteen days straight.
Izzy is my friend from school. We’re two peas in a pod – except she plans on returning to UC Boulder in August. It was during a late-spring blizzard when we hatched our plan while drunk on Italian red wine. She has distant relatives in both Florence and Greece, so we mapped out our journey of a lifetime. We’d arrive in Amsterdam, take a train to Switzerland, and then finally venture down to Florence, Italy.
Where I happen to be stuck right now.