Feather

Brown was splashed over my finger nails. It was the same brown that I had worn since I was twelve years old. It had become a kind of signature for me. People knew me as the girl with the brown nail polish and the white shirts. I couldn't deny that I had always enjoyed the look. There was something homey and relaxed about it. It had even gone with their school colors of brown and orange. As one of the cheerleaders for the Bears, the brown nail polish had also made getting ready for games that much easier.

I had graduated from Gabaldon High School only three weeks before and I had to admit that I was already missing it. My life was about to change. This was the moment that we had all worked long and hard for and I didn't know if I had made the right choices anymore. Actually, the real problem was that, I hadn't made any choices at all. I hadn't picked my college. I hadn't picked my friends. I hadn't picked my clothes. I hadn't picked my boyfriend. I hadn't picked my major.

Staring down at the brown nails, I wondered if I could really make any decisions of my own. I looked up at the bright colors that arrayed the shelf just above my head. I had almost every color of nail polish that I could find at the local Wal-Mart and I had never opened a single one. A bright metallic orange, a pale icy blue, a deep hypnotic purple, white-out gray, and a neon green jumped out at me. I pulled each color down and arranged them randomly.

An hour later, I was walking down the stairs with bright nails that clashed in every way. My parents stared at my hands and toes in shock as I grabbed my purse and keys. "I'm going to the mall with Connor! I'll see you guys later!" I called to my parents as I slipped out the front door.