Making the Most of Lonely Nights

Its 10pm and her younger sister has already gone to bed, the lights in the room turned off for the night. She sits on her trundle bed, watching her sister's sleep soundly and turns back to her computer.

Her hair half unbraided, in her pajamas, makeup still on. She is listening to positive/Christian rock from her new favorite radio station, keeping the volume in the earplugs to a low buzz as not to wake up her sister. Carefully, she spoons her frozen yogurt into her mouth, using the computer screen as her only light.

Her head nodding to the tune of the playing song, she holds her spoon up and uses it as a microphone. She watches herself through the reflection of the mirrors on the closet,the laptop light becoming a spotlight on her.

She ran in the morning - breath of fresh air. She worked today. Got a free sandwich from it, and socialized with her coworkers. She watched her younger sister star in an elementary school science musical. Now she's in the dark room, surfing the net and thinking. Thinking about him; he's more than a thousand miles away, no way to get with him. She's not worth him. Whenever she thinks of him, she thinks of the song, "According to You," but she still dares to dream. Thinking of her awaiting adventures in new country - a dream still yet to manifest itself. Thinking of her old roommates; apartment window and door open, radio blasting, singing and dancing to old 90's songs.

The mirror captures her again, the illuminated face surrounded by the dark shadows of the room. Her hair, now all the way unbraided, curls every which way, bouncing in rhythm to the new song. She smiles nostalgically, missing her life at college, wishing these lonely summer nights will pass swiftly. But for now, she will make the most of these nights in the spotlight through the mirror.