“I have to leave,” I tell my sister. We are in my room, the plywood of my floors exposed and my walls still unpainted. I am going to college soon and I can’t juggle that with taking care of our grandmother and working full-time. I couldn’t handle that expectation even in high school. I raised my sister and did everything not to abandon her like this. My declaration is a failure. She nods at my words and wipes her tears off on my shirt as we hug. I know it is the last one we will share for a while.
Bailey Peters is a Game Design and Development major at Kennesaw State University with two minors. She hugged her sister after writing this piece.