Hey Diary,
I think college is already changing me.
I used to be the girl who always asked permission first. What to wear, where to go, who I could talk to — everything had rules. But now I’m here, in my own little dorm room, with my own key, my own closet, and no one checking every move I make.
Today one of the girls on my floor helped me pick out an outfit for a campus mixer. It was just a little skirt and a fitted top, but I swear I stared at myself in the mirror forever. I kept tugging at the hem, blushing like someone had already caught me doing something wrong.
When I finally went downstairs, a couple of older guys from one of the student groups looked over at me. Not in a scary way. Just enough for me to notice that they noticed. And Diary… I liked it. That’s the part I can’t stop thinking about.
I still feel like sweet Cassie. I still get nervous. I still overthink everything. But there’s this tiny brave part of me that wants to wear the outfit again, stay out a little later, laugh a little louder, and see what happens when I stop trying to be the girl everyone expects me to be.
Maybe freshman year is going to teach me more than I thought.
~ Cassie 💋