Key Word: Yet

Everyone has a dream girl.

Even if you don’t swing that way.

Mine isn’t the prettiest in the room.

She isn’t the loudest either.

She’s the girl with direction.

She knows what she wants from life.

She doesn’t command everyone’s attention—not because she doesn’t want to, but because she doesn’t care to. She has more important things to think about. Her mind is too full for that.

And so is her notebook.

It’s dog-eared, constantly shoved from backpack to purse, covered in scribbled ideas and crossed-out sentences. There aren’t many empty pages left. She always has a pen on her, ready to scribble down another idea.

She wakes up early to run.

Not because she always wants to.

Because she promised herself she would.

She keeps promises, especially those made to herself.

Some days it’s harder than others. 

Some days, she sits on the ledge of her twin bed, not wanting to leave the comfort of her room. It’s so warm, and it’s so cold out. 

But she knows she needs to get out there. 

She isn’t trying to impress anyone, but she’s trying to become a person she’d be proud of.

She dreams bigger than most people. Sometimes she wishes she were more of a realist, but she can’t help it. It’s the way she’s wired.

She talks about becoming a journalist. Writing novels, maybe adapting them into movies. Running marathons. Owning a bookstore someday.

Not because she expects life to follow her perfect plan.

But because dreams give her somewhere to walk toward.

Every August, just before school starts, everyone seems to want a fresh start. A new haircut. A different wardrobe. A new personality. Reinvention feels strangely possible.

I’m not sure how everyone else does it.

But me? I build myself a dream girl.

I haven’t met her yet.

Key word: yet.

Because she isn’t someone else.

She’s the version of me I’m still growing into.

Every day I try to become a little more like her. I brainstorm even when no good ideas come. I carry a book with me, not for appearances, but because I actually want to read it. I lace up my running shoes even when I’d rather stay in bed.

Little by little, I keep the promises that she would make.

One day, I hope to realize that I have finally become the girl I’d spent all those years dreaming about.