Riya nodded, even though Mel couldn’t see. And even if she didn’t understand why Mel kept choosing to stay, she let herself accept it anyway.
“...Thanks, Mel.”
They stayed on the phone a little longer after that—Mel chatting about her dinner plans with Andrew, Riya listening, letting the sound of her friend’s voice fill the silence.
When they finally said good night, Riya felt ...steadier.
And for now, Riya decided maybe that was enough.
Essay
Caltech Application Essay–An Excerpt
Riya Khan
Astrophysics would teach me how to find answers. At least, that’s what I believed.
When I first looked through a telescope in middle school, I thought I’d found the one thing in the world that made sense: Stars followed rules. Planets orbited. Black holes pulled. There were no mixed signals. No chaos. Just gravity, precision, and math.
It made me feel safe. Small, yes, but in a way that was comforting. Because even if I didn’t understand the universe yet, I trusted that it could be understood. That there was a right answer waiting, as long as I was patient enough to find it.
For a long time, I tried to live my life the same way. I treated people like variables I couldn’t control. People were messy. People made mistakes. People left. So I built a life that didn’t require relying on them. I studied in the library, alone. I showed up to club activities but kept my distance. I only chose paths that promised clarity and predictability, even when they cost me connection. Especially then.
Lately, though, I’ve started to realize I misunderstood what astrophysics was teaching me. The universe isn’t quiet. It isn’t careful. Stars areborn from collapse. Galaxies form through collision. The patterns we marvel at don’t emerge in spite of chaos—they emerge because of it.
People, I’m learning, aren’t so different. Wanting connection doesn’t make someone reckless or weak. It means being willing to stay open to things you can’t predict. To rejection. To loss. To pain that may never resolve into meaning.
Astrophysics hasn’t freely given me all the answers to its secrets, but it has taught me how to live without them. To welcome the looming unknowns. All of them.
Because the truth is, people don’t owe me certainty any more than the universe does.
Of course, I still believe in rules and orbits and gravity. Such things are woven into my DNA. But I’ve learned that the absence of certainty hasn’t stopped the universe from moving forward or people from mattering.
That’s the work I’m ready to start
Chapter 29
The end of school came with its usual chaos—backpacks slung over shoulders, half-finished conversations trailing down the hallway—but Riya lingered by the Talent Show sign-up sheet posted outside the library, her brow furrowed.
Most names were familiar. Confirmed.
But today, there was a new entry on the list: just “Anonymous.” No phone number, no email. No way to confirm what act they had planned, other than “A song.”
She hovered, eyes narrowed. They needed every act they could get, but the last-minute mystery gnawed at her. Maybe it was a prank, some troll with too much time on their hands. She was too tired to deal with it; her head throbbed from too little sleep, and Sirah khala would be home tonight.
The thought made her stomach tilt.
“Sothisis where you were hiding.” Quin bit into a snickerdoodle behind her. “You don’t expect me to peddle baked goods all by myself, do you?”
Riya turned slowly. It was just her luck that Quin had volunteered for the same after-school bake sale shift for the Student Council’s Talent Show Fundraiser. But apparently Quin couldn’t stand to be left alone for more than a few minutes.
“You just have to take the money, put it in the cashbox,and hand people their baked goods.” Her gaze fell to the cookie, then back to Quin. “Those are potentialprofitsyou’re eating.”
“I’m eatingonecookie, you capitalist.” Quin looked over Riya’s shoulder. “Notice something intriguing about the Talent Show sign-up sheet?”
“Just that we have an Anonymous in our midst,” Riya replied, tapping the sheet.
“A little mystery is a good thing. Schedule them for the end of the show, just in case.” They tilted their head, studying her. “You’ve got a... look about you today, Miss VP. Should I be worried you’re planning to oust me from my throne?”
