Flaky, layered, sweet with a sour finish: apple turnovers. I love them, especially warmed up with vanilla ice cream on the side. A delightful treat. In a way, they remind me of myself, an inviolable spirit, an extravagant mind, and a gorgeous girl. A person has many layers. My first layer, like the first layer of an apple turnover, is crispier than the rest but paper-thin, hiding personal feelings and letting out a confident, defensive, tough persona. Everyone has that sort of exterior though, as a way to protect themselves. If you think about it, that layer is truly paper thin no matter how tough we attempt to come off as. We get close to people, make friends, and despite the trust issues, we do care. The second layer of the apple turnover is usually soft, buttery, and doughy.  The layer beyond my crisp exterior is ecstatic, steadfast, caring, kind, and innocent. That inner child that begs to come out more often, searching for friendships everywhere, but too nervous to get close to anyone. The piece of me that is both everchanging and never-changing. Everyone grows mentally and physically. However, the part that will always stay the same in me is that I will always wonder, and I will always be caring. For example, I have continued to enjoy helping the old ladies from my church cross the street. Unexpectedly most of them end up giving me something in return that I usually give back but in a different form, like buying their favorite snack from the store across the street from the church. Or how I have and will continue to enjoy giving the homeless money and food when I can. During the summer of 2021, my grandma made lunch bags and passed them out to the homeless people at the beach then got ice cream afterward. The filling of an apple turnover is sweet with a tangy finish; I am the same way.  I can be extremely nice; however, I can also be heavily strong-willed. For example, during the summer of 2023, there was a leadership workshop that I desperately wanted to go to. My mom agreed for me to go, but slowly after signing the documents saying I could, she started to regret that decision. Fearing that something would happen while I was there and she wouldn’t be there to help me. However, I was able to ease her out of her anxiety, reassuring her that I had become more mature and that I would update her daily. Beyond that filling is one last layer, a soft layer with a crisp outside, similar to the texture of a freshly baked homemade cookie. My last layer is full of forward-looking. I’ve always looked forward to what the future holds for me, whether it is the job I work, the college I go to, or the places to which I travel. Despite that curiosity, I am also nervous about what awaits me. Like if I did all this preparation for the future just to end up nowhere that I planned for. After that, I calmed myself down and considered what would happen if everything went right and did tons of research on what my life would look like if everything went accordingly. This is me, The layers of who I am, and how those pieces make me, me. I wouldn’t be who I am if each layer didn’t exist; and even with my flaws, I see myself as a delightful, heedful, and splendiferous person. Similar to the sweet, layered, imperfect layers of an apple turnover. ~Ki'Myra Eure