Best friends at The Nest.

Rivals at the Lone Star Showdown. 

Seniors Peyton Vargus and Lavanya Ajith met in their freshman year in Partners P.E. They quickly became best friends, hanging out multiple times a week. 

“There weren’t many people in our class, and our personalities just really clicked,” Vargus said. “We slowly started hanging out, and this year I swear I’m just always with her.”

With both their hearts set on the University of Texas at Austin, they never thought next year, on Nov. 29, they would be sitting on opposite sides of a stadium.

“I originally did want to go to UT, a lot of people in our class did, and we were all gonna like go together,” Vargus said. “But I ended up picking [Texas] A&M [University] and Lavanya is going to UT.”

The Longhorn and Aggie rivalry began in 1894 and is one of the oldest rivalries in college sports. Close in proximity, the rivalry is natural between the two campuses. The football matchup between the schools is named the Lone Star Showdown with the event often a popular ticket, with the cheapest $500 in 2024.

“I’m so excited to get ready and take pictures with them,” Ajith said. “Game days are already so fun, but it will be good to come together and see them again. We always go to any sporting event together, so that is something I will definitely miss doing with her.”

However,  the rivalry will not stop the girls from being best friends. UT and A&M are only around two hours away from each other. Both girls have agreed to frequently visit each other or even meet in the middle.

“We’re really good friends, so it won’t affect our friendship at all,” Ajith said. “We already looked it up and mapped the drive to see each other. I’m going to miss her so much, but I’m excited for our future. We always said we would own a business together when we were older, and we still will.”