Maggie
“Never have I ever dated two people at the same time,” my roommate, Tolu, says, followed by a gulp from her can of Natty Light.
There are seven of us crammed into our dorm room, and two others take a drink, including this guy Rory sitting next to me
on my bed.
“That’s so stressful,” my frizzy-haired friend Gwen says. “I don’t know how people do that.”
“I found it exhilarating,” Tolu says. “And fun.”
We’re almost two months into the semester, and I really like it here. It’s honestly a little weird how comfortable I am—I
just met Tolu and Gwen last month, but I already feel so close to them. Soon after meeting Gwen, I learned that she plays
the violin, and we’ve been messing around with songs ever since. Earlier tonight, we did an insane cover of Katy Perry’s “Never
Really Over” at open mic night—me on piano, her on violin, both of us on vocals—and it truly killed.
“All right,” Rory says. “Never have I ever made out with someone in a car.” He takes a chug of beer with this smug look on
his face, but I can barely take it in because I’m considering all the times I’ve made out in a car.
With CarCo.
I’d be lying if I said he hasn’t been on my mind a lot.
I wonder how he’s doing. How he’s feeling.
Gwen and Tolu know I broke up with someone in the spring, though I haven’t yet gone into the weird details. I save that for my voice memos to Shana and Ember.
Tomorrow marks two months till his birthday.
I wish I could talk to him.
Laugh with him.
Make out with him in a car.
But that would only be a recipe for more pain.
So I wait. I immerse myself in my new world, and I wait.
Two more months, and he’ll forget me.
And then I will move on.
How will I even officially confirm that Carter looped back? I’ll have to, like, reach out to someone who’s still at Ridgedale.
Probably Bodhi.
Ugh. It’s all so depressing.
“Maggie?” Tolu says, nudging my knee. “Are you gonna go?”
“Oh,” I say. “Go? You bet. Um . . .” I look at the faces of my new friends, all eyes on me. Why not? “Never have I ever dated
a guy who’s permanently sixteen.”
I take a long sip, and everyone laughs.
They think I was speaking figuratively.
Three of the others drink too.