Yeah, Cath said. Of course. I mean, I think so. Carry On, Simon ?
Yes! The girl laughed quietly and looked around the room again. That was almost embarrassing. I mean, its like having a secret life sometimes. People think its so weird. Fanfiction. Slash. You know.
Cath nodded. Do you read a lot of fic?
Not as much anymore, the girl said. I was an addict in high school. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a sweatshirt that read VERDIGRE FOOTBALLFIGHT, HAWKS, FIGHT! She didnt look like a creepy shut-in. What about you? she asked.
I still read a lot, Cath said.
Magicath is my absolute favorite, the girl interrupted, like she couldnt hold it back. Im obsessed with Carry On. Have you been keeping up?
Yeah.
Shes been posting so much lately. Every time theres a new chapter, I have to stop everything to read it. And then read it again. My roommate thinks Im crazy.
Mine, too.
But its just so good. Nobody writes Simon and Baz like Magicath. Im in love with her Baz. Like, in love. And I used to be a major Simon/Agatha shipper.
Cath wrinkled her nose. No.
I know, I was young.
If Agatha actually cared about either of them, Cath said, shed pick one.
I know, right? When Simon broke it off with her in Carry Onsuch a good scene.
You didnt think it was too long?
No, the girl said, did you?
I wasnt sure.
I never think the chapters are too long. I just want more and more and more. The girl waved her hands in front of her mouth like she was Cookie Monster eating cookies. Im telling you, Im obsessed with Carry On. I feel like something big is about to happen soon.
Me, too, Cath said. I think the Mage might turn on Simon.
No! You think?
Ive just got a feeling about it.
It killed me how long it took Simon and Baz to get together. And now Im dying for them to have a big love scene. Thats my only complaint about Carry On not enough Simon/Baz action.
She almost never writes love scenes, Cath said, feeling her cheeks pink.
Yeah, but when she does, theyre hot.
You think?
Um, the girl laughed. Yes.
This is why people think were crazy perverts, Cath said.
The girl just giggled some more. I know. Sometimes I forget that theres still a real book coming outlike, its hard for me to imagine that the story is going to end any other way than the way Magicath writes it.
Sometimes, Cath said, when Im reading canon, I forget that Simon and Baz arent in love.
Right? I love Gemma T. Leslie, I always willI feel like she was this major force in my childhoodand I know that Magicath wouldnt exist without GTL. But now, I think I love Magicath more. Like she might be my favorite author. And shes never even written a book.
Caths jaw was hanging slightly open, and she was shaking her head. Thats crazy.
I know, the girl said, but I think its true. Oh my God, Im sorry. Im talking your ear off. I just never get to talk about this stuff in real life. Except to my boyfriend. He knows what a freak I am about it.
Dont apologize, Cath said. This was cool.
The girl sat down, and so did Cath. She opened up her laptop and thought for a minute about Professor Piper, then opened up the latest chapter of Carry On. Something big was about to happen soon.
* * *
Dad, its Cath. Are you back from Tulsa? Just checking in. Call me.
___
Dad? Its Cath. Call me.
___
Hey, Cath, its your dad. Im back. Im fine. Dont worry about me. Worry about school. No, scratch that, dont worry at all. Try not worrying, Cathits an amazing way to be. Like flying. Love you, honey, tell your sister hi.
___
Dad? I know you dont want me to worry. But I would worry less if you called me back. And not at three A.M.
* * *
Ten days, Professor Piper said.
Instead of sitting in her usual spot on her desk, she was striking a pose at the windows. It was snowing outsideit had already snowed so much this year, and it was only early Decemberand the professor cut a dramatic figure against the icy glass.
Id like to believe that youre all finished with your short stories, she said, turning her blue eyes on them. That youre just tweaking and tinkering now, tugging every last loose thread
She walked back toward their desks and smiled at a few of them one by one. Cath felt a thrill when their eyes met.
but Im a writer, too, the professor said. I know what its like to be distracted. To seek out distractions. To exhaust yourself doing every other little thing rather than face a blank page. She smiled at one of the boys. A blank screen
So if you havent finishedor if you havent startedI understand, I do. But I implore you start now. Lock yourself away from the world. Turn off the Internet, barricade the door. Write as if your life depended on it.
Write as if your future depended on it.
Because I can promise you this one small thing. She let her eyes rest on another one of her favorites and smiled. If youre planning to take my advanced course next semester, you wont get in unless you get a B in this class. And this short story is half your final grade.