Yolo (7 page)

zoegirl:

I'm supposed to be making Deep and Meaningful Relationships That Will Last Forever?

zoegirl:

crap. I'm in trouble.

mad maddie:

with my real roomie, it will be better. real roomie plus entire suite full of girls I'll be with for whole year. yay!

mad maddie:

as for your crap, that is why I'm chatting you up, girl.

zoegirl:

I can always tell when you're texting with your phone instead of your laptop or iPad because a) you're faster and b) you make fewer typos.

mad maddie:

tipos? I never make tiptoes.

mad maddie:

but I know. I'm faster with my thumbs. it's weird.

mad maddie:

anywayz! back to your crap!

zoegirl:

scatologist.

mad maddie:

you just made that word up, college girl. I like it.

mad maddie:

but if we cld stay on topic, plz . . . ?

mad maddie:

I move my stuff to new dorm room tomorrow, and then on Wednesday classes start. time's a-tickin, things are happening! so I need yr answer, toots.

zoegirl:

my answer to what?

mad maddie:

such a coy mistress! I need you to sign the winsome threesome yolo pact for reals, and not just in theory like you said before.

zoegirl:

omigosh, you're still thinking about that?

mad maddie:

yes, cuz it's important. Angela and I are both in, but it won't count unless you are too.

mad maddie:

*throws Zoe a Sharpie* *throws Zoe copy of pact written in fancy calligraphy writing*

mad maddie:

now gimme yr John Adams

zoegirl:

um . . . it's John Hancock

mad maddie:

no, it's a purple Sharpie, cuz I know how you feel about purple. I'm showing you the love, yo!

zoegirl:

you are a weirdo. but thank you, because it shows you know me.

zoegirl:

no one here KNOWS me, Mads.

mad maddie:

and that's why our pact matters. it'll make us get out there and do stuff, and when we get out there and do stuff, we'll get to know ppl—and they'll get to know us.

mad maddie:

just promise already. sheesh. don't you want to make yer Auntie Maddie happy?

zoegirl:

ok, fine.

mad maddie:

that doesn't sound very enthusiastic.

zoegirl:

ok, not fine.

mad maddie:

whoa there! I'll take yr unenthusiastic fine!

mad maddie:

*kisses signed contract* *seals contract with wax and locks in fireproof safe*

mad maddie:

thank you, hot stuff. now skedaddle. go forth and be awesome!

mad maddie:

I've known her for all of an hour, Angela. most of which has been spent unpacking and stuff.

SnowAngel:

so? first impression, then. five words. go!

mad maddie:

hmmm . . .

SnowAngel:

doesn't count as a word. start over.

mad maddie:

pretty

mad maddie:

confident

mad maddie:

from Santa Barbara

SnowAngel:

LAME USE OF LAST THREE WORDS. Zara being from Santa Barbara tells me nothing.

mad maddie:

um, beg to differ. it tells you she's from Santa Barbara, fool. also, it's kind of like you being from Atlanta and going to UGA.

SnowAngel:

???

mad maddie:

she's local. ish. she's from California, not out of state like me. she already knows every girl in our suite.

SnowAngel:

is that good or bad?

mad maddie:

neither. it just is.

SnowAngel:

well, do you like her?

mad maddie:

sure. why not?

mad maddie:

she's kinda loud, tho

SnowAngel:

hahahaha! you, Maddie, are loud. for you to say that Zara's loud . . .

mad maddie:

she has a tattoo on her arm of one of those little Japanese cats with its paw held up.

SnowAngel:

cute or fugly?

mad maddie:

it's cool.

SnowAngel:

describe the rest of her, other than “pretty.”

mad maddie:

urrggh

mad maddie:

cutoffs, tank top, tattoo. beaded bracelet wrapped many times around her wrist. toe ring. very friendly. but like I said, it's been all of an hour.

mad maddie:

also, the door to our room is open. everyone's doors are open. is kind of a free-for-all. I'll tell you more once things have settled down!

zoegirl:

no problem

mad maddie:

and I switched to messaging cuz I don't want her first impression of me to be that I'm still glued to my high school besties.

mad maddie:

I don't think I cld talk to you with her in the room, anyway. wld be too awkward.

zoegirl:

I only saw the back of her. she's super tan.

mad maddie:

yeah, everyone is. and I've now learned that ALL the girls in my suite went to the same high school, including Zara.

zoegirl:

why isn't she rooming with one of the girls she knows?

mad maddie:

cuz . . . she isn't? our suite is like an apartment. there's a kitchen, a bathroom, a hanging-out area, and four bedrooms, all of them doubles.

mad maddie:

but there are seven girls in the Santa Barbara group. seven plus me equals eight, so they drew straws to see who'd get the newbie.

mad maddie:

apparently Zara lost.

zoegirl:

zoegirl:

Zara *won*, you mean.

zoegirl:

Zara didn't actually say that, did she? about drawing straws and being the one who lost?

mad maddie:

nah, one of her other friends did, an uber-hip girl named Neesa.

mad maddie:

Neesa's, like, the definition of California glam. skinny, gorgeous, mountain biker. earrings made out of beer cans. *that* girl—you know?

zoegirl:

here at Kenyon, it's more like the Nerdy Girl Special. square-frame glasses, micro-bangs, retro Catholic schoolgirl skirts. they all have blogs with names like “Nerdy, Dirty, and Flirty.”

zoegirl:

should I start a blog?

mad maddie:

no

zoegirl:

ha

zoegirl:

but I need to do SOMETHING to distract me from missing Doug.

zoegirl:

do you miss Ian?

mad maddie:

what do you think

mad maddie:

I try not to, but of course I do.

zoegirl:

and I try not to miss Doug, but every day I epically fail.

zoegirl:

actually, I *don't* try not to miss him. I'm not nearly as good at that stuff as you are.

mad maddie:

what stuff

zoegirl:

making the best of things. deciding how something should be and then doing whatever it takes to make it happen.

mad maddie:

I do that

zoegirl:

yes, and you know it.

zoegirl:

like with college. you chose Santa Cruz because it was new and different and far away. you came up with the whole yolo pact as a way of saying, “It's up to us to make sure college is awesome, and so we will.” I admire that so much about you!

mad maddie:

hey, you said yes to the yolo pact too.

zoegirl:

but it's easier for you.

zoegirl:

you're a force of nature! you're Maddie!

mad maddie:

please

zoegirl:

it's true.

zoegirl:

I, on the other hand, am just pathetic. everyone says college is supposed to be the time of our lives, but if that's true, I'm in BIG trouble.

mad maddie:

oh, Zoe

mad maddie:

((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))

mad maddie:

listen. forget about Doug for a minute and think about Kenyon. just plain Kenyon, without the awful missing-your-boyfriend factor. what are some things you like about Kenyon?

zoegirl:

mad maddie:

oh, c'mon. there have to be *some* good things.

zoegirl:

like what?

mad maddie:

I don't know. the food? cuz I
the Santa Cruz cafeterias with a mad passion. one swipe of my meal-plan card and I can have anything and everything I want.

mad maddie:

chicken alfredo? sure! chase it down with a cheeseburger and fries? why not?

zoegirl:

you're making me feel ill. I would explode.

mad maddie:

even the salad bar rocks, cuz there is a cheese section, which means I can heap shredded cheddar on everything and still feel healthy. NOM NOM NOM.

zoegirl:

huh. do you put lettuce in these salads of yours?

mad maddie:

now it's your turn. name something about college you like.

zoegirl:

hmm . . .

zoegirl:

I like my creative writing class. I like all my classes, even though the workload is insane.

mad maddie:

excellent start. keep going.

zoegirl:

and everyone here is smart. I like that.

mad maddie:

mad maddie:

and . . . ?

zoegirl:

well, I'm kind of in love with the campus. I should have thought of that before. it's so spread out and big and NOT high school. same with the town. I love walking around and exploring and discovering new places.

mad maddie:

I like that part too. high school was fun, but there were a lot of walls.

zoegirl:

yeah. and along those same lines, there are definitely things I like about living on my own. I like setting my own schedule and being in charge of my time and not having anyone nag me about homework.

mad maddie:

see?

mad maddie:

you've done some fine work here, Zo. keep it up!