{"id":15,"date":"2019-02-20T15:01:48","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T20:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/?page_id=15"},"modified":"2019-04-28T14:49:23","modified_gmt":"2019-04-28T19:49:23","slug":"lily-jones","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/lily-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"Lily Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Me, Mayself, and I<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Mia eagerly laid her fingers across the laptop keyboard and began typing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Author\u2019s note: Hey guys, I\u2019m back! I know a lot of you have been eagerly awaiting this part, so I hope it meets all your expectations! ^_^ I haven\u2019t had a lot of time to write lately but I\u2019m doing as much as I can. Love ya!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

~April Showers~<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The pill bottle rolled further away than May had expected. Well, shit, she thought. This wasn\u2019t even her classroom.Thankfully, there was only one other student there, frantically scribbling on paper at a well-worn desk. More bad news: the bottle had settled just beneath said desk. May sighed in exasperation, though the moment she bent down to pick up the escaped receptacle, she noticed another hand lowering to meet hers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs this yours?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMine? Um, yeah. Thanks.\u201d The stranger\u2019s hand was warm yet wary. Neither girl pulled away immediately. After about a minute, May picked up her pill bottle properly and tucked it into her bag. \u201cBye,\u201d she muttered and darted out of the room to make a hasty retreat for the bus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Panting, May took a second to recover herself outdoors. Only a matter of time, now. Unfortunately, her musings were interrupted by a flash of red sprinting towards her. Was that\u2026 the girl from the other class?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWait up! I brought something to show you. You\u2019re not the only one that takes medication, here.\u201d Grinning, she pulled a familiar orange cylinder from her bag. \u201cI thought maybe you were embarrassed about that, so I wanted to let you know you\u2019re not alone.\u201d Alone? Hold on; there was an opportunity here!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 thank you. I was actually wondering, what bus do you take?\u201d Now it was the girl\u2019s turn to look puzzled, but she let May know it was the one that would be arriving in about a minute.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReally? That\u2019s the one I\u2019m taking, too. Would you maybe want to\u2026\u201d Her conversation partner eagerly picked up on the question before she could finish.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to ride together? Sure!\u201d May lowered her head to stare at the sidewalk; how interesting pavement is when one is unable to look her compatriot in the eyes, even having done so mere moments ago, she thought to herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The young woman sighed contentedly while gazing upon the word-filled screen. She knew romance wasn\u2019t always the biggest draw for a serious audience, but it made her happy, and it made her ten followers happy. It helped a little to include the whole \u201cmedication\u201d subplot, she believed, even if it was just to make her feel better about her own condition\u2026 not that anyone besides herself had ever stigmatized it. She stretched, yawned, and took a little round pill from its bright orange bottle, gazing at the neatly printed label wrapped around it: Prozac. She\u2019d started taking the stuff in her first year of college, when everything started crashing in on her. The situation often made Mia long for simpler times.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, to be back in high school,\u201d she sang to no one in particular. Living alone could be such a drag, and it made finding meaningful relationships that much more difficult. It made, well, everything more difficult. Finding time to talk to anyone was almost impossible; her friends had their own classes to attend, and even the cat that lived outside would only visit every now and then. Mia thought of inviting it into the house and offering it some scraps.<\/span><\/p>\n

A sudden knock at the door startled Mia out of her thoughts, though when one listened closer it was more of a gentle scratching. Who would be visiting this late in the evening? She clicked the \u201cx\u201d on her document window–she wouldn\u2019t want anyone seeing that mushy little love story–and headed to the door, slowly turned the brass handle, and\u2026 it was him! She still hadn\u2019t come up with a name for him, but he didn\u2019t seem to belong to anyone specific. She\u2019d always referred to him as \u201cLittle guy.\u201d Mia\u2019s face lit up as he tilted his head to look at her. She\u2019d teasingly done the same thing to her friends at school, soliciting their food even when she had plenty. Did he know he was tricking her? The bit of pudge he had since the last time she\u2019d seen him told her that perhaps he did.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi, little guy! Do you want to come in? I\u2019ve got something for you, and no one\u2019s dropped by for a while. You\u2019re welcome to stay as long as you\u2019d like.\u201d He didn\u2019t understand what she said, but still eagerly pushed his nose against her outstretched hand. She suspected he hadn\u2019t seen anyone worth knowing in a while, either, and gently scratched behind his ears. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood boy. I\u2019ll go get you that something-something I promised.\u201d She yawned and departed for the pantry, leaving the small cat to lick his tan and white paws apathetically. It wasn\u2019t like he had anywhere to go. He licked his jaws and, soon enough, Mia had returned with a fistful of some kind of food.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere you go, guy. Come to think of it, I don\u2019t even know if you\u2019re a boy or a girl, kitty. I guess it doesn\u2019t really matter.\u201d He ignored her words, more interested in grabbing tiny strips of meat from her hand. \u201cI can still call you \u2018Guy,\u2019 right?\u201d Mia pretended the cat\u2019s contented purr was his response. \u201cAll right, my little guy,\u201d she laughed, \u201cCome sit with me on the couch, okay?\u201d She patted the cushion next to hers and the two lonely animals settled down for what Mia thought would be a typical night of television and cuddling, up until one particular program came on as she was about to fall asleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was something about this show which caught Mia\u2019s interest more than the others. The scenes were all too familiar but the feelings they brought about were new and disconcerting. May would have enjoyed the frivolity, would have texted her many friends about it. <\/span>\u201cDid you see what Joe did to Fiona? Lol, he has no idea how to treat a girl.\u201d <\/span><\/i>Neither the real Mia nor fictional May ever got along with boys. There had been no reason to in the past, but maybe, Mia thought, she could do it just to find something in common with someone around her area. Though the cat\u2019s company was pleasant, Guy couldn\u2019t hold a conversation to save his life. She jumped back on her computer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAre you ok?\u201d May snapped out of her trance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine!\u201d Fighting not to trip over her next words, she added, \u201cThere\u2019s just one problem. I never caught your name?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Jess! Nice to meet ya\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen let me say, pleased to \u2018May\u2019ke your acquaintance!\u201d May found herself unable to keep from cracking a smile. Two could play at that game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll bet you were \u2018Jess\u2019t joking with that one, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOoh, a worthy opponent! I\u2019ll let you know I could keep this up all\u2026 May. All right, so \u2018May\u2019be that one doesn\u2019t work as well.\u201d It wasn\u2019t just the abundance of bad puns causing May\u2019s heart to beat faster under her cardigan. Just as she started to speak again, the screech of an approaching school bus drew the girls\u2019 attention away from each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d Jess had grabbed May\u2019s hand to pull her onto the bus. May tried to stop herself from staring at the way the light played off the other girl\u2019s auburn locks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Why did she always find herself staring at the ceiling when she hit a block? Mia thought and shook her head. It hadn\u2019t been that long ago when she and her mother lived by themselves, peacefully, on a quiet street. However, as a young woman, Mia grew bored of the peace and would regularly find herself outside the house with friends, floating off to wherever they wanted to take her. She\u2019d never expected to find herself living another quiet life, nor would she have chosen it if her university had been closer to home. As her mother had put it, \u201cYou can go a local school or you can go to a cheap school. I\u2019ll pay your living expenses if you go cheap; otherwise you\u2019re on your own, love.\u201d May, on the other hand, could go wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She could be as popular or unique as Mia said she was, and every day she reminded Mia a little more of her younger self. Flirting, flouncing, free\u2026 Truthfully, though, she\u2019d only been as free as her mom or her friends\u2019 moms were willing to drive. At least that was something she could now do independently. Smirking, Mia placed her fingers back on the keyboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The girls quickly fell to chatting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was planning to head to the mall with some friends this weekend. Want to come?\u201d Jess asked cooly with\u2026 was that a wink? May tugged at her collar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cY-yeah! I\u2019d love to!\u201d Jess didn\u2019t seem to notice her hesitation as she pulled out her phone and rapidly began texting. May felt it was only appropriate to bring out her own phone, though she did try to catch a glimpse of what Jess was typing. Something about a \u201ccute girl I met on the bus\u201d? It almost appeared as if Jess, too, was watching May out of the corner of her eye.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMaybe I should pack up and go to the city,\u201d Mia would often mumble to herself as she stared out the window on Monday mornings. The idea was wholly impractical, but the slight rush of adrenaline pumping whenever she considered leaving was pleasant. She loved her college friends as much as she had her high school ones, but reality always shot her with a harsh reminder of how busy, busy, busy they were. Mia only pretended to be busy so her anonymous fans wouldn\u2019t notice her regular lack of inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were things to look forward to in the empty apartment, though. Mia had heard that her favorite show, the one she was watching now, was going to be rebooted at the end of the month. Even if she didn\u2019t know any of the big names, it would be interesting to see a new interpretation of the characters. She knew she\u2019d still return to the reruns, though, in a vain attempt to relive her youth. The screen flashed before her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Later that night, May couldn\u2019t stop refreshing the FaceBook page on her laptop. Where was it? When would she get the invite? Then, a small ping. That was it! Quickly clicking accept, she glued her eyes to the screen. The chat window popped up immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the mall: does 10 am work for everyone?\u201d An unfamiliar name. Not who she was looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c10 works great for me! You\u2019d better ask Freya and May, though.\u201d Jess! <\/span><\/p>\n

May clicked over to her profile page and scrolled through the girl\u2019s information until she found what she was looking for: \u201cSingle.\u201d Was this stalking? She sure hoped it wasn\u2019t. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to tell everyone I met a girl!\u201d she announced to herself and hopped out of bed to get ready for dinner with her own friend-group that night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Something clicked as Guy yawned and leapt off the couch to head outside. High school may be over, but why couldn\u2019t Mia make her own fun? All she\u2019d been doing for the past year was hiding behind a screen and reminiscing about her childhood. This wasn\u2019t the end of her life, not if she had anything to say about it. Suddenly, she remembered there had been one guy from school Mia had been friends with. He wasn\u2019t so bad, she thought to herself, and he still lives on the same street. She pulled out her phone and began typing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Terry. I know it\u2019s been a few months but it\u2019s kind of lonely here on campus. Would you like to meet up for dinner tonight?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMia! It\u2019s great to hear from you. Nothing\u2019s really been going on here, either. I\u2019d love to join you, of course.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you say we rendezvous at that diner we used to go to after school? Does six work for you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSix sounds great! I\u2019ll see you there, man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCool, see you. :)\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mia returned to her laptop one last time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Apologies for the sudden break here. I would add more, but life waits for no one. I promise Chapter 2 will be out soon; thanks for supporting my work, y\u2019all! These stories would never exist without all of you here to encourage me. Take care of yourselves, now!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

xoxoxoxoxo ~April Showers~<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Me, Mayself, and I Mia eagerly laid her fingers across the laptop keyboard and began typing. Author\u2019s note: Hey guys, I\u2019m back! I know a lot of you have been eagerly awaiting this part, so I hope it meets all your expectations! ^_^ I haven\u2019t had a lot of time to write lately but I\u2019m … Continue reading Lily Jones<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168,"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions\/168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.mtholyoke.edu\/blackstickreview2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}