Page 29 (1/1)

5:54 am

McNIGHTMARE

Good !

This is a friendly re before suffering a hu defeat at the hands of your future valedictorian

Bring tissues I know you’re a crier

The text jolts me from sleep a minute before my 5:55 alarm, three quick pulses to let me know htly punctual It’s one of his only good traits

We’ve been text-taunting since ere sopho threats made both of us late for homeroom For a while last year, I decided to be the mature one, vowed to make my room a McNair-free zone I’d putinto bed, but beneath the pillow, ers twitched with coht be texting

Neil McNair has become my alarm clock, if alarm clocks had freckles and knew all your insecurities

I fling back the sheets, ready for battle

oh, I didn’t realize we still thought crying was a sign of weakness

in the interest of accuracy, I’d like to point out that you’ve only seen me cry once, and I’m not sure that necessarily makes me “a crier”

Over a book!

You were inconsolable

it’s called an emotion

I highly reco one (1) sometime

In hisa book is a sense of superiority He’s the kind of person who believes all Real Literature has already been written by dead white way back to life for one last cocktail, serald, dissect the nature of human existence with Steinbeck

Our rivalry dates back to freshes declared his essay the winner of a school-wide contest about the book that had iinality, picked The Great Gatsby I picked Vision in White, my favorite Nora Roberts, a choice he scoffed at even after he’d won, insinuating I shouldn’t have gotten second place for picking a romance novel This was clearly a really valid stance for someone who’d likely never read one

I’ve despised hionist That essay contest ot, whatever it happened to be—and I did, in an election for freshed me in a history-class debate So I collected more cans than he did for environ us as competitors We’ve co froy to one-up each other… until now

After graduation this weekend, I’ll never have to see hihts

I am almost free