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“We’ll run it,” she promises with a smile She bumps my shoulder with hers before she sits down

My editorial runs on the front page of the Beacon the following Monday, right next to the results of last week’s swim meet and this week’s lunch menu

I find Jacob in the cafeteria before first period, where he’s eating an egg sandwich and scrolling through Snapchat on his phone “Hey,” I call, relieved by the sight of hiethe status quo—but that’s ridiculous, isn’t it? After all, it’s just an editorial And really, is any of it even that controversial? I irl are ridiculous Anyone can see that

Jacob doesn’t smile back “Hey,” he says, and that’s when I notice the paper spread out in front of him like a placemat

“Don’t tellcautiously down in the chair beside him “You’re not a fan”

Jacob shrugs “It’s not that I’m not a fan,” he says “It justdidn’t ood, that’s all”

“It didn’t?” I ask, momentarily confused “Why not? I mean, it’s not about you”

“Maybe not,” Jacob counters, “but everybody’s going to think it is Like, is this really what you think all guys are like?”

“The piece isn’t even about guys though,” I protest “It’s about the expectations on girls, that’s all”

“I guess,” Jacob says, sounding wholly unconvinced

“You know, you could try to say so nice about it,” I snap, suddenly irritated “Since I’irlfriend and all”

“Ostensibly irlfriend?” Jacob’s eyes narrow “What does that mean?”

I glance around the cafeteria, uneasy; it’s pretty empty at this hour, but we’re hardly alone I can see a pair of fresh not to listen “It means I would love if you could try to be a little bitmy voice to a murmur “I’m sorry I’ to react to it, so—”

/>“So then why did you publish it in the first place?” he interrupts “And also, like, you obviously don’t care what I think either way, since you didn’t even give me a heads-up—I had to hear about it from freakin’ Joey, which—”

“I don’t need your permission to write an editorial”