Yolo (2 page)

mad maddie:

do I get my special beret now?

SnowAngel:

Maddie! my Cali girl!

SnowAngel:

rock on, UC Santa Cruz. you so smexy!

mad maddie:

girl, I will hit you on the head with a frying pan if you call me smexy. gross! boo!

mad maddie:

but. California. SO FRICKIN GORGEOUS.

mad maddie:

the sky is so blue and the forest is everywhere and there is sunshine sunshine sunshine, and I LOVE IT.

SnowAngel:

we have the sky and the sun in Georgia too, dumdum. and! omg! we also have
s!

mad maddie:

is different here. is stunning. so are the students, as apparently it is the law that all California kids must have good genes. I might have to dye my hair blond.

SnowAngel:

yr hair is already blond

mad maddie:

eh, fair enough

SnowAngel:

so weird that yr JUST NOW starting the semester. do you realize that I've been at UGA for over a month? and that Zoe's been at Kenyon for almost as long???

mad maddie:

why, yes, Angela, I do realize that.

mad maddie:

do you think I've lived in a time bubble for the last four weeks? do you think I wanted to stay in Atlanta—IN MY PARENTS' HOUSE, WITH MY PARENTS WHO STILL USE TV TRAYS SO THEY CAN EAT TOTINO'S FROZEN PIZZA WHILE WATCHING “FAMILY GUY”—while you and Z were off having Adventure Time in your sparkly new lives?

SnowAngel:

aw, now. I'm sure yr parents heat up the pizza before eating it, silly.

mad maddie:

you'd be surprised

SnowAngel:

but seriously. it's like Zoe and I are college grads, practically, while you're still a wee freshman. *pats wee Maddie on her blondie head* *uses wee voice* look at you, wearing yr big girl college beret!

mad maddie:

hey, you need to be nice to me. the flight to California was five hours long—and the whole time I was strapped in next to a man who watched episode after episode of “House Hunters” on his tablet WITHOUT HEADPHONES.

SnowAngel:

“House Hunters” normal or “House Hunters International”?

mad maddie:

he was on a plane full of other ppl. how cld he not know to wear headphones? I kept wanting to say something to him, but I didn't. and then I kept hoping that one of the flight attendants wld say something to him, but none of them did! ever!!!

SnowAngel:

I like “House Hunters,” even tho the couple already knows which house they're going to buy before the show is filmed. did u know that?

mad maddie:

nope, and while I love you, I don't really care.

mad maddie:

but I did some thinking on my long-ass flight and I had a very brilliant realization that I wld like to share with you.

mad maddie:

you know the expression “you only live once”?

SnowAngel:

as in yolo? *lifts eyebrows*

SnowAngel:

no, never heard of it. just like the ten-year-old my sister babysits has never heard of it, and just like my *grandmother* has never heard of it.

mad maddie:

har har har

mad maddie:

you and me and Zoe, we've all gone our own ways and we're spread out all over the country and we're, like, growing up and shit.

SnowAngel:

“growing up and shit.” You've gone all sophisticated, college girl.

mad maddie:

but just cuz we're growing up doesn't mean we have to grow apart.

SnowAngel:

Maddie, that's so corny! you're so adorable!!!

mad maddie:

and with that in mind, I have a plan for keeping us together.

SnowAngel:

does it include finishing my business hw for me? cuz shocking as it is, I wld actually NOT like to weigh in on how modern control theory is used in evaluating economic conditions.

SnowAngel:

MY BUSINESS CLASS IS SOOOOOO BORING!

mad maddie:

I feel for you. back to what *I* was saying. I just think we shld—

mad maddie:

shit

SnowAngel:

you think we should shit?

mad maddie:

my orientation leader is calling everyone over for a group activity. I've gotta go.

SnowAngel:

hold on. you think we shld what?

mad maddie:

tell ya later. will call as soon as I can.

SnowAngel:

don't use drugs! drugs make you stoopid! that's what the orientation person's going to tell you!

mad maddie:

kk, I won't. don't u either!