It’s Flip. They’ve been away for four days, and I miss him so much.
I hold the phone up in front of my face to unlock it and read the new message.
Flip
Back in Toronto! Just finished picking up a couple of things and heading to you now. How’s it going?
Tally
Great!!!!
Flip
What’s wrong?
I’m sure the excessive exclamation marks tipped him off.
Tally
Everything is fine. I accidentally hit the exclamation mark four times.
Flip
It’s the thumbs-up that makes me question your honesty. Do I need to video call you?
If he sees my face, he’ll know I’m lying, so I give him some honesty.
Tally
I got a shitty mark on an assignment.
Which would be fine, but it’s worth 20% of the course mark.
Flip
Can you talk to your professor? Can you make changes and resubmit?
Tally
Maybe.
I don’t know where I’ll find the time to revise it, but if I don’t, and I get another crappy mark in this class, I could lose my spot on the dean’s list.
I should stop texting, but now that I’ve started, it’s like a waterfall of worries pouring out of my fingertips. And I keep hitting send.
Tally
Fenna called me crying.
She’s all my mom has, and Ties is never home, and he’s starting university this fall.
She asked if I’m moving home when I’m finished.
What if I don’t finish?
What if I tank my exams, and my final assignments? What if my next performance was like my last one and I shit the bed on that too and I have no job prospects?
Like you’re going to want to be with someone who doesn’t have their shit together.
