Page 93 of I Wish You All the Best

Dr. Taylor’s mouth is nearly a straight line. “Just be cautious, okay?”

“I will.”

The second I get home, I head up to my room, making sure the door’s closed. That probably seems a little too suspicious, but let Hannah and Thomas think what they want. I open Facebook on my phone and go right to my messages, rereading the one from Mom again. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this thing over the last week. Parts of it are burned into my memory, other parts I forget are there until my eyes glaze over them again. I click on the box to type my reply, but the words still won’t come. I’ve tried and tried to figure out how I’d reply, but I still don’t know what I should say.

A text from Mariam pulls me away from the app, their message flashing along the top of the screen.

Mariam: Hey random question…

Mariam: You live in NC right?

Me: Yeah…

Mariam: Awesome!

I almost ask them what’s going on, but they respond a few seconds later.

Mariam: What city?

Me: Raleigh

Mariam: Excellent!

Me: Why?

Mariam: Reasons…

Me: You plan on revealing those any time soon?

Mariam: I’m finalizing my tour schedule

I swear I can know Mariam for the rest of my life, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them saying “tour schedule.” Or the fact that they’re basically paid to give speeches and discuss being queer, and what it means to them. Then I realize what they’re trying to get at.

Me: Wait… does that mean what I think it does?

Mariam: That I’m going to Harry Potter World after I talk at the University of Florida? Hell yeah!

Me: Mariam…

Mariam: What! I get really excited about Harry Potter

Me: Are you coming to Raleigh?

Mariam: Maybeeeeeeee ;)

Mariam: There’s this support group there, they wanted me to come and speak.

The support group. The brochure is still stuffed away in my dresser, under piles of useless paper I’ve gotten from school.

Mariam: They partnered with one of the colleges there, NC State?

Me: Yeah

Mariam: A mouthful.

Mariam: They want me to do a little seminar for the group since the university talk is just for students.

Me: Oh cool