My head is buzzing with caffeine. I’m still not sure what to make of everything Delilah said. Why doesn’t she just tell Lydia she’s sorry? Does she actually think being in charge of Triple X is an apology?
I’m rerunning everything she’d said while walking into the Pioneer office. Michelle, Cooper, and Lydia like to work on homework in the office together. I usually tag along to catch up on campus gossip but have missed the past few study sessions. Since Delilah wants the second Frida Nipple post tonight I should probably try and work on it.
“Cooper, these are seriously amazing.” Michelle is leaning over a desktop computer and scrolling through Cooper’s photos from the protest. He must have just finished editing them.
“Isn’t this picture perfect for the cover?” Lydia points to the picture of the blonde girl standing on a table in front of the cops.
“Hey guys!” I plop into a chair next to Lydia.
“Hey Erin!” Michelle smiles.
“Sup Erin” Cooper nods.
“Erin, you’re just in time. We’re finalizing the protest cover story. Can you look over some of the quotes?” Lydia places her laptop in front of me.
Lydia’s seriously outdone herself. This is the best story she’s ever written. Even if I didn’t go to Pioneer I would follow this story. I am overcome with pride for my friend, “Lydia this is incredible. You are such a talented writer.”
We squeeze each other and I push my conversation with Delilah to the back of my mind.
“Thank you Erin that really means a lot.” Lydia looks at her phone, “Unfortunately I have to dip right now because I have an info session for grad school. Someone from Northwestern’s Master of Science in Journalism program is here for a Q&A.”
Cooper hits his JUUL and laughs, “You better get going or you’ll only be thirty minutes early.”
“Shut up! Those solo thirty minutes with the representative could help me build rapport.” Lydia tucks her hair behind her ears. Seeing her nervous reminds me of all the weeknights we’d spent in the library freshman year. The routine was Lydia’s idea. We picked up huge iced coffees and a pack of granola bars and would refuse to leave the library until all of our assignments were completed. One time Lydia spit coffee all over my notebook because she was laughing too hard.
“Good luck Lyd. You’re gonna do great. I’m sure you’ve got all of your journalistic questions prepared.” Michelle waves her goodbye. “So Erin, how’s the undercover reporting going?” She asks me.
I pull my laptop out and open a new Google Doc. “To be honest, sometimes I forget that I’m doing a story.”
They nod. Both of them are trying to not be condescending and explain how to report on a story.
Sensing their disinterest I blurt out, “Also...you can’t tell anyone this but I’m Frida Nipple.”
Michelle and Cooper’s jaws drop. I can see their minds processing the information.
Cooper says, “Holy shit Erin you’re like, in Triple X.”
“Yeah it all kind of happened serendipitously. The president is Delilah Marks and she and I had a class together and she likes my writing so she just kind of asked me.”
“Wait--Delilah Marks? She’s the one that went to school with Lydia right?” Cooper interrupts.
“Yeah. I was just talking to Delilah about Lydia. It seems like a messy situation.” I bite my cheek. Messy? It’s not messy! Delilah abandoned Lydia. Why am I defending her?
“So that’s why Lydia keeps talking about Delilah.” He adds.
After an uncomfortable pause I say, “I actually have to turn in another Frida Nipple post by tonight.”
“What are you going to write about this time?” Michelle asks. She’s unwrapping a Clif bar she has pulled out of her backpack.
“I think I have to write a response to the Times’ piece right? That’s what Delilah thinks I should do. But she also wants it to be something sexy so that we can get more views. I don’t know what to do really.” My stomach is in knots thinking about it.
“My advice is to just start writing and fix it in post! That’s what editing is for.” Michelle laughs. Cooper nods in agreement.
I wake my laptop back up and start typing. Unlike the last Frida Nipple post I don’t have eight tabs about blow jobs open. This one has to come from Frida’s heart.
Is anyone else tired of seeing everyone else’s thoughts about the sex lives of Pioneer students? Whether it’s religious officials or prestigious opinion editors it seems like everyone gets to have a say about our sexualities except for us. Pioneer University’s administration has banned contraceptives from the campus health clinic and we at Triple X are pissed about it. We’re not performing anger--we’re making demands.
When I finish writing it’s seven hundred words about the need for access to birth control on Pioneer’s campus. I share the Google Doc with Delilah. I hope she answers. She was in a rush to leave Braxton’s so I hope she’s not mad at me.
My phone chirps.
Oh my god Erin this is gorge. I’ll publish at midnight.
“Are you finished?” Cooper pats my back. I didn’t even realize that Michelle had left.
“Where’s Michelle?” I ask.
“She left like twenty-minutes ago. She had to go to class. A night lab or something. She’s fucking crazy for double majoring. Do you mind if I smoke?” He takes out a pre rolled joint and points it at me, “You can hit it if you want.”
“We probably shouldn’t in the office.” I have been biting my cheek so much I’m starting to develop a canker sore. I’ve never hung out with Cooper one on one before. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m a straightedge loser.
“Let’s head out to my car then. We can go to the lake?”
*
Cooper’s car is a beat up Toyota Corolla. It smells like McDonald’s and grape flavored rolling papers. He has to roll the window down so I can open the car from the inside.
“Sorry dude, the outside handle broke while I was in high school.” He shrugs. “Do you want aux or should we revel in the joys of public radio?”
“I’m fine with the radio.” My playlists are a hot mess of Top 40 music and crying songs. Neither of those genres feel like the vibe for right now. At least the radio won’t give Cooper an excuse to tease me.
We drive down the main road. Trees are starting to change color and it smells like fall. I’m shivering a little because I didn’t roll the window back up. Cooper asks me about classes, my plans for after graduation, and if I actually liked the photos he took. The lake appears in the distance. It looks pretty with the sunset reflecting on it.
Cooper pulls the car into a gravel parking lot by the lake. He cuts the engine. After a few minutes of fumbling he lights the joint and passes it to me. I take one inhale and try to hold in my coughs. Thanks to Delilah, I’ve gotten better at being less embarrassing when I’m smoking weed.
“So Erin,” Cooper’s voice draws my name out. “How have you been? Haven’t really seen you around the apartment.”
“I’m okay. I’m pretty busy with Triple X. Delilah is actually really cool. She’s kind of taken me under her wing.” I’m a one hit wonder and my eyes already feel cloudy. I should have brought a sweater. I wonder what Delilah’s doing right now. “How about you?”
“To be honest, I’m nervous about Lydia. She hasn’t been herself. I think she’s just super stressed about grad school applications. I’m sure you hear all about it too.” He hits the joint again.
I haven’t heard a lot about Lydia’s grad school applications. She only brings it up in passing and I’m usually not paying that much attention when she does. I try to not get sucked into her stress spiral because she’s always found a way for things to work out. “Lydia’s like that sometimes. She gets super worked up when she has a goal. That’s why she always achieves them.”
He sighs. He has to have more to say but is holding back. His phone buzzes. “Oh shit it’s Lydia. She’s wondering where I am. We should probably head back to campus.”
He finishes the joint, stamps it out against his dashboard, and tosses it out the window. Because I’m paranoid I peak my head out the window to make sure that the flames are completely burnt out. Once I see that it’s safe I close my eyes. The wind feels good in my hair.
I open my eyes again and see someone that looks like Delilah sitting at a picnic table. She’s sitting with a man that looks like the businessman Andrew Donovan. I want to shout out hello but my mouth is dry and Cooper’s driving too fast.
I’ll have to ask Delilah about it tomorrow.
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