Advice Columnist
Fifteen Minutes Magazine
Harvard University’s Authority on Campus Life since 1873
I finally figured out your secret!” Vanessa cried, turning away from her makeup mirror and fixing her eyes on Callie.
Callie, who had been allowing Mimi to curl her hair, stood up so quickly that the curling iron burned her scalp. Mimi cursed loudly and leaped back. Callie’s heart began to thump in her chest. She swallowed. “You did?”
“Yes, I did. I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on us: we’re your roommates, after all,” Vanessa said.
Mimi looked at Vanessa expectantly.
“What . . . how . . .” said Callie, her cheeks turning pale. Had Vanessa overheard her on the phone with Evan? Was it possible that somehow, someone at Harvard had found out?
“Not so fast. I want to hear you say it,” said Vanessa, brandishing a tube of lipstick like a dagger.
“I, uh, don’t know, what, uhm . . .” Callie stammered, feeling like her heart was about to fall out of her chest and into her ankles.
“ You . . .” began Vanessa menacingly, advancing toward Callie, “are in LOVE . . . with a certain boy . . . from across the hall!”
“What?” cried Callie. Mimi sighed through pursed lips and turned back to the mirror, clamping an eyelash curler over her eye.
“It explains so much,” said Vanessa, outlining her lips in red. “I’m just amazed that it took me this long to figure it out!” She chuckled, blotting the lipstick with a tissue.
Callie couldn’t help but smile. Her secret was still safe—at least it was for now.
“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a crush ,” she started to explain. “Especially because he’s such a—”
“Nerd?” finished Vanessa. “I know.”
“Right . . .” said Callie absentmindedly. Such a huge jerk. Nerd? Wait, what?
“I mean, I would totally be embarrassed to admit it, too,” Vanessa continued. “If I were hopelessly in love with a big, tall, geeky—”
“Matt?” interjected Mimi, eyeing Callie’s reflection in the mirror as she dabbed bronzer on each cheek. “You are having a love connection with . . . Matt?”
“Matt? Wait, what? No, I—”
“Admit it! Admit it—I command you!” Vanessa screamed. Running over to Callie, she began to tickle her incessantly.
“Stop!” cried Callie, laughing uncontrollably. Her eyes began to fill with tears.
“Confess!” Mimi cried, rushing over to join the assault. “Confess or we will torture you jusqu’á la mort !”
“Callie and Matt-y sitting in a tree,” Vanessa sang, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love—”
“Stop!” yelled Callie, falling on the floor with laughter.
Vanessa continued louder and louder: “THEN comes marriage, THEN comes the BABY IN THE BABY CARRIAGE!”
Mimi and Vanessa collapsed on top of Callie, laughing hysterically.
“What’s so funny?” Dana asked, emerging from her room. She had let her long brown hair hang loose and wore a black dress—conservative, by most standards, but daring for Dana, as it showed a far more liberal amount of ankle than usual.
“Dana!” cried Callie as the other two stood wordlessly and turned back to their mirrors. “You look nice! What are you up to tonight?” Silently she prayed that Dana already had plans. Bryan’s invitation to Calypso, their first Final Club party, didn’t seem like it could be extended infinitely—not to mention that Vanessa would kill her—but if Dana weren’t busy, Callie knew that she just wouldn’t have the heart to exclude her.
“I have a date!” said Dana, and then, as if frightened by her own bold use of the word, she amended: “Well, not a date, just a . . . trip to BerryLine. Mainly to review some common structural isomers and check the answers to our first problem set. . . .”
“And get some frozen yogurt?” Callie added gently.
“Yes,” said Dana, returning Callie’s smile. “Yes. Anyway, I have to go. Adam’s probably waiting—”
“Adam?” asked
Fifteen Minutes Magazine
Harvard University’s Authority on Campus Life since 1873
I finally figured out your secret!” Vanessa cried, turning away from her makeup mirror and fixing her eyes on Callie.
Callie, who had been allowing Mimi to curl her hair, stood up so quickly that the curling iron burned her scalp. Mimi cursed loudly and leaped back. Callie’s heart began to thump in her chest. She swallowed. “You did?”
“Yes, I did. I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on us: we’re your roommates, after all,” Vanessa said.
Mimi looked at Vanessa expectantly.
“What . . . how . . .” said Callie, her cheeks turning pale. Had Vanessa overheard her on the phone with Evan? Was it possible that somehow, someone at Harvard had found out?
“Not so fast. I want to hear you say it,” said Vanessa, brandishing a tube of lipstick like a dagger.
“I, uh, don’t know, what, uhm . . .” Callie stammered, feeling like her heart was about to fall out of her chest and into her ankles.
“ You . . .” began Vanessa menacingly, advancing toward Callie, “are in LOVE . . . with a certain boy . . . from across the hall!”
“What?” cried Callie. Mimi sighed through pursed lips and turned back to the mirror, clamping an eyelash curler over her eye.
“It explains so much,” said Vanessa, outlining her lips in red. “I’m just amazed that it took me this long to figure it out!” She chuckled, blotting the lipstick with a tissue.
Callie couldn’t help but smile. Her secret was still safe—at least it was for now.
“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a crush ,” she started to explain. “Especially because he’s such a—”
“Nerd?” finished Vanessa. “I know.”
“Right . . .” said Callie absentmindedly. Such a huge jerk. Nerd? Wait, what?
“I mean, I would totally be embarrassed to admit it, too,” Vanessa continued. “If I were hopelessly in love with a big, tall, geeky—”
“Matt?” interjected Mimi, eyeing Callie’s reflection in the mirror as she dabbed bronzer on each cheek. “You are having a love connection with . . . Matt?”
“Matt? Wait, what? No, I—”
“Admit it! Admit it—I command you!” Vanessa screamed. Running over to Callie, she began to tickle her incessantly.
“Stop!” cried Callie, laughing uncontrollably. Her eyes began to fill with tears.
“Confess!” Mimi cried, rushing over to join the assault. “Confess or we will torture you jusqu’á la mort !”
“Callie and Matt-y sitting in a tree,” Vanessa sang, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love—”
“Stop!” yelled Callie, falling on the floor with laughter.
Vanessa continued louder and louder: “THEN comes marriage, THEN comes the BABY IN THE BABY CARRIAGE!”
Mimi and Vanessa collapsed on top of Callie, laughing hysterically.
“What’s so funny?” Dana asked, emerging from her room. She had let her long brown hair hang loose and wore a black dress—conservative, by most standards, but daring for Dana, as it showed a far more liberal amount of ankle than usual.
“Dana!” cried Callie as the other two stood wordlessly and turned back to their mirrors. “You look nice! What are you up to tonight?” Silently she prayed that Dana already had plans. Bryan’s invitation to Calypso, their first Final Club party, didn’t seem like it could be extended infinitely—not to mention that Vanessa would kill her—but if Dana weren’t busy, Callie knew that she just wouldn’t have the heart to exclude her.
“I have a date!” said Dana, and then, as if frightened by her own bold use of the word, she amended: “Well, not a date, just a . . . trip to BerryLine. Mainly to review some common structural isomers and check the answers to our first problem set. . . .”
“And get some frozen yogurt?” Callie added gently.
“Yes,” said Dana, returning Callie’s smile. “Yes. Anyway, I have to go. Adam’s probably waiting—”
“Adam?” asked
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