A story about realizing that having the courage to stray from the norm and not look for validation in others is one of the bravest (but most rewarding) things a person could do.

Mae needed a new computer. It was clunky, loud, and had so many folders she couldn’t even see her background. 

She didn’t use her personal computer often, only to upload her science-fiction webcomics, and preferred to use the one from work: sleek, modern, and functional.  Still, Mae realized that using your work computer to type up an identity reveal to your millions of comic readers might be a tiny bit unprofessional. 

A cog in the machine of a corporate overlord, she dreaded becoming the one thing her teenage self swore she’d never go near.  Well, more than one thing: being utterly broke. And that’s what the job protected her from, so she compromised her beliefs for a stable life and some cash. 

But her main concern now was the question for the ages: is red or blue my color? 

Mae had the exciting, glamorous opportunity to attend her college academic fraternity reunion. Months ago, she accidentally clicked “yes” on the RSVP form, and then had too much anxiety to say no. And now she scrambled to get ready in her hotel.

Her identity-revealing crisis would have to be left for later, as she hastily stored it in a folder named “Dad’s Birthday 2013”, which she hadn’t opened since 2012. She looked at her watch…only twenty minutes until the reunion. If she left now, she’d arrive fifteen minutes late—which she feared was still too early for cheese plates and Bud Light with her old classmates. 

Once she walked in, she found “Gamma  Kappa Tau Academic Fraternity Reunion – Class of 2015” on the digital marquee, pointing her to the Terrace View Ballroom. 

She walked through slowly, with a phone in hand in case she needed to fake an emergency work call (there are many crises that only a Director of Operational Synergy and Logistical Thinking can solve). It took five steps for her to see Scott and Adam. 

Adam raised a beer, the same invitational greeting he often employed in the crowded, dingy bars. She found it comical to see him do it now, with fluorescent lighting and a Credit Suisse vest. 

“Mae, it’s been years! How is everything with InnoTech? Are they working you into the ground?”

Scott never hesitated to cut right to the business.

“Nothing new,” she replied, even though she hadn’t spoken to Scott since he called her for a reference two years ago. “How old are the kids? I couldn’t believe how big they looked in your Christmas card!”

Before Scott could mess up their names, Adam chimed in, “Harry is the same age as Ella, so we’ve got a few play dates in the pipeline.”

Before Adam spoke about play dates as if they were upcoming deals, he played lead guitar in a cover band. Mae remembered the Battle of the Bands where ThinkFast took home the grand prize. 

“Do you still get into your drawing much? I doubt the Daily Student ever found a better cartoonist.”

Scott added, “Oh yeah, those were hilarious.”

“No, not at all. You know how it is… I don’t have the time for doodling”

Doodling? She couldn’t believe she degraded an entire profession to try to fit in with these guys (who saw her do a keg stand). They covered all the topics in the next few minutes—partners, parents, mutual friends–-and Mae excused herself to grab a drink. 

“Mae! How are you?” 

She looked up from her phone and saw a man she didn’t immediately recognize, wearing a plaid vest over a button-down (a stark contrast to the bank logo vests). 

“I’m Matt, from the Daily Student?”

Oh, right. Matt was the only other person involved with both the Daily Student and Gamma Kappa Tau.  But Matt worked the student politics beat, so their paths didn’t cross outside of organization-wide meetings. 

“Of course! How are you?” Mae recovered quickly.

“All good, I’m writing now for the Financial Times, I left Politico in May.”

“Wow, that’s incredible. I didn’t know you went into journalism after school?” 

“Oh, I didn’t,” he replied. “I started at a consulting firm like everyone else, but I kept writing and trying to publish pieces on the side. Eventually, one attracted interest from The Independent and I convinced them to let me try full-time.” 

Matt didn’t even need a pseudonym to admit he was trying to do something different. Why couldn’t she admit to these people how successful she was? Forget organizational psychology and the corner office. Original copies of her work sold on her site for tens of thousands a pop. 

After downing the signature cocktail, she made her exit to the bathroom. She locked the stall door and pulled out her phone. It was time. 

After ten minutes of combatting the low speeds of complimentary Wi-Fi, she closed her eyes and posted it to her millions of followers on social media. Comments flooded in, notes of appreciation and encouragement as she sat in the stall at a reunion that she never wanted to go to. She felt welcomed, like her time had finally started, and she wasn’t about to let that chance go.

Process

(Note: This is attributed to Shreya, the mentee that wrote the story with her mentor Ellyn):
The idea of us working together through a piece is what drove us to this short story. We both wanted to write together, and we needed a way to find ideas. So, we went and wrote with writing prompts to see if an idea was interesting to us. After a while, we came up with the idea of writing about a woman going to her college reunion. Ellyn and I in our following pair session then outlined our character along the plot. We wanted our character to be funny and relatable so people could connect to the story through Mae. Mae’s name was Ellyn’s idea and we both came up with her past. We wanted her personality to be reflected in all of her behaviors throughout the piece, so coming up with her character beforehand gave me support in writing. We both took turns writing and brainstorming ideas until we came up with the piece we have today.