Squiggles and sunshine. Palm Trees in the school yard. That perfect feeling of a West Coast breeze. What a glorious place to eat lunch. Outdoors. Natch. Pacific salt in the air. Girl, please. The succulents swish in bloom. Purples and pinks. Popping off under the steel cross-beams. Which is, of course, earthquake resistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh. My. God!\u201d She screamed. \u201cShe put avocado in my lunch again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lauren was in no mood to negotiate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
June rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUgh, she\u2019s, just, so cringe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy, exactly, is avocado so cringe<\/em>?\u201d Madison blurted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison was a goth. No one cared about goths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGod, Madison, mind your own business,\u201d Lauren huffed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m just asking,\u201d Madison said. \u201cIt\u2019s a vegetable<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lauren went supercritical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExactly! Mom\u2019s always telling me what I can and can\u2019t do!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be such a spaz Lauren,\u201d Madison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat word<\/em> is so canceled Madison\u2026\u201d she shouted, flashing her signature devastator<\/em> look, \u201cJust like you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison stood up and flashed Lauren a pisu sign. June rolled her eyes. Then, Madison left to go smoke in the parking lot. The mean girls were very proud of themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet cancer Madison!\u201d Lauren screeched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGod, what a waste,\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna sat down with her lunch tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did I miss?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh Donna, just gossip, gossip, gossip. Nothin\u2019 but gossip!\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a bit from an old TV show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh-kay,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDonna,\u201d June interjected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDonna,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDonnnnnaaaa,\u201d they both said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat????\u201d Donna said. June crossed her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Donna,\u201d June shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Somewhere across the continent, three women shared a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGod, high school\u2019s the best,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Across the quad, Kyle Engleburger and his pampered crew of lettered jocks moseyed past tossing a football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Kyle, go easy on a girl why don\u2019t you,\u201d Lauren whispered (not so quietly) to June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kyle chewed on his gum and winked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe does nothing for me,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeriously?\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna was the new kid at the school. She still rocked a prep school Heathers<\/em> vibe. From the private academy that had recently tossed her out. Lauren rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s only, just god\u2019s gift to wide receivers,\u201d Lauren sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI still don\u2019t get it,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeriously<\/em>?\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two popular girls stared at Donna. June popped her gum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a simulation babe, you gotta stay in character,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTry harder, Midge,\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, right,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna subconsciously adjusted her cardigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was distracted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna held her books tight against her blazer. She felt so awkward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re coming to cheerleading practice, right?\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bell rang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlright, I got class,\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t forget practice,\u201d Lauren said<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lauren and June twinkled their manicured nails at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSee you later, babes,\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, they air kissed, and logged off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna was alone on the quad. The school alarm rang louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge pulled off her eyepieces. She lay on their bruised sectional. The weather was cloudy. Jonesy, her dog, barked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGod,\u201d she said, \u201cWhat\u2019s that smell?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019d left the oven on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, crap!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tragically, the scones were unsalvageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDammit, Julia Child\u2026\u201d she sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And tossed the carbonized mess into the trash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou promised so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She surveyed the disaster that was their Jersey two storey classic in Leonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The laundry was strewn about like the wreck of a jumbo jet. She hadn\u2019t folded it in a week. The groceries were half-assed. The food pyramid having clearly failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut Justine says the Ultra-processed are gonna kill you,\u201d she sang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justine was a Home Livin\u2019 influencer who lived on a goat farm. She opened the kitchen windows to let in that cold February air. But the smoke still lingered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStory of our lives,\u201d she said, \u201cPhysics and shit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dog was making that little dance he did right before he destroyed an Ikea rug. She riffled through a Crate & Barrel tote to dig out the leash. They couldn\u2019t afford the new couch, but they could still get the tote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Definitely puffy coat weather. She saw her breath. She checked her smartwatch. 1200 steps give or take. Not bad. She had a 30 minute window. She dreamed of a turkey melt at Noah\u2019s Ark<\/em>. But their family had already used up their monthly takeout budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome on Jonesy, it\u2019s cold,\u201d she begged. Jonesy had places to smell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She walked around the block. The asphalt felt nice on her New Balance trainers. That satisfying grip. That crunch of frozen snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWelcome to your forties, Kid,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stretch. Move. Stretch. She listened to a baking podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReal tradwive stuff,\u201d she joked to Jonesy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Jonesy didn\u2019t notice. He\u2019d found some dank shit next to a juniper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She put her dog in the car. She pushed some fast food wrappers off the seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOK Jonesy, promise not to chew the leather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was a joke. They couldn\u2019t afford nice upholstery. Not after Kev\u2019s crypto debacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She played a Nico<\/em> album. It was a college CD that she\u2019d dug out of a trapper keeper in the attic. There were peeled Interpol<\/em> stickers on the cover. An old boyfriend had used a sharpie. \u201cTo Midge,\u201d it read, \u201cMy Chelsea Girl.\u201d Lately, she\u2019d felt particularly<\/em> nostalgic. Back to an era when she could still get a good night\u2019s sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The i-95 was a mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGod, where is everyone going?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bumper to bumper and nowhere to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She took an exit to navigate the city streets through Ridgefield. But that would take her near the shop<\/em>. The Mom and Pop one<\/em> in Ridgefield. Not the classy one in Paramus\u2013that one was for the Audi moms. She drove a Kia. She chewed her lip. She felt a splurge coming on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ridgefield joint was an old beige brick building with red trim. A little shack dating back to the last wheezes of the 90s. Still, it had that awesome neon sign: The Boca Raton Mindmeld Funjack (with light up palm tree). The name always made her snort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A metal bell ding-dinged<\/em>, as she stepped through the front door. Stacks of boxes. Old simulators: Farm Quest. Pilot Skies. War Pigs<\/em>. Back in the oughts, every world imaginable got coded. In your free time, you could be a dental hygienist if your heart so desired. And the VR games hit their peak during the layoffs after the Crypto Bubble of \u201827. But they\u2019d since fallen out of favor. The kids had moved on. Only grownups now played \u2018em.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge\u2019s jam was High School sims. As a kid, she\u2019d been homeschooled in a religious household. Very strict. Interpol <\/em>notwithstanding, she\u2019d barely misbehaved till she met Kev. And she sort of always felt like she\u2019d missed out on something foundational. A missing piece for what it meant to be a grownup in modern America. She was busy making up for lost time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, she\u2019d run through high school, or at least a simulation of it, a dozen times. Her last school was Posh Academy<\/em>\u2122. She was the bad girl who smoked. It came naturally. But California was different. There were a lot of unspoken rules in the Golden State. And she was still learning the basics. Or at least a photocopy of a TV version of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behind the counter, a skinny weirdo tinkered with his broken vape pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you have the hangout expansion for Beverly Heights High<\/em>?\u201d She asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The clerk barely acknowledged her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSunset Mall Plaza<\/em>?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, the one with the food court and pinball arcade\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stared at her over his chunky glasses. He turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, Mah,\u201d he yelled, \u201cWe got a customer asking about the School Games.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An old woman in overalls stepped out. She waved at Midge to follow her to the back room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rear of the store felt like someone\u2019s basement from the 70s. All fake wood and glass cases filled with action figures and knickknacks. Motion sensors activated the fluorescents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou got any mods for sale?\u201d Midge asked, \u201cI\u2019ve been through all the online marketplaces, and I\u2019m bored with variations on Field Hockey Enforcer<\/em> or Busty Cheerleader<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust Chess Club President<\/em>,\u201d Overall Lady said as she took a bite out of a cruller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not ready for social suicide yet,\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a pregnant pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh\u2026 You\u2019re looking for something harsher\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The old lady, holding a tablet, leaned in all conspiratorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSchool Shooter then?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge looked at the jackass on the tablet with his backwards ballcap and carbine rifle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHell no!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge pushed the tablet away like it was infectious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The old lady shrugged, and placed the illegal mod under the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook, be who you want to be, I don\u2019t care,\u201d the old lady said, \u201cAs long as you pay me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know who\u2026\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall Lady gave her a knowing \u201cSure, Honey\u201d look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge changed the subject fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, you got a copy of Sunset Mall Plaza<\/em>?\u201d Midge asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDevelopers threw in a convertible,\u201d the old Lady said, \u201cto drive to the mall in style.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She pulled out a copy of the hangout expansion, <\/em>and coughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat will be $57.79,\u201d she said, \u201cCash if you can swing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n #<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge pulled up to her kids\u2019 middle school in a hurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bran slipped in. Quin crashed into the back seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re late mom,\u201d Quintana complained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry Quin,\u201d Midge said, \u201cTraffic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bran noticed a plastic bag with the neon palm tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you make a pit stop, Midge?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her eldest was not into \u201cmom\u201d and \u201cdad\u201d much these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes I buy a little something for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She drove the kids in silence to the playground at Overpeck park. The kids were on the edge of not caring anymore about playgrounds, but they could still stand around and talk trash with their friends. Plus, they needed the fresh air. And the kitchen still smelled like smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the back, the kids stared at their phones. Scrolling through the latest brainrot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At a red light, she sang aloud to Ariana Grande.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMom, just no<\/em>,\u201d Bran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge performed a shoulder shimmy to the chorus. Quin gave her a look like all her teeth had melted. Her teenage scorn only made Midge tap the steering wheel that much harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The playground was busy. The little kids ran around. But the big kids had gathered in a circle under the slide. They conspired. Quin and Bran walked over to the huddle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge sat down on a bench. All the other parents were silent. 1000 yard stares. Jacked into their sims of choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood thing that we\u2019re raising them, right?\u201d Midge said to another parent who grunted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The moms were glassed out on beauty influencers. She could almost hear the refrain of how to apply a proper smokey eye<\/em>. A nearby dad visibly strobed out on War Pigs-<\/em>related trauma. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and dug his heels into the dirt. It was too early in the day for PTSD. Something about his synthetic death rattle turned Midge off sims for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, she watched the children. They were all wearing baggy clothes. Black and white. No colors. Since when did kids’ clothes get so somber? At least baggy pockets were making a comeback. Those were practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She didn\u2019t like how Bran, her eldest, always felt so angry. And lost. Who was he becoming? Did he have any positive role models? Was she that angry when she was his age?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quin stood behind her mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to go home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge shivered from the winter chill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCall your brother,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her son walked over to the Kia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUgh, Midge, took you long enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, Bran put on his headphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The kids went straight to their rooms. Except for the 15 minutes at dinner, that would be the last time that she would see them that evening. When did they all stop spending time with each other? Alone in their rooms. The sound turned on high. She fed Jonesy his dog kibble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the floor, she could hear the sound of free weights. At first, Midge liked that Bran spent so much time taking care of himself. He was being responsible. Mature. He had interests. His version of embroidery. With protein shakes. And new friends. And endless workouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She didn\u2019t like how he now stared at himself in the mirror (she wasn\u2019t supposed to know that part). She didn\u2019t like the fitness bros that he followed. And she didn\u2019t love how they talked down to him. A deep shame following in lockstep with his desire for perfection. Once, she even caught him writing on his knuckles with a sharpie. She laughed. But that was the last time that she saw her son blush. At least he still could. She knew the exact date. She\u2019d said it was cute. He\u2019d slammed the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quin followed fashion people. Midge liked how her daughter said, \u201cSo cute,\u201d like the word was a small weapon. Then, after the clothes came a lifestyle that surprised Midge. There were so many rules. She noticed that her daughter stopped wearing short sleeves. Even skirts. Quin hid herself beneath white fabrics. \u201cPurity\u201d was the watchword. And underneath it all, her daughter seemed so fragile. So hurt. It was too much control for a young woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All Midge could do was watch her family become strangers. Scratch that. She was a stranger. Double scratch that. She was a teenager with cheer practice, online, in a couple hours. Who was she actually spending so much time with? Moms probably. Other moms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was folding laundry in the basement. How\u2019d she end up here? Did she sleepwalk?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet it together Midge,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She made soup for dinner. It wasn\u2019t fancy. With cheesy bread. But she could multitask. She swept the floor. She got a handle on some bills. She even got Quin to set the table. With napkins. Praise be to small victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you honey,\u201d Midge said. \u201cIt looks lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At dinner, she tried to break the silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow was your day?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMidge, this food is processed slop,\u201d Bran said, finally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She forced a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t get the chance to go to the store,\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnders says that we should only eat that which comes from the soil,\u201d Bran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs he a classmate?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quin broke her dinner roll into smaller pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo mom, he’s a fitness bro,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the table, Bran kicked his sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOw,\u201d Quin blurted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s health and fitness, Midge,\u201d Bran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t kick your sister,\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, Bran,\u201d Quin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At least they were speaking to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust stay away from Crypto,\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs if. Millennials are so gross,\u201d Bran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, he left the table. He hadn\u2019t finished his soup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge washed the dishes. She put another load in the washing machine. Again. How? Parenting was nothing but laundry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said goodnight to the kids. They gave her an actual, honest to goodness, real hug. She held it a moment longer than she should. It was okay. She was allowed to; she was a mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She tidied the living room, and got comfy. It was late. Finally, it was me<\/em> time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Kevin came home. The front door closed with a clunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He slunk into the couch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnly $72,356 left to pay. Plus\/minus interest,\u201d he exhaled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019d never imagined that getting rich quick would take so long, and be so expensive. And there\u2019d be so much interest. She played with his hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLong day?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs it over?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, you could get sick,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He laughed. At least, he could still do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t joke. You\u2019d have to take care of the three of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She moved a strand out of his eye. Her brain went to dark places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is a joke\u2026 We don\u2019t have the insurance,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe there\u2019s a crypto for that?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She winced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, there isn\u2019t,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His belly grumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s for dinner?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSoup,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He quietly ladled himself a bowl. He ate in silence, as he looked up fantasy stats. She missed the warmth of his body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t be up too late,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, he quietly went to bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge finally got her me<\/em> time. She booted up her system. And logged in. 3.2.1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As her authentication code, she shouted, \u201cGo Lions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The school\u2019s logo was a blue catamount. She held pom poms. She stood on a waxed floor. She was Donna again. Ed, the Janitor, was buffing the hallway. He pointed at the gym. He didn\u2019t look up. A radio playing a basketball game. She heard a cheer. She nodded thanks<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna entered the big wooden room, just as cheer practice was wrapping up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m late,\u201d she said, as she took off her gym bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Coach gave her cut-eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPractice is over, Donna,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other girls looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know, but I had a\u2026\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A vein popped so far out of the Coach\u2019s forehead that it could\u2019ve strangled her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not looking for excuses, I\u2019m looking for execution,\u201d the Coach said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna looked like she was about to cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlright girls, I\u2019ll see you on Thursday,\u201d the Coach shouted to the rest of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice was over and the cheerleaders picked up their gear to go home. Donna walked over to Lauren and June. But the other two girls gave her the cold shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have regionals in a week,\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou blew us off,\u201d Lauren fumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI had family stuff\u2026\u201d Donna mumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s like we don\u2019t even matter,\u201d June said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n June flashed her the Devastator<\/em>. Game over. Donna ran out of the gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tears flowed down her cheeks. Total drama. Like a Kate Bush song. Where could she go? She was a catastrophe. With no place left on campus to escape her own failures. Worse, there was nowhere to escape June and Lauren\u2019s wrath. This was officially the worst day ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The walls of the virtual world closed in on Midge. She couldn\u2019t breathe. She felt like she\u2019d fallen into a laundry basket so deep that only her ring finger held out. But, then, she remembered that she\u2019d bought the Sunset Plaza <\/em>expansion pack. She wiped her eyes, opened the box, and inserted the bejeweled charm onto her bracelet. The upload was instantaneous. She might be a social leper, but at least, she would be a social leper at a mall in Malibu. She was now holding a car key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She walked through the school parking lot. In the corner, she discovered a cherry red Corvette. An actual convertible! And she was going to drive it down PCH with the wind in her hair. Legendary. She clutched the keys, and proceeded to unlock the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her brake lights flashed. She threw her bookbag on the calf leather, and, as she clicked on the seatbelt, she noticed that Madison was staring at her in the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your problem?\u201d Donna asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere are you going to go?\u201d Madison asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was an honest question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2026\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour problems are just going to follow you,\u201d Madison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mall didn\u2019t feel safe anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you know about\u2026\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge found herself on the ground. By the curb. And there were more tears. Madison sat next to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just wanted this to be perfect,\u201d she said, \u201cI tried so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She kicked her pom pom. California was different. Madison nudged her arm. She held a cigarette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t smoke,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison blew out a cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMillion dollar question: if you smoke here, do you get cancer out there?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna coughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI dunno, it\u2019s gotta be lasers and shit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison coughed. The look on her face said beware your pleasures<\/em>. They both knew there were no lasers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy High School? Why not dragon fantasy? Or ninja bikes?\u201d Madison asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hate swords,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s why your life is broken?\u201d Madison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have no idea,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll of our lives are broken,\u201d Madison said, \u201cToday I watched a TikTok video of a woman screaming inside her car that she\u2019s so tired, that she has $30 to her name\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd that she\u2019s a good person,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019d both seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd she\u2019s a good person, yeah,\u201d Madison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna wiped away the tears. But her smokey eye smeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen did it happen?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Madison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen did life get so cheap?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd angry?\u201d Madison said, \u201cIt\u2019s like that old MTV joke, and the money never ran out<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They both giggled. Actual little girl giggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere are you Madison?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s Archie. And I\u2019m in Arizona,\u201d she said, \u201cAnd it\u2019s a scorcher.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cArizona Archie?\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s short for Archana and pray that my AC doesn\u2019t run out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen why are you running a VR rig, you lunatic,\u201d Midge asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt gets lonely when you can\u2019t go outside,\u201d Archie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan I hold your hand?\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Archie held out her manicured fingernails, and for a split second they made eye contact. Archie actually blushed. Then, Donna remembered that she was holding car keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, you want to take a ride in my convertible?\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot too far,\u201d Madison said, \u201cI gotta get back before curfew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They both got in the car, and Donna turned the ignition. The car purred like a thousand and one Olivia Newton-John movies. And the sun really did shine down like squiggles and sunshine. With that perfect West Coast Breeze. And Donna could share this glorious place with someone new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge unplugged from the VR rig. She sat in the dark on their bruised sectional. She listened to the silence of their Jersey two storey classic in Leonia. In the distance, she could hear the sound of a freight truck downshifting on the turnpike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She went upstairs, and opened Bran\u2019s door. And Midge felt it. That terrible emptiness at the heart of everything. But, she also felt something else. She watched her son sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh Donna, just gossip, gossip, gossip\u2026\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bran snored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She stood in the door to Quin\u2019s room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDonna,\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She touched her daughter\u2019s face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quin turned over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u201cDonnnnnaaaa,\u201d Midge whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Midge got ready for bed. She put on her pajamas. The old ones that were stained with spilled soup. And kid puke. And the white paint they\u2019d used when they\u2019d repainted the kitchen. The clothes fit her soft and warm like a second skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Donna,\u201d Midge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She hugged Kevin like when they had first met. Car lights came in soft through the window blinds, as they snaked their way through their subdivision. Midge closed her eyes. Tomorrow was coming fast. It would be another long day of playing mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeremy is a writer whose work has been featured in print, TV and documentaries. He has won a Sloan Fellowship, the McGill Theater Prize and the Jubilee Prize. He is a graduate of McGill University and USC’s Peter Stark Producing program. For five years, Jeremy worked for Robert Downey Jr.’s production company as his head of research. As a writer, he is drawn to stories at the intersection of folk tales, high technology and human frailty. He was born and raised in Canada and now lives in NYC with his wife, their twin children and a calico cat.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Squiggles and sunshine. Palm Trees in the school yard. That perfect feeling of a West…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":100043639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3292],"tags":[6,227,3433,3296],"class_list":["post-100043636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-fiction","tag-cyberpunk","tag-fiction","tag-highschool","tag-prose"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100043636"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100043647,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100043636\/revisions\/100043647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100043639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100043636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100043636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neondystopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100043636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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