Conversation Topics

Marvin

As Whizzer and I are staying up late studying, I tell him more about my encounter with Trina. I also explain a bit about Mendel, since I don't think they've met yet. He listens, although I think we're both extremely tired.

"So are you two talking now?"

"What? No. It was just one encounter. You know I don't want to talk to her again," I sigh. "On the other hand, I feel like she deserves an explanation."

"And explanation for what?" Whizzer asks.

"About you. And our breakup."

"Just let it go, Marvin," he mutters, running his hand through his hair. "We need to keep working. Trina can wait."

I nod. We haven't gotten much studying done, and it's already after midnight. We're in my dorm, which is barely big enough to fit the two of us (although to be fair, his apartment isn't much bigger.) I just want to go to bed, but I'm already falling behind in my classes, and I don't want to give Mendel the chance to counsel me.

"Maybe we could just do something else?" I suggest, raising my eyebrows. Whizzer laughs and looks down at his textbooks.

"Marvin, we can't just keep on putting it off. I'm already going to get about four hours of sleep tonight. I don't want to make it less than that."

I sigh. "Fine."

After a few more minutes of studying, Whizzer falls asleep at my desk. I can't help rolling my eyes, because he's been the one insisting we should stay up and do our work, but I get that he's tired. I go to my bed and throw my pillow at him. He doesn't wake up.

So what do I do? Just leave him here and sleep in my bed? It sounds weird, but we've never slept in the same room before so I don't really want to do that. I can probably go to his apartment and ask Cordelia let me stay. But that would be weird too. Maybe I just won't sleep.

Whizzer lifts his head a moment later and stares at me. "What?"

"Nothing," I answer quickly. "Go back to sleep."

I can't sleep myself, so I get up and walk around the hallway for a bit. Even though I told him to go back to sleep, Whizzer comes out. "What are you doing?" he asks.

"I said to go back to sleep."

"I'm not tired."

"Then study."

He walks out of the doorway and closes my door. "I don't feel like studying," he answers simply. That's fair. I don't feel like it either. Whizzer sits down and leans against the wall. "I'm bored."

"Me too." I'm walking in circles around the hallway, because there's nothing better to do. When I stop, I can see Whizzer staring at me again. "What?"

"Are you a virgin?"

I scoff. "Why would you even suggest that? I had a girlfriend for a year."

"But you're also gay," he reminds me.

"NO, WHIZZER, I'M NOT A VIRGIN."

Someone who lives down the hall from me opens their door to see what's going on. I look away and pretend I don't know what's happening either. Actually, to be honest, I don't. When did a conversation about studying turn into the question of whether or not I'm a virgin? Also, why did Whizzer fall asleep twice?

I don't talk again until the door is closed. "Why is this even a conversation? Are you a virgin?" Why didn't we discuss this back at the beginning of our relationship? Would that have been too weird? I wish we had so it wouldn't be as weird now.

"No," he answers, without explaining any further. That's fine. I mean, we should probably talk a little more about it before we do anything, but I doubt we're going to do it for the first time in my college dorm.

I sit down on the floor next to him and rub my face. "You should probably go back to your apartment soon," I tell him.

He groans. "I'm too tired to move."

"Why did we think studying this late was a good idea? We've gotten in more conversation topics than hours of working," I point out.

He nods in agreement. "How about we study for a little longer out here?"

"Yeah, right. Like you won't fall asleep in the hallway after two seconds."

"Aww, you know me," Whizzer says, putting his arm on my shoulder. "All right, you have a point. If we're not going to be studying, I should go back home."

"I'll drive you," I offer.

He smiles. "Thanks."

Cordelia

When I wake up in the morning, Whizzer has magically transported back to our apartment and is out cold on the couch. I want to tell him that I finally decided to ask Charlotte out, but he looks so peaceful, and also I don't want to get his hopes up when I'm not even sure she'll say yes. So I get some cereal for breakfast and wait for him to awake from his sleep.

"Hey, good morning, sleepyhead," I say affectionately, for no particular reason. Whizzer stars to grab a banana from the counter but turns to me with a frown.

"Do you want something from me?"

"No! Well, I have something to tell you, but I don't want you to get your hopes up, okay?"

The way he's looking at me, I can tell he's wondering if I'm pregnant or what. Which, considering I'm single and a lesbian, would be quite concerning.

"I'm going to ask Charlotte out," I continue quickly, before he can make any assumptions. His face goes from confused to surprised.

"Oh, my God! Yes! I told you!"

"I know! That's why I'm doing it!"

He climbs up on the counter, I guess because we don't have anywhere to sit but the couch and one chair. We talk a little more. "What made you decide to ask her out?"

"Well, you. And I was just thinking to myself last night, and I was thinking like, 'you're only going to see her until you inevitably get fired from this job, Cordelia. As long as you don't have to face her once your relationship fails, you should just go for it.' Right?"

"What? No!" He shakes his head. "Cordelia, that's not the point of this. The point was to ask her on a date because you like her. You can't be trying to figure out how to avoid seeing her after you two break up if you haven't even started going out yet. You do still want to date her, don't you?"

My face goes hot. "Of course I do. But be honest, Whizzer." I hold my arms out, showing off my outfit, which, to paint a picture, I have been wearing for the past day and a half. "Would you date me?"

"I have a boyfriend," he replies. "Also, no."

I sigh and drop my arms to my sides.

"But, come on. Don't you think Charlotte liked you, too?"

"I already decided to ask her out, Whizzer. You can drop it."

He slides off the counter. "You need a different reason, though! Like the other day, Marvin and I were talking."

"You were talking about me asking Charlotte out?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Well, no. We were talking about whether or not we were virgins and us being too tired to study."

"What does that have to do with this?"

Whizzer blinks. "It doesn't. Actually, I have no idea why we spent so much time talking about stuff when we could have been studying. Though I did fall asleep twice—"

"Whizzer!" I break his concentration and he looks at me. "Focus! What am I supposed to do then? Ask her out? Don't ask her out? Talk about Marvin being a virgin? I don't get it!" I cry.

"Calm down!" He grabs me by the shoulders. "You do what you want to do, okay? I think that when you're young, and in college, and you like someone, you should go for it. But if you only think you guys are going to break up, maybe you should rethink it."

I nod. "Okay. Got it. Thanks. Wait, I still don't know what to do."

"God, Cordelia! I can't keep doing this! I can't keep explaining everything to you! I'm this close to just moving out." He holds his fingers together in front of my face. "This close."

"What's happening?" I ask in distress.

"I don't know! I'm sorry!" He walks over to the counter and puts his head down on it. I walk over and pat him on the back.

"It's okay, Whizzer. It's going to be okay."

He lifts his head, finally. "All right. I was overreacting a bit before, but—"

"A bit?"

"Here's what you should do. Ask her out if you really want to be with her."

"I do," I reply.

"Then do."

Okay. That makes sense. I think we both need to go back to bed.

(A/N this chapter- what-)