Page 2 of Talk to Me

“You said something about a gay blaze or whatever?”

Stepping out of the double glass doors of the Economics building and into the quad was like stepping out of a five-star hotel into a cornfield. Midway University is one big square, bordered by buildings on all four sides, with an enormous park-like center in the middle. When you’re inside one of the buildings, stainless steel, brick, glass, and chrome give Midway a modern, even futuristic, feel. However, the quad is nothing but green grass, a smattering of trees, benches, and study areas for students to hang out. There’s even a fish-stocked pond in the middle of the quad where you can often find ducks taking a break from whatever it is that ducks do.

Collin hooked his arm through mine and dragged me away from the doors of the Economics building and towards the closest bench at the edge of the quad. Practically throwing us onto the bench, I grunted as the corner of my backpack jabbed me in the ribs. As students passed by, back and forth, in throngs, I adjusted my bag while Collin dug in his pocket for his phone.

“Peepers,” Collin said cryptically.

“So, we went from a gay fire to…what?” I asked.

“Peepers!” Collin practically shrieked at me.

A serious looking girl passing by jumped at the noise, then hustled away. I couldn’t help but grin. Collin Gray had claimed another victim without even trying.

“You can say it a million times a million different ways,” I said, turning to prop my knee up on the bench to face Collin, “but I have no clue if you’re even speaking English.”

“You don’t know what Peepers is?” Collin asked, his thumb racing over his phone.

“Gay Easter candy?” I shrugged.

He rolled his eyes.

“A new song that all the homosexuals won’t shut up about?” I asked. “Probably by Ariana or Gaga or—”

“Oh, shut up.” Collin waved me off and stuck his phone in my face. “It’s a social media site—you big homosexual.”

Laughing, I took Collin’s phone from him. On the screen an app he had clicked was loading. A pair of purple binoculars flashed on the screen a few times, which was replaced by an eye, which dissolved into a grid of videos from which to choose.

“Okay?” I pushed his phone back at him.

Collin grabbed my hand and shoved his phone back in my face.

“Peepers is a social media app everyone is on,” he explained. “Especially the gays. Everyone except you. Because you think you’re too cool to be on social media.”

Using my thumb to scroll through the grid of videos, it looked like most of the people on Peepers liked to dance to whatever was the latest, popular song. Why people would record themselves dancing in their—often unclean—bedrooms and put it out into the ether for the whole world to judge was beyond me.

“I don’t think I’m too cool for social media,” I said, handing Collin his phone. “I don’t like social media. There’s a difference.”

He rolled his eyes and flicked his thumb over the screen of his phone before stuffing it back into his pocket.

“Anyway,” Collin drew the word out, “he’s from Peepers.”

“Who?”

“The guy from class!” Collin shrieked again. “The guy in the blue blouse!”

“Shirt. The blue shirt.”

“Whatever. He’s, like, the most famous guy on Peepers,” Collin explained dramatically. “Well, one of the two most famous guys on Peepers. Him and his boyfriend had the Two Gays from Blaze account?”

“I still don’t recognize any of these words as English.” I shook my head.

Collin was getting huffy, so I decided to take it easy on him for once.

“Okay,” I said. “So, him and his boyfriend have an account on Peepers and they’re super popular. Got it. So?”

“They had an account and they were super popular,” Carmyn explained. “They shared an account called Two Gays from Blaze. Because they were going to Blaze University and they were a gay couple, right?”

“Sure.”