Letters With Boys

Tally and Ezra, Week 1 - September

Ezra,

You sound a lot like my best friend, Bridget. She’s our class president, and is the captain of a ton of clubs and that sort of thing. I’m sorry you didn’t pull her name instead of mine—I’m sure you would have really liked her.

Thank you for being nice to me anyway, despite how little we appear to have in common. In response to your questions—yes, I am from Granger, born and raised. I have two brothers—one younger, one older. The older one is off at college, and the younger one goes to Lancaster. They’re both good guys, even though sometimes I want to strangle them.

As far as fun goes, other than sports, I’m pretty much at the whim of Bridget and Memphis. Memphis is kind of a party girl, and a bit of a troublemaker, to boot, so when it’s her turn to call the shots, we usually end up doing something illegal or at least against school rules. Bridget is much more straight-laced, but she’s still a lot of fun. She lives in this crazy beachside mansion, and her parents are almost never home, so we just kind of get to kick back and do whatever we want there.

What about you? Do you get to have much fun outside of school activities, like Bridget? Or does that fear of failure keep you on the straight and narrow?

Best,

Tally

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Tally,

Your friend Bridget sounds cool, but I’m not sorry I pulled your name. Who wants to write to someone who’s just like them? I find you far more interesting—no offense to your friend.

It’s crazy you have an older and a younger brother, as I have exactly the same. My older brother is on the football team at Penn, and the younger one unfortunately goes to Lancaster and is even smarter than me. (Man, that sounded braggy. Sorry. I am pretty smart, though.)

I would be curious to hear more about your adventures with these friends of yours. What kind of parties does this Memphis take you to? Would I have met you before? I looked you up on social, but I didn’t recognize you.

You’re very pretty, by the way. And there were some badass shots of you on the volleyball court, too.

Now that I’ve admitted to being that creepy, I’m going to send you a friend request so it’s less weird.

Anyway, I can’t say I’m much of a rule-breaker in general, but I’ve been known to attend (okay, and host, on occasion) my fair share of parties along the way. I’m actually headed to one this Saturday. Maybe you want to swing by?

Ezra

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Ezra,

Thanks for the invite, but I won’t be able to come to that party. That older brother I mentioned goes to NYU, and the girls and I are going on a trip to stay with him and see the city.

I’ve actually never been to New York before. Is that crazy? I’m really excited.

Thanks also for saying that I’m pretty. I’ve just accepted your friend request. You’re very handsome, too. You look like someone named Ezra, if that makes sense.

You also seem to be really popular. I don’t think I know anyone else with that many Insta followers—even Bridget, who works pretty damn hard at it!

How does your little brother like it at Lancaster? You’ve probably heard that Alexandria girls like Lancaster boys, but that isn’t the case for me and my friends. We actually had a really awful experience with one a few years back, and so we tend to tread very lightly around them now.

Best,

Tally

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Tally,

Bummer about the party, but no sweat. I hope you have fun in the city this weekend. I actually find it refreshing that you’ve never been; I’m so used to overprivileged girls who jump at the chance to go shopping on Fifth Avenue.

I’ve been loads of times—happy to give you some pointers if you need suggestions.

As for me being popular—well, all I can say is, followers are just a number. For all the friends I have, there are only a handful I can say I’d call to help me bury a body—know what I mean? True blue, like your Bridget and Memphis.

That’s a unique name—Memphis. Not unlike yours. Trying to remember where I’ve heard it before, but maybe it’s just the city I’m thinking of.

I’m sorry to hear you girls had a bad experience with a Lancaster boy. If you ask me, there’s bad seeds at every school, just like there’s good ones. Take this kid Gray Gehrig kid in my class, for example. Can’t seem to go a month without getting into a fight with someone. Now, don’t get me wrong—I’ll use my fists, too, if I have to. But there’s violence intended to defend, and then there’s violence intended just to harm. You know?

For what it’s worth, my brother likes it there a lot—at Lancaster, I mean. And he’s a good guy. Maybe you should give these Lancaster boys another chance?

Then again, maybe you should save your chances for me, instead.

Ezra