Well, I wanted to post something by the end of the month and though this is not what I had planned, I'm still pretty pleased with it. I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while, and with all the Stranger Things hype going on, I figured now was as good a time as any to get it out there.
Don't worry: everyone is college aged here. Enjoy!
"I told you that guy was an asshole."
El let out a sound between a snort and a laugh as she plopped herself down on the couch of her and Max's shared apartment. Max removed her jacket and placed it on the back of the same couch before sitting down across from El and speaking again. "You did good though. I don't think he could tell you were upset at all."
"Wouldn't be surprising. He was never good at telling how I was feeling."
Max laughed this time before speaking again. "So..."
"Yeah?" replied El, facing her best friend.
"Have you given any thought to my suggestion?"
"What suggestion?" Max remained patient even though there was only one thing she was talking about.
"Of maybe trying to overcome this whole Jason thing by getting on a dating app?"
"Oh, Max..." She groaned.
"El, come on." She sat up, determined to get her point across. "It's been over two months since he dumped you. Clearly, you're not getting over it-"
"I am getting over it."
"El, you nearly dropped the bowling ball on Robin's foot when you saw him with that girl tonight."
"I haven't seen him in weeks. I haven't heard from him or anything. And then tonight I see him completely randomly. I'd say it was a natural response."
Disagreeing, but not wanting to fight about it, Max didn't continue on with that point.
"I'm just saying El, that there are some great guys out there. Jason was your first boyfriend and I don't want you to think that's what relationships should be like. You even said yourself sometimes you didn't like it when he did or said certain things." Stubbornly. El turned to look at the TV, wishing she could turn it on with her mind and get Max to stop talking. "I know dating apps can have a bad rep. So I understand why you're hesitant. But they're not so bad. That's how I met Lucas, remember?" El couldn't deny that truth. After a fair share of awkward and decent dates, Max matched with Lucas on an app. It was a close-to-home example of a dating app success story, since they've been together for almost a year.
"Yeah, I know Max."
The redhead gave a single nod.
"Think about it, alright?" She reached for the remote on the coffee table in front of them and turned the TV on. "I can help you, if you want." El put on a tense smile that Max couldn't see.
"Okay. I'm going to sleep." El answered, and with that, she got up, walked around the couch, and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. Just as she was opening the bathroom door, Max spoke again.
"Don't forget El: the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else."
"Good night Max!" El replied without looking back.
She went through all the steps of her nightly routine mindlessly, still thinking about Max's suggestion.
Even though dating apps were around before she started dating Jason, they never really interested her. She was the right demographic to be using them. She was going to be moving out of state for college and it would have been another great way to meet new people and make friends, something her timidness hindered her from doing in the past. But being paired up with Jason for the first partnered assignment in her first semester biology course in freshman year and them quickly falling for each other meant there wasn't any point in her getting into one of those apps. Being with him and him being on the basketball team gained her a few friends as well. And she was content with that.
At least until Fourth of July weekend before senior year when he, very unexpectedly, broke up with her. Luckily, by then, she had become close friends with Max and could rely on her and the friends she made through her. It only took a few days and seeing how devastated El was for her to start suggesting she get back out there and the most effective way of doing so.
By then, dating, or dare she say, hook up apps were being used by a lot of her peers. Given all the horror stories she has heard and just how weird strangers on the Internet could be, it was enough to detain her from using them.
Of course she was going to get over Jason. She just had to meet someone new.
It was kind of pure luck that she met Jason how she did though. And that she met him so early in her college career. Since the professor paired them together, it wasn't even her doing. During their relationship, El was never really hit on by anybody else and only ever hung out with Jason and their friends who obviously knew they were together.
El hadn't gotten to know anyone new. No one that could interest her romantically, at least. And she wasn't really sure if or how she could.
Maybe using an app wouldn't be so bad.
Max is the only person she knew that got more than a hook-up or a couple dates out of an app but she knew there were lots of stories out there of people that were now in relationships. Though maybe, she realized, it wouldn't be such a bad idea if El got... various uses out of it.
She lay in bed, the only light in the room coming from the phone in her hands. Taking that first step, she downloaded the same app Max had used and the seemingly most popular one among people their age. Seeing its icon appear on the screen, successfully downloaded, was the last thing she saw before putting her phone on the nightstand and falling asleep.
"Morning." Max spoke from the table with a bowl of cereal in front of her.
"Hey, good morning." El said as she took her seat at the table without looking up from her phone.
"You're not making coffee?"
"Umm, yeah." As that wasn't a straightforward answer, Max looked at her roommate quizzically. "El, what's going on?" She said her name loudly, trying to get her attention.
"Sorry," She looked up at her. "I umm, I downloaded the app."
"No way!" Max exclaimed. "You're doing it?"
"Don't get too excited. I haven't even finished my profile yet." Before she was done explaining, Max abandoned her breakfast and ran to El's side.
"Okay, hmm." She looked over El's shoulder at her phone, seeing what she's got so far. El knew better than to resist. "Do you know what you're going to write?"
"I hadn't really thought about it. I don't want to say too much, you know?" Max nodded though she didn't really listen.
"May I?" Max held out her hand and El passed over her phone with hesitation. She typed rapidly, and El wondered if it was because she was excited or had whatever it is she was writing in mind for a while. Once Max was done, El took it back nervously and read the new text on the screen.
On here trying to get over my idiot ex. Swipe right if you think you can help with that.
"Max!"
"Look, it's just an attention grabber. Something to talk about once you match. It's fun and cute. Plus, most guys don't even care about the bio, as long as you've got good photos. Speaking of which, I think I have a couple on my phone I'll send you."
For the next few minutes, the two girls focused on which of El's photos would be the best to post. Max's cereal turned soggy and the coffee El ended up making got cold. The app only allowed up to eight photos on a profile, but even El knew you shouldn't need that many to make a good impression.
Ultimately, there were five photos chosen and though Max put up a fight, one of her favorite photos of her best friend made the cut. It was a picture of El in a bikini from their trip to Cabo last spring break wearing sunglasses, a wide smile, and what Max knew to be her third mango margarita in hand.
"Don't you think that one's a little too... revealing?"
"Oh, but you were okay wearing it for all of Mexico to see?"
El stayed quiet as she watched Max add the photo to her profile.
"Okay, I think we're good!" Max wasn't shy about her excitement. "Ready? You should do the honors." She was talking about saving and submitting her profile and it finally going out there. El's thumb hovered over the button, knowing she should be the one to do it. It is her account after all.
Not wasting any more time, she hit the save option and a green confirmation check mark appeared on her screen.
"So when-?"
"Oh, here we go!" Max cheered as El's first potential match appeared.
"Oh, that was fast."
"Hmm, what do you think?" She ignored El and instead focused on the profile in front of them. "He's cute." She spoke as she carefully scrolled through his photos. "Look, he likes photography. It's good when you can tell their hobbies based on their photos. Gives you something to talk about." At that, El realized she probably should have chosen different photos of herself.
Before Max could say anything else, El swiped left.
"Hey, what was wrong with him?"
"He's... too old." El replied, trying not to sound like she was regretting this whole thing.
"El, it said he's 25. You're 22. That's not bad. You can't be this picky about it, you know."
"Let's just keep going."
Fortunately, neither of them had a class for another couple of hours which meant swiping on El's new dating profile became the morning activity. While Max had most of the commentary, El was in complete control of who she swiped right on or not, something she was grateful for since Max was already more involved than she hoped. Surprisingly, El did swipe right on a few guys, even some that she did not seem one hundred percent certain about.
"Do you think I'll get a match soon?" El asked, hoping she didn't sound too concerned.
"It's hard to say. It's early and a lot of guys don't go on apps until late in the day. For, you know, reasons." She raised her eyebrows as if to explain, but El knew what she meant. "Maybe soon. You just don't know until it happens, unfortunately. But it always feels nice when it does."
El turned back to her phone and smiled. She was already looking forward to that boost of confidence.
And as she was leaving her second and last class of the day, it arrived.
So yes, we are not done here. Next chapter we'll meet who El matched with! Please review!
