Make it up

Round 30: March 2031 (Autumn)

last updates: Connor/Lila/Sophie
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Connor Novak, Lila Sitko and Sophie Gottlieb are all 18.
(Jack and Audrey are both 19 and Josh is 17)

Narrated by Lila Sitko

Ever since Connor, Sophie and I moved into the dorms, Connor has been on our backs about choosing a major. I don't know why it matters to him but it really does.

Connor probably decided on his major in kindergarten, so he doesn't understand why Sophie and I are "dragging our feet".


But Sophie's going to be a chef, which she doesn't need a degree for. And I'm going into business, where you do need a degree but no one really cares what kind.

But Connor can chill out a little now, because I've chosen a major. Even though most workplaces just want to know you've been to university, I figured it might give me an edge to study something that would actually be useful. So my major is now economics. It's pretty interesting actually, at least to me.

Lucky Audrey had already picked a major before she started dating Connor or he'd probably be on her back as well.

I was so surprised when Connor said he was going out with Audrey. They seem like such a weird match to me. Connor is very serious and Audrey's not. And Connor is so grumpy sometimes and I don't know if I've ever seen Audrey not smiling. But hey, they seem happy, so whatever. Maybe it won't matter.

He's somehow managed to be friends with Sophie for years now despite their differences.

It's like living with a 5 year-old sometimes but she's fun.

But anyway, Connor seems to really like Audrey. When he was going out with Elspeth, she used to complain that he never seemed like he was that into her. He doesn't seem to have that problem with Audrey.

Connor can be a bit of a pain sometimes but we've become good friends as well. I didn't really know him very well at high school.

I would never have guessed it to look at but Connor is actually pretty into sports, like me. His game is basketball but he's still the only one around here who'll play soccer with me.

It's awesome, especially because he sucks at it and I always win.

Sophie is way too lazy for that. If she didn't have classes, I don't think she'd ever get out of her pyjamas. The idea of getting physical activity is out of the question.

We can get her in the pool every now and then, but only if it doesn't feel at all like exercise. So Marco Polo and the slide are okay but laps are not.

She always ends up scrambling to get dressed when Jack calls and tells her he's coming over.

They go out most nights, usually to the campus bar. That's where most people tend to go, because it's just close and convenient.

Jack wants them to move in together next year. He hates the dorms more than he thought he would.

Sophie's not really ready for that though.

Sophie's enjoying her independence right now and she's doing a lot of things for the first time, or for the first time on her own.

She doesn't really want to think about moving in with anyone until well after university.

There's so much else we have ahead of us before thinking about serious relationships, so I can't say I blame her.

I'm certainly not thinking that far ahead with Josh yet at the moment. I'm happy with the way things are.

Josh would like to take things further. He has sex on the brain lately.

He seems to think I should be totally ready to jump into bed, seeing he is and I'm a year older.

I don't know if Josh has forgotten my sister, the one who is now the mother of two at 18. Excuse me if I'm a little cautious about sex right now.

He usually shuts up after I say that but it starts all over again the next time we see each other.

Things are a little bit weird between us since I went away to college. It feels odd that our lives were pretty similar last year and this year, they're completely different.

I'm living on my own; Josh is still at home. I'm at university; he still has one year of high school. I can drink and am legally an adult; he can't and isn't.

I don't want to break up. I still like him a lot and I'm hoping things feel more normal once he's here next year.

Notes:

• Title is from Make It Up by Ben Kweller.
• I was very surprised that a) Lila and Connor weren't already friends and b) they became friends so fast! Soccer really builds up relationship points, apparently!
• Josh was rolling a ton of wants for Lila on their date but Lila wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. I am also yet to see a single woohoo want from her. So they'll be waiting on that, much to Josh's disappointment!
• Sophie is my only student in a long, long time who hasn't rolled the want for a major before the end of freshman year. Of these three, she was the least interested in college, so it seems to fit.
• Speaking of which - grades! Are you stunned that Connor has a 4.0? Didn't think so. Lila is at 3.6 and Sophie is at 3.3. I'm really liking this college harder grades hack!