Page 53 of Revive Me

Liliana: Here’s my question though

Liliana: If a movie is shitty or uninteresting, can a blow-your-mind ending still save it?

Liliana: Like if you hated 90% of it, but loved the last 10, what’s the likely rating?

Roman: Probably still a 9/10. The ending is the part that sticks with you, so if the ending is amazing, it’s likely going to be your main takeaway from the movie.

Roman: Fighting was like that too. We always said to go hardest the last ten seconds of every round, and then the last round in its entirety, because that’s what the judges remember.

This time, it takes a minute for the bubbles to appear. Long enough to wonder if I somehow managed to turn her off of the conversation.

Liliana: That’s valid, I guess

Liliana: I disagree, but it’s valid

I huff a laugh to myself.

Roman: You’d still rate a movie low?

Liliana: Absolutely. A great ending can’t make me forget that I hated a large majority of the movie. I’d still feel like I wasted two hours of my life.

Roman: Have you ever walked out of a movie theater because the movie was so bad?

Liliana: No but one time I really, really wanted to

Roman: Why didn’t you?

Liliana: It was one of my favorite directors and I absolutely refused to believe that it was as bad as it was. I was convinced there was going to be a twist at the end that explained everything.

Roman: Ah so you DO think a good ending can save a movie

Liliana: Nothing would have saved that movie. It just would’ve saved my best friend from the two-hour rant that followed.

Twisting on the couch to lay down into a more comfortable position, I quickly pick up my phone and find another text.

Liliana: By the way…who is this?

I quirk an eyebrow at the screen.

Roman: Are you telling me you’d entertain complete strangers with your movie theories?

Liliana: Of course. It’s fun.

I shake my head, my smile still in place.

Roman: No sense of stranger danger. See? This is why I stayed at the clinic when that repairman was coming.

Liliana: I thought you said you didn’t think you could protect me…

My heartrate picks up.

Roman: I thought you said you didn’t know who this is…

My phone stays silent for a minute, the weight of what’s happening right now finally settling into the conversation. I’m texting Lily. And she’s texting back. I don’t need to ask to know this is against the rules, but at the same time, there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to let her throw that piece of paper away today.

Even if she had only intended it to be a lifeline for me.

But talking about movies isn’t exactly a talk-me-off-the-ledge conversation piece, and now I’m wondering if I should feel guilty about chatting with her about non-PT things.

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