Page 52 of Written in the Stars
DARCY (8:07 A.M.):You know the song isn’t actually about a hotel, right?
DARCY: (8:09 A.M.):It’s about disillusionment and the American Dream.
ELLE (8:16 A.M.):wooow
ELLE (8:16 A.M.):what song are you gonna ruin for me next darcy?
ELLE (8:17 A.M.):you’re beautiful? time of your life? every breath you take?
DARCY (8:20 A.M.):Just a suggestion, but maybe you should google those.
They had extremely different styles of texting, Darcy using proper punctuation and full sentences whereas Elle couldn’tbe bothered. She could try, but so far it hadn’t seemed to hinder their communication, or her success rate. Darcy always responded, even if she wasn’t as instantaneous with her responses as Elle was. The way Darcy texted made it possible for Elle to imagine Darcy actually speaking her response, her sense of humor—often dry, sometimes dirty—shining through.
Margot was still engrossed in her notes, so Elle opened a new message.
ELLE (4:16 P.M.):favorite movie
ELLE (4:16 P.M.):go
DARCY (4:19 P.M.):Just one? That’s too difficult.
ELLE (4:20 P.M.):fine
ELLE (4:20 P.M.):action comedy rom-com and idk drama?
DARCY (4:25 P.M.):Comedy would be History of the World Part One. Action... God, I don’t know. The Mummy, maybe? Rom-com... America’s Sweethearts. Drama would have to be Dead Poets Society.
ELLE (4:26 P.M.):the mummy?!?
ELLE (4:26 P.M.):i credit that movie for my bisexual awakening
She waited, watching the little dots dance up and down, up and down...
DARCY (4:28 P.M.):Oh?
ELLE (4:29 P.M.):yeah
ELLE (4:30 P.M.):did I want to be evelyn or did i want to ride off into the sunset with her?
ELLE (4:30 P.M.):both obviously
DARCY (4:32 P.M.):So you came out after watching The Mummy?
ELLE (4:33 P.M.):no
ELLE (4:33 P.M.):it actually took me a while to figure things out
ELLE (4:34 P.M.):i tried to heterotextualize my feelings for a while
ELLE (4:34 P.M.):in retrospect idk why
ELLE (4:35 P.M.):all part of the process i guess
DARCY (4:37 P.M.):You what?
It took her a second to figure out what had confused Darcy.
ELLE (4:39 P.M.):apply hetero context to a super not straight situation
