Page 2 of Jalen & Colby

I frown as I settle down with my wine and figure I’ll read the message from the winning bidder first.

Sunshine_Dino: Hey, andylad2000. I just won the Jurassic Galaxy action figure set you put up on eBay. Thank you for that, BTW! Merch for JG is so rare, but it’s my favorite TV show. Actually, it’s my best friend’s fave show too, that’s why I was so determined to win it. I know it’ll be the perfect Christmas pressie for him. But, um, I got a bit carried away and didn’t realize *how much* I was bidding—oops. Is there any way I could pay you in installments? I know this set is going to mean the world to him, but I’m not sure I can afford it all right now. I’m so sorry. If you want to relist it, I understand. Thank you for your time.

My heart melts. What a sweet message from someone who’s obviously a great friend. I want to tell him to screw the money. I don’t care, but I’m not sure how eBay would feel about that. Before I make any decisions, however, I decide to check out the rival bidder’s message as well.

JayBirdQueen94: Hey andylad2000!!!!!!! OMG that bidding was INTENSE. LMFAO cringe. So I totally understnad that I wasn’t lucky this time but I was really hoping u might hav some more Jurassic Galaxy stuff??? That show is the WHOLE REASON me & my BFF even met & I know hed just DIE for a Xmas gift like that. I saw form teh listing that ur based in Sydney—US TOO!!! Well Mount Druitt lol. Id totally be okay comming & meeting u in person if it meant I could gaurantee getting something for my bestie?? PLZ PLZ let me know. Its r first Christmas IRL & I want it to be PERFECT! Hugsssss

JayBirdQueen94 closes their message with several kissy face emojis. In fact, their whole message is littered with crying faces, praying hands, and sparkling hearts, not to mention an eye-watering number of typos. Their enthusiasm is adorable.

My mind is whirling. I frown as I flick back through the pages and check the address where I’m supposed to mail the action figure set to.

Mount Druitt.

Rather than jumping to conclusions right away, I pick up my empty glass and wander back inside for a refill, mulling over the information that’s been given to me. When I come back outside, night has properly fallen, but I’ve got the overhead recessed downlights dimmed low, so it gives me a cozy glow as I carefully read through both messages again.

No, I’m sure. These two users are each other’s best friends, both trying to buy the same gift to surprise each other this Christmas.

If I thought my heart was aching before, it’s nothing compared to now.

After a nice long sip of wine, I place my glass down and start thinking this through. I never wanted any money for my beloved toys. If I was going to let them go, I just wanted them to find a new home where they’d be treasured.

There’s nothing to say they couldn’t be loved bytwodifferent people.

An idea is already forming hard and fast. I promise myself not to make any decisions until the morning when I’m sober and have had a chance to sleep on it. I donotwant to come across as creepy. Fuck no. But Christmas is a time for going the extra mile in the name of joy, as far as I’m concerned.

Either way, whatever happens next, I decide that I’ve got some work to do before these little guys go anywhere. I pull out a frozen dinner to shove into the oven, pour another glass of wine, then get busy.

’Tis the season, after all.

CHAPTER2

Jalen

It’s beena couple of days, and I still haven’t heard anything from andylad2000 about any other Jurassic Galaxy stuff he might have. I know it was a long shot to even ask, so I shouldn’t be disappointed. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t totally bummed about missing out on the greatest gift I could have gotten for my greatest friend.

Of course I am coping well with the devastation.

“Um, Jay?” a sweet voice says from what I assume to be the threshold of the living room. “Are you okay?”

I lift up the sparkly mask that’s currently covering my eyes and kick my long, skinny legs, which are hanging over the arm of the chair where I’m draped sideways. My starlet gauzy robe with the ostrich feather trim fans out like a butterfly, and I sigh dramatically before taking a sip of the mimosa I poured myself the moment the clock struck five.

“I’m perfectly fine,” I squeak at him, fluttering my false eyelashes. “Why do you ask?”

Colby snorts and hugs himself as he ventures into our sparse front room. Everything in here we’ve scraped together from thrift stores—or op shops as they call them here in Australia—because we’re broke AF, and all our money goes on rent. So I can’treallybe mad that I didn’t get into an ADHD hyperfocus frenzy and spend stupid money on a frivolous Christmas present. But when I look at how adorable Colby is as he perches on the edge of the armchair with me, I know it would have been worth every cent.

“You’re moping,” Colby accuses gently.

It’s my turn to snort. “I’m…adjusting to a disappointing situation,” I clarify with a pout. I’ve been tempted to confide in him about the perfectest present I almost managed to get him, but I eventually figured it would be too sad for both of us. It’s better that I keep hunting for something else from Jurassic Galaxy and tell him the story afterward when it can be funny.

The thing is, that silly TV show saved Colby’s life, and I know it. We were both a bit too young to watch it when it came out in the nineties. But unlike a lot of shows from that decade, it still holds up really well, so a ton of people like us discovered it in our twenties when it got uploaded to streaming.

The reason it’s so beloved is due to its diverse cast, I’m sure. I saw myself not only in the characters with different skin tones but the queer-coded ones as well. They even had a girl who alternated between using her wheelchair and riding a pterodactyl. It feels like it was written by people other than straight white dudes—in fact, I know it was. It might have only gotten three seasons, but I think that’s a good thing. It meant they didn’t get a chance to ruin it.

Colby and I met on a chat forum dedicated to all things Jurassic Galaxy. His home life was so hard with homophobic, overly religious parents who tried to control his every move. This TV show and the power of the internet offered him a desperately needed escape. More than that, it gave him the chance to make real friends, even if they lived on the other side of the world.

I was just a nerd who absorbed facts like sunlight and indulged in all kinds of whacky conspiracy theories. But Colby wrote the most incredible fanfiction that I would devour from my bedroom in my parents’ house in California. I was his fan before I was his friend, and couldn’t believe it when I found out he was younger than me.

I wish he still wrote fics. He’s so dang talented. But he works so much it doesn’t leave a lot of time or energy for creativity. Things will get better someday, though. When they do, I’ll be right here in person to bully—ahem—gently encourage him to stretch out his fingers again. It’s so much easier to support him now that we’re in the same time zone, let alone living together.

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