I was sitting in the empty showcase outside the Graphic Arts room in the Shop building. It was my lunch period and Mrs. Hoffman had locked me out of the room. I was a little annoyed, I wanted to finish typing up the last part of ‘Whatever’. But here I sat was with a notepad on my lap and a pencil in my hand. I had another idea for a story and was trying to get the basics down before it left, as they had a habit of doing.

When I heard the outside door open I looked around the corner to see who it was.

When I saw him I nearly fell out of the showcase. In trying to keep my balance I pinched my fingers in the tracks for the glass.

“Careful.” he said, taking her hand in his and caressing it. “You can’t afford to hurt you fingers, can you?”

“Michael, what are you doing here?” I asked

“Haven’t you heard? I’m visiting all the writer from the board.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard, which is why I don’t know why your here. I don’t write enough to be considered a writer on the board. Actually I’ve been thinking about going back to lurker status”

“Why?” he asked softy. His hand still caressing mine where it was pinched.

“Because I don’t write good enough to be on the board, because no one likes my stories, because I don’t reply enough to other people’s stories,-wait forget enough, I don’t reply at all!’

“And why is that?” I looked down and pulled my hand from his.

“I’m not good with words. I can put them in someone else’s mouth, but when I try to use them there all jumbled. I think too much about what I write in the replies. Half the time I’m about to hit send when I think of a hundred ways that they can misunderstand what I what to say. That or they’ll just think I’m stupid.” I say the last very quietly.

He lifts my head so that I’m looking at him. “They won’t think you stupid.”

“Not if I keep my mouth shut.”

“I wasn’t finished.”

“Sorry”

“They won’t think your stupid. They understand, They just want o know that some one’s reading their story.”

“But everybody make really cool, witty remarks. I can’t think of stuff like that.

And most of the people already have these friendships and I feel like I’m intruding.”

“How do you think they got those friendships?”

“I know but still...it’s hard.”

“I understand, but before you go back to being one of those lurkers, ask the people on the board what they think”

“Yeah, so they can tell me ‘your stories are stupid, get off our board’”

He looked at her before saying “Just ask them.” He leaned in and kissed her softy then turned to leave. He was just about to the door when he turned back around.

“Oh, by the way, what’s your real name?” he asked

“Your from Section, you should be able to find out."

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