a story by Richard Thomson

[+] Inbox: (3)

re: CONGRATULATONSS

Hello, Oliver! We are in order emailing to inform of you in being selected for one cash prizes!! Click on below here the link and you to claim the $$$!! Before —

Mark as spam? [>]

re: server position

Dear Mr. Monroe,

It was lovely meeting you today. I am sorry to inform you that, though your qualifications are impressive, we have chosen a candidate that we believe to be better suited to the rigors of Grillet’s —

[+] re: server position

Dear Maeve,
Thank you very much for your consideration. I appreciate your time and

I hope you will consider me in the future if a

Please keep my resume on file in case there is an

Save to drafts? [>]

re: the prodigal

Olive Oil, this is your sister, but you must know that, because you know enough to ignore my texts and the Beyonce GIFs contained therein. Did you try the chicken recipe? Don’t feel bad if you burned the glaze. I did the first time too (just kidding—I’m a prodigy).

I know that I may, in my righteous and lawyerly fury, have told you to get a life, but I would like to move for that to be stricken from the record. Last night, I ordered enough Chinese for two, and the fortune that should have been yours said, “Ignore previous cookie,” which you should take to mean that the time has come for you to un-get that life and stop hating me and find your way over to my apartment sometime. If you don’t, you’ll never know if I’m missing you, and I’ve been doing my best to keep you in suspense. (Also, how are you doing on rent? I’m flush with corporate cash and newly loan-less and happy to help.)

Love, Isla [X]

[+]                                                                                           New chat from Liz! [>]

Liz:      what’s up?

Me:     ugh

Liz:      uh oh

Liz:      Greg?

Me:     no no false alarm

Liz:      stay strong

Liz:      but why the ugh?

Me:     just got a very formal boot from that restaurant I applied to

Me:     *to which I applied?

Liz:      noooo

Liz:      the pub on Pine?

[+]                                                                               New message from Greg!

Greg:   Hey

Greg:   You there?

[X]

Me:     yeah, I guess I must be insufficiently bearded

Liz:      didn’t you literally just have the interview?

Me:     this morning

Liz:      sorry dude 🙁

Liz:      I’ve never actually been inside—what’s it like?

Me:     everything is sticky, and the manager talks like two clicks too loud

Liz:      gross

Liz:      whatever it’s their loss

Me:     any updates on the matt situation?

Liz:      idk he’s fine

Liz:      more importantly, there’s a new resident at the hospital I’ve kinda got my eye on

Me:     just one? o_O

Liz:      yeah he ain’t ready for both yet lolol

Liz:      idk if he’s into it though

Me:     what’s the vibe?

Liz:      just like, chatty

Me:     are his nudes tasteful?

Liz:      lolol I haven’t gotten any pics yet…but he’s pretty fit

Me:     strike while the iron is hot

[+]                                                                               New message from Greg!

Greg:   Helloooo I know you’re online because Gmail

Greg:   Please don’t ghost me again

[X]

Liz:      strike while the iron is paying for dinner

Me:     did he?

Liz:      we went for ramen in Old City yesterday

Me:     cute

Me:     does matt know?

Liz:      no, but we never had the exclusive convo so…

Me:     you’re the worst

Me:     I wish I had that problem

[+] SEARCH:

Jobs: Any // Entry-level

Where: Philadelphia, PA [>]

Pizza Delivery Driver @ Pied Beauty

CALLING ALL WAX SPECIALISTS (Bikini, Brazilian, French, etc.)

Brand Ambassador // La Med Boutique \\ 1,000+ Instagram followers required!

[X]

Me:     has it ever occurred to u that I might be the worst person ever

Liz:      often lol

Liz:      but could you be more specific?

Me:     just feel like such a waist

Me:     waste* UGH

Me:     apologies in advance for sucking up all the oxygen with my self-pity

Me:     it’s one of THOSE days, if you couldn’t already tell

Liz:      dude please

Liz:      I had a woman in the ICU who farted herself to death yesterday

Liz:      we’re doing just find

Liz:      fine*

Me:     yeah, but u can say that cuz u do nurse shit i.e. help people

Liz:      do I though?

Me:     remember your audience, elizabeth

Me:     you’re talking to a glorified book pimp

[+] Inbox: (1)                                                              New mail from Alumni Board!

re: It’s Never Too Soon!

Dear Oliver,

The Board of the Alumni Scholarship Fund would like to extend its invitation to you, as a graduate of the Class of 2012 and beneficiary of the fund, to join our giving program. Think of the good that could be done if each of you were to commit to an annual pledge of only —

[X]

Me:     wait, roll that back

Me:     I definitely didn’t process that on the first read haha

Me:     how did she die?

Liz:      oh poor gurl had this crazy abdominal distension

Me:     yikes

[+] SEARCH: distension

distend (verb): to enlarge from internal pressure

Middle English, from Latin distendere: dis- (apart, away) + tendere (to stretch) [X]

Liz:      it turned out that the gas was the only thing keeping her heart rate up

Liz:      so when we got her to release, she arrested, and that was it 🙁

Me:     noooo

Me:     well now I feel like a dick for laughing, so thanks for that

Liz:      anytime lol

Liz:      though idk why you would…that’s the way I want to go

[+]

Me:     whuddup?

Me:     sorry for being MIA lately

Greg:   Np

Greg:   And nothing, you?

Me:     bored

Greg:   Wanna come over later?

Me:     idk I shouldn’t

Me:     I have some shit to do

Greg:   Just checking

Me:     I want to

Greg:   Mhm

Me:     you’re welcome to bang out this cover letter for me

Greg:   No, they’re the worsttt

Greg:   Pick a cute font

Greg:   Wingdings is always a safe bet

Me:     haha

Me:     are you on your phone?

Greg:   Yeah, I’m on the blue line

Greg:   How’d you know?

Me:     automatic capitalization

Greg:   Touché

Greg:   No shift at Fishtown today?

Me:     no, I had some other stuff going on

[X]

Liz:      you still there?

Liz:      hellooo

[+] WHAT’S NEW

Seven Sloths That Just Can’t With You Right Now

First-Degree Murder Charge for Face-Eating Florida Teen

TRENDING NOW: Father Sings “Blackbird” to His Dying Infant Son [>]

— COMMENTS —

eliampt:           Wow. Beautiful 🙁

jeanannet:        is it possible for me to cry myself to death? send help

mimzo10:        why is his voice fine I don’t think youd sing that good with your kid dying like that in your arms

jeanannet:        he’s probably a musician, asshole, and that’s why he sounds good

tomalez:          it’s a prop, sheeple…WAKE UP

eliampt:           tomalez, are you serious?? look at the baby’s chest it’s def breathing

pr76178:         hey clickk HERE to see how i make 60K working from HOME!!!

mimzo10:        sucks for the rest of us who cant do that ifwhen our kids die

eliampt:           STOP RUINING THIS PLEASE PLEASE ReALLY just let it be

tomalez:          speaking words of wisdom (sorry not sorry) [X]

Me:     sorry got distracted

Liz:      how about you? any new boyz?

Me:     pas de boyz

Liz:      just Greg?

Me:     no comment

Liz:      please tell me you aren’t talking to him

Me:     no no no

Liz:      good cuz fuck that asshole

Liz:      figuratively speaking

Liz:      slash are you looking?

Me:     casually doing the online thing

Me:     though the pickings they are a’slimming

[+] TOP MATCHES:

JEREMEDY606

Summary:        Born and bread in the DC suburbs, moved here for school and decided to stay.

About me:       if you’re all about that sass, hit me up

Interests:         gaga, katy perry, james taylor, Beethoven, food (thai, but also anything)

Looking for:    new friends, casual sex [>]

THEHONESTONE

Summary:        At this point in my life, I am only looking for something serious. Not really into the scene, clubs, etc., but I haven’t had good luckw ith this yet either. Most people on this site seem pretty judgey and dont respond, so I want you to be the first to message me first. Trust me, just do it. I won’t bite…hard. JK!!! [X]

Liz:      why do u say that?

Me:     idk theyre literally all just vain

Me:     i feel like im in the meat department

Me:     rows and rows of differently cut abs

Me:     or like a photoshopped close-up of some dude’s pointy jaw

Me:     and then the ones who arent that way are just like not my type

[+]                                                                               New message from Greg!

Greg:   Good luck with your thing

Greg:   Hit me up if you change your mind

Me:     will do

[X]

Liz:      hahahah thats bleak

Liz:      but maybe cut them some slack?

Liz:      it’s hard…you know that

Me:     not for u apparently

Liz:      also, did you ever get a chance to talk to panera dude?

Me:     oh yeah

Me:     I forgot to tell u about that [>]

SCOTTYDOG

Summary:        hi my name is scott. I’m non-verbal autistic and communicate by writing/   typing. I’m not the kind of person you can have a “normal” conversation with, but I’m very loving and love to cook.

Interests:         Food. I can make pasta, pizza, and stir-fry, and for dessert I do chocolate pudding or ice cream sundaes (yum). Boys.

Typical Friday night:        hanging with my mama, old movies and laundry [X]

Liz:      ???

Me:     he asked if he could sit with me yesterday

Liz:      whaaaaaaaat

Me:     his name’s paul

Liz:      pic. now.

Me:     dont have one

Liz:      you had one job. ONE JOB.

Me:     haha idk his last name!

Me:     didn’t give him my number

Me:     couldn’t tell if it was just casual or whatever

Liz:      you’re officially the worst

Me:     X_X

[+]                                                                               New mail from Christina Xie! [>]

to: fishtownbookserv

re: psych survey

Hey Guys!

Sorry to bother you with something so random, but it’d be a huge help if some of you could fill out this survey for me. The questions are weird (it’s for this psych lab I’m doing research for) so don’t judge. It’s short, I promise! I’ll bring brownies to work tomorrow to sweeten the deal 🙂

Love, Xtina

re: psych survey

Will do, Christina! But I would like to formally request that you put M&M’s in them (nom nom).

Patrick [+]

Compose? [>]

re: psych survey

Haha I second Pat’s request! Also, can anyone cover my 10-6 tomorrow?

Oliver M.

re: psych survey

Could someone please remove me from this listserv? I no longer work at Fishtown.

Best,

Alyssa M. Davidson

Junior Copyeditor // Horizon Publishing [X]

Liz:      did you try facebooking him?

Me:     yeah no dice

Me:     too many pauls

Liz:      where does he work?

Me:     he didn’t say the name

Me:     or maybe he did but I forget

Me:     a bank?

[+] PT LAB SURVEY (THANKS GUYZ!!)

Please indicate how opposed you are to the following hypotheticals on a scale from 0-10, with 0 representing a neutral response and 10 representing total opposition.

  1. Would you purchase a chair that had been previously owned by a serial killer? [9]
  2. Would you purchase a chair that had been reconstructed from the pieces of a chair that had been owned by a serial killer? [5]
  3. Would you sit in a chair that had been previously owned by a serial killer? [7]
  4. Would you sit in a chair that had been reconstructed from the pieces of a chair that had been owned by a serial killer? [3]
  5. Would you purchase a chair that had been owned by a victim of a serial killer? [7]
  6. Would you sit in a chair that had been sat in by a victim of a serial killer? [4]
  7. Would you sit in a chair that had been owned by the neighbors of a serial killer? [1]

Submit? [>]

Liz:      what bank?

Me:     idk

Me:     his bag had a logo

Me:     faraday? is that a thing?

Liz:      maybe…lord knows I’m the wrong person to ask lolol

[+] SEARCH: faraday philadelphia [>]

The Philadelphia Museum of Science recently completed the renovation of its Faraday cage. This shocking exhibit enables participants to experience the — [X]

“faraday bank” caraday bank philadelphia

Did you mean Caraway Mutual? [>]

caraway bank “caraway mutual” philadelphia paul [>]

Name:  Paul Haraden

Position: Junior Analyst, Caraway Mutual

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Me:     found him 🙂

Liz:      pic. now.

Me:     here’s his profile: ********.com/pharaden

Liz:      I spy an email address

Me:     no

Liz:      yes

Me:     no

Me:     that’s so awkward

Me:     “hey, so I was casually stalking u online and came across ur email, so I thought I’d hit u up”?

Liz:      perfect

Me:     hahaha not happening

[+] HEALTH & FITNESS: Daily Tips

Five Scientifically Proven Ways To Blast Belly Fat [>]

For those who want sculpted, six-pack abs, remember: complacency is your enemy! Achieving the washboard look depends on more than just exercise. Before you kill yourself doing a million crunches, start by changing your diet. Purge your cabinets of processed foods! Cut carbs! Ditch dairy! —

Related articles:

Professional Fromagier Ned Parker Ranks Supermarket Goudas [X]

Liz:      found his youtube

Liz:      he sings

Liz:      very well I might add 😉

Liz:      ok maybe not that well

Me:     what’s his voice like?

Liz:      a little nasally

Me:     that’s a bummer

[+]                                                                               New chat from Ava! [>]

Ava:    Hey Oliver, this is Ava from the bookstore

Me:     Hey Ava! How’s it going?

Ava:    Great!

Ava:    I saw your email on the listserv about needing coverage, and I’d be happy to take your shift

Me:     Really?? That’s awesome! Thank you sooo much

Ava:    No problem! I’ve been trying to pick up some extra hours anyway

Ava:    The shift is 10-6, right?

Me:     Yep!

Ava:    Sounds like a plan. I’ll let Josh know.

Me:     Thank you so much Ava! This is a huge help

Ava:    Anytime 🙂 [X]

Me:     scoooooooore

Me:     just got my shift covered for tomorrow

Me:     by Ava of all people

Liz:      a.k.a Cucumber Cream?

Me:     ew, yes, but she has since ditched it for a more palatable scent

Me:     that I in my head have been calling Lavendar Embarrassment

Me:     because I’m terrible

Liz:      lol ok but back to this paul character

Me:     ugh

Liz:      why don’t you just friend or follow him

Liz:      that’s slightly less weird maybe

Me:     idkkk

Liz:      don’t tell me it’s too soon

Me:     ok I won’t

Liz:      oliver james monroe, get your ass out on a limb

Liz:      I refuse to listen to any more of your bitching until you do something

Liz:      literally anything

Me:     it’s different though

Liz:      is it?

[+] Compose? [>]

to: Paul Haraden (pharaden@******.com)

re:

Hey Paul,
This is Oliver Monroe from the

Sorry this is totally random, but this is Oliver

It’s Oliver. I had a great nice awesome fun time really enjoyed having lunch with you the other day, and I meant to give you forgot to give you my number the other day. I don’t mean to be overly

I’m not sure if you are into guys

Save to drafts? [X]

Liz:      STOP DISAPPEARING

Liz:      I will end you

[+] Drafts: (17)

re: the prodigal [>]

Hey Isla Bonita,

Sorry for the radio silence—I’m not pissed angry I haven’t been ignoring just busy and tired and have been trying to minimize my screen time lately, you know? I keep getting stuck with these long-ass shifts, but who am I to complain? All I do is stack books while my friends are off doing real shit. Anyway, the chicken was great. I tried it with thighs, not breasts. In terms of the money, you’ve already been so generous that

Moneywise, I’ll be doing so much better if I can just find a job with more

You’re the best sister ever, and I’d love the help, but I’d just hate to be a burden when

Save to drafts? [>]

Liz:      come baaaack

Liz:      too pushy?

Me:     not at all

Liz:      sorry dude

Liz:      you know I’m just trying to be your cheerleader

[+] WATCH: Highlights from the Hors D’Oeuvres Reunion Episode: In Case You Couldn’t Already Tell, Chef Zach and Chef Dan Do Not Appreciate Cheating [TRANSCRIPT] [>]

Zach:   Why do you have to say it like that, like all I do is cheat, cheat, cheat.

Dan:    Because that’s what you do, Paul. You’re legit the Mozart of cheating.

Zach:   Oh, that’s—wow, how old are you? And who are you to call me a cheater? You’ve cheated. I know you’ve cheated.

Me:     you know when you hear a word so many times it just becomes mouth sounds?

Liz:      yaaay I thought you were pissed

Liz:      and yeah I had that the other day with fluid

Liz:      fluid fluid fluid fluid

Dan:    Are you serious? I don’t even put myself in situations where I could cheat. Cheating is disgusting. Cheating is how you get diseases. You’re not careful when you cheat and then—

Zach:   What about Miami, Dan? What about fucking Miami?

Dan:    It was a kiss, Zach. Jesus Christ. Erik bought me a drink. I kissed him. A kiss isn’t cheating. And you can tell Alexis to shut her damn mouth.

Liz:      what word?

Me:     cheat drink

Zach:   Well, maybe I would have liked to have a conversation about what is and is not cheating before you went off and did what I might consider cheating, or what might look like cheating to other people, who then come back and tell me they saw you—

Dan:    You always do this. You always fucking do this. You deflect from the real issue, which is the fact that you are the one who cheated—

— COMMENTS —

pmacten:         these libtards got no life why you all bother watching this shit when soldiers are dying for our country

ilyarcane:         amen dude *salute*

beanstock19:   no one put a gun to your head to make u watch so why r u here

yomama69:     While I don’t support pmacten’s choice of words, I do agree that this show is a waste of everyone’s time and money, both  of which would be better spent improving the lives of —

Add a comment? [>]

omonra1215:   this show is clearly scripted, you dipshits—don’t blame the actors guys them, their they’re just there to make some fucking money

[+]

Me:     you still there?

Me:     lizzzz

Me:     lizard?

[+] Spam: (97)

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[+]

Me:     hey, u still up?

Greg:   yeah

Me:     can I come over?

Greg:   sure

Me:     be there in 10

[X]


Richard Thomson is a 26-year-old writer from the North Shore of Massachusetts. His fiction has appeared on various screens, namely his own and those of his most accommodating friends.

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