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“Way too long,” I agree as we wind our way through the long lineup in her favorite café. Meeting at NYU is the only way I get see Riley. Between work and school, I know how busy she is. Since I’m working nights at the restaurant most of the time, it hasn’t been easy for us to connect.
It’s my first time being back since I graduated and it’s strange. Hardly any time’s passed but so much is different for me.
“You know I’m working on that feature,” I tell her as I drop a bag of corn chips onto my tray. “So I’m all about writing these days.”
“That’s so amazing they gave it to you,” Riley says to me. “You’re going to have a feature published in a real magazine. That’s huge.”
“It’s the way I can prove myself to the entire company,” I say. “Even if Zan won’t hire me in the end, I’ll have a foot in the door to try for any one of their other publications. This feature is my big break.”
“I know you’ll pull it off. So what are you writing about? You never told me.”
“I’m writing about the guys who started up a biotech company that’s become a really big deal. The research they’re doing is going to lead to a cure a certain kind of blood cancer. Then they plan to apply it to other kinds. They could be the ones to develop a significant cure, and soon.”
“Wow. That’s pretty incredible.” Riley’s impressed. “It’s the kind of journalism you want to do. Right?”
“It’s exactly what I want to cover. That’s the kind of story that needs to be told,” I say.
“Is the pay good?” Riley asks. “I have no idea what a writer makes.”
“I don’t get paid until after I’ve written the final story and it’s been published.”
Her face darkens. “So are you managing to get by?”
“Yes. My income doesn’t exactly match up with the building I’m living in, but I’m doing okay. I’m getting a few more shifts and my blog’s starting to take off.”
Riley’s eyes light up. “Really? Your blog’s making some money?”
“It’s actually pretty decent. What do you think?” I hold up a ginormous chocolate chip cookie. “Should I get this? Will you split it with me?”
“Of course. How are you getting followers?” She asks with interest. “I want to get my own blog a lot more active again once exams are done. I’m curious about what you’ve done. I’ve never taken this long of a break from posting before, so anything you can tell me is helpful.”
I laugh awkwardly. “You want tips from me? That’s a switch. I was actually going to ask you for help with how to change my direction without losing any followers.”
Her brow creases. “The thing is that you want to keep going if you’re doing something successful. You know, lean into what you’re already doing and create more of the same content.”
“I get that’s what you’re supposed to do, but I really can’t. I’ve got to change what I write about completely.”
“Why?” Riley wants to know as we slide into a couple of free seats at the long communal table.
“Because the subject I’ve been writing about is getting to be a little too personal. I need to keep it private.”
“What’s that?” she asks, her eyes gleaming. “Why are you holding out on me? Did you meet someone? Are you writing about a new guy?”
I swallow hard. This is it. I have to decide whether or not to tell my best friend about what I’ve been up to. “Yes, but it’s a really sensitive situation”
“How so? Oh, Elena. He’s not married, is he? You can’t get into that.”
I feel bad that she thinks that. Last year Riley was seeing a guy and it turned out he was married. She had absolutely no idea and it was a huge mess.
“No. Nothing like that,” I tell her. “If I spill the tea, will you promise me that you can keep it a secret?”
“You know you can trust me.”
“I know I can,” I say hastily. “Of course I do. It’s not you, it’s just that this is a big deal. I mean, really massive. I can’t let anything leak out.”
“I have no trouble keeping secrets,” she tells me.
I’d never even think about telling anyone else, but I trust Riley with my life. “Promise you won’t breathe a word?”
