The Meet Up

CHAPTER ONE: THE BACKSTORY

    It was a calm, spring day in 2019, and I was at work scrolling through twitter on my lunch break trying to catch up on all things adult before the kids got back and I had to dive into my afternoon filled with teaching snot-nosed middle schoolers about historic people who they couldn't care less about. That was when I saw it. The tweet that would change my life. I paused to read it -

hey guys. . . im thinking of doing something special for coreys birthday. like this if you want to be involved.

    I looked at my watch. "Two minutes until the kids get here, I'm not really even involved in stan twitter," I thought, "Do I want to put myself in that scene, I am an adult, maybe I should act like it. . . Nah, you gotta live while you're young. Might as well risk it, worse comes to worse, you just back out and it's no big deal." I pressed the heart button below the tweet and locked my phone just as my first student rounded the corner into my room, missing almost everything he needed for class. I rolled my eyes, and took a deep breath before gently reminding the entire class of what they would need for the day.
    About forty minutes later, I picked up my phone merely to check my email after the bell rang dismissing the kids for their next class. To my surprise, the only notification I had received was a bunch of twitter dms. "Super strange," I thought, "No one ever dms me. I wonder what the deal is?"
    I quickly swiped open the notifications and read as quickly as I could. The gist of what I could gather in the thirty seconds I had left before my last class of the day, was that the girl who had put the tweet out about Corey, a YouTuber that I followed, had started a group chat of everyone who had liked the tweet. She sent a quick message about how she wanted the video to look and then the flood of messages started. It was everyone introducing themselves, and just sharing little bits of information so fast that it was hard to keep up. I locked my phone and put it down, turning off the vibrate mode and the ringer so that it wouldn't disturb class. "Okay, guys today we're going to be talking about the ancient Egyptians," I began excitedly, only to receive monotone murmurs back.

    FINALLY AFTER I HAVE sent the last student home, I flop down in my chair at my desk and pick my phone back up, not quite ready to tackle my ever growing to-do list for tomorrow. I have about fifty more twitter direct message notifications. I slide them open and begin reading. There are messages from Trina, the girl who started the group chat, once again explaining her vision for the birthday video for Corey. There are also messages from Fiona, who is apparently from Liverpool, England. "Woah, the UK, Corey has quite the reach. The internet is so wild, bro," I think to myself as I continue to read the messages, the level of millenial in my thoughts not being lost on me.
    I come to a message from Mazie, who is from the Dallas area in Texas. I notice that most of her messages are written in all caps, and she seems super excited to be in the group and can't wait to get started making her video for corey. Mazie explains that she is in college and is studying to get a business and sports management degree. She gushes that it's her dream to own or at least manage the Rangers one day.
    The response immediately below Mazie's is from a girl named Lyla. Lyla gushes about how much she loves baseball. She talks about how the Rangers are her favorite team because she's also from the Dallas area. Lyla says that she's only a sophomore in high school and she has no idea what she wants to do, but definitely wants to do something involving sports. The conversation flows naturally between the two for a few minutes, when another girl responds.
    This time the response comes from a girl named Jaelyn. She jumps right in on the sports conversation, but she says that while she likes baseball, her sport of choice is hockey and she's super excited because the Blues are in the Stanley Cup tournament this year. She enthuses about how she might actually be able to watch the final game live because she herself is from the St. Louis area.
    More of the girls in the group chat start sharing their names, their ages, and where they're from, as well as a short tidbit about themselves. As I watch the messages flood in, I find myself a bit anxious because here I am, 24, the same age that Corey is turning, and the rest of these girls are all teenagers. . . Mazie is 19, Lyla 15, and Jaelyn 18. "Oh man, I really am a grandma here. Crap. Maybe it's time to bow out. I need to start getting my work done anyway, and do I really have time to be getting involved with an internet project while I'm in the middle of my first year of teaching," I muse.
    Just as I am about to hit the button that enables me to leave the conversation, I see a new set of messages pop up. This time it's from a girl named Alli. Alli is also 24. "Thank god," I sigh with relief, "I'm not the only old person in here." Alli explains that she works as a customer service representative for an insurance company in Iowa. She tells us all about her many pets, and even sends a photo of the cutest dog that I've ever seen. She says his name is Mister, and that yes his tongue always hangs out of his mouth like in the photo. I am sparked with inspiration and boldness, and I finally take the time to introduce myself by typing -
       
            Hey guys, My name is Stasia. I too am 24, yes that makes me older than Corey. I am the grandma here right along with Alli. Ummmmm, let me think. I am currently a middle school teacher, which is just as chaotic as it sounds. But anyway, hi! I'm excited to be here and to get to know you all!

    I hit send, and watch as the message waits to be delivered. Finally, the little check mark appears next to my message, and I wait for the responses nervously. What if I'm too nerdy? Everyone hates teachers. What am I doing here with a bunch of high school and college kids? I really should just focus on my work. Then the responses begin to pour in. They are all welcoming me and telling me how cool it is that I am willing to even be in the same room as middle schoolers. I am so relieved. And little did I know, this welcome would change my life.