4,000 Reads.
I’M ACTUALLY LOSING IT.
How is this even real?
Less than a year ago, I sat at this very computer—my sweet sixteen gift—staring at a blank screen, wondering if I even had it in me to write something anyone would care about. I had no idea what would happen when I clicked “publish.” I just knew I needed to get Esme and Lily out of my head and onto the page.
Now, two days before I turn seventeen, The Idiot’s Dream has been read 4,000 times.
4,000 times, someone out there chose this story. These characters. My words.
I never expected this. I wrote it because I loved it—because I loved Esme and Lily, Charlie’s sarcasm, Darla’s chaos, and, of course, the whirlwind that is Billie Joe, Tré, Mike, and Ollie. And somehow, all of you loved them too.
You laughed. You cried (well, Nina did). You left comments that made me grin at my screen at 2 a.m., and you reminded me why I wanted to write in the first place. Because stories matter. Because they connect people. Because they make us feel less alone.
And because of what this little story has become, I’m planning to pursue journalism and writing at a collegiate level (when the time comes). I never imagined that posting one fanfiction could change my life’s direction, but here we are.
A year ago, I never imagined I’d be here, saying thank you to thousands of people who’ve read something that came straight from my heart. But here I am. And I mean it more than I can explain: thank you—for reading, for caring, for giving these characters a home outside my own head.
Here’s to Esme and Lily. To Charlie and Darla. To Billie Joe, Tré, Mike, and Ollie. And to all of you—for turning what felt like a dream into something real.
Here’s to whatever comes next.
GREEN DAY LOVER OUT ❤️
