But How Are You, Really

A burned-out bisexual confronts old demons, her estranged chosen family, and the ex she maybe shouldn’t have walked away from when she attends her five-year college reunion.

Charlotte Thorne does not want to go back to Hein University. Her life postcollege isn’t what she expected--her career in media is stalled, her passion for drawing has fallen by the wayside, and she’s done a terrible job keeping in touch with her queer chosen family since graduation day. Willingly spend a full weekend with her incredibly successful classmates? Hard pass.

But when her demanding boss, tech journalist Roger Ludermore, is invited to give the commencement address at this year’s graduation--which falls on the same weekend as her five-year reunion--Charlotte has no choice but to return to campus.

The minute she steps foot on Hein property, the past comes crawling back in its glory and cringe: disco parties at the LGBTQIA+ program house, sleeping in a twin XL bed, and her chemistry with Reece Krueger, the hockey player she rebounded with after a traumatic breakup. Suddenly the weekend Charlotte has dreaded for months feels like an opportunity to go back in time. Determined to have some fun, Charlotte dodges her best friend’s questions about her mental health, ignores her boss’s constant Slack messages, and tries to avoid the truth about why she ghosted Reece five years ago. But can she really outrun her past and get her life together in seventy-two hours?

Ella Dawson is an NYC-based sex and culture critic whose work has been published by Elle, Vox, and Women’s Health, among others. She was once internet famous for having herpes, but that’s a whole other story. Ella is proudly bisexual, very anxious, and aspires to adopt a kitten. Follow her on social media and on Patreon as @brosandprose.