Nell Lines

sex - Smith

biologic character distinguishing gender through gonadal, chromosomal, and hormonal analysis

or… - Smith

physiologic and psychological processes prompting procreation or erotic pleasure

shouldn’t sex ed actually come like, before we know about sex? - Ivy

yeah like, I had sex ed in fifth grade back in Atlanta

the syllabus says the drama unit starts today - Beth

you memorized the syllabus?

absolutely - Ivy

honestly, we talking about this play or what

do we remember what an allegory is? - Smith

a symbolic work where the characters and events represent other ideas.

beat you

abstinence - Smith

the act of refraining from sex, the only method one hundred percent guaranteed to prevent pregnancy or disease

they should join - Ivy

also who even feels that way?

our tensions are high too! - Ivy

yeah, why does tension in the community mean we suffer

y’all are hardly suffering - Gallagher

yeah but, suffering is subjective so

I’m going to have to ask you to check your tone - Gallagher

oh my god???

whats this club? - Smith

a feminism club

thank you! - Beth

he’s so amazing

I thought you were mad at him for sex ed? - Beth

I was never mad at him, I was frustrated with the system

I don’t!!! - Beth

well I most certainly do

it’s really cool though, all the honors lit classes go to his house for dinner at the end of the year - Raelynn

shut up, I bet his house is like, impeccably decorated

the only adult who actually respects us - Ivy

not like Ms. Gallagher

it's SO WEIRD that she's only like, eight years older than us - Ivy

wait, really?

remember I did horse therapy last summer - Ivy

oh you’re like rich

that’s your takeaway? not like, " dang you needed horse therapy? you good?" - Ivy

does anybody need horse therapy?

Ivy wants to be a large animal vet - Beth

okay Beth, down to business, feminism club, whats on the agenda

you know my dad won't let me read anything he hasn’t approved but in Twilight they save themselves for marriage so - Raelynn

ohhh right, crazy vampire whatever

why not? - Raelynn

Bella’s just obssesed with a guy

this is not about like like at all - Raelynn

I like The Craft

is that the old movie about witches? real dark right? - Ivy

i like dark stuff, female rage

we could talk about Taylor Swift - Beth

jesus Beth

also for Me Too, her trial was major - Beth

pass

I liked her before her music got all sexual - Ivy

sounds like we should add sex positivity to the list

someone’s never listened to "Sparks Fly" - Raelynn

I like that song about John Mayer

I don't know a Shelby - Raelynn

I also don’t know a Shelby? but I feel like mine is different

fine, I’m sorry - Beth

I won’t like, tell anybody

yeah! why! - Raelynn

you’ve been, off

how would you know? you barely know me - Raelynn

wow, okay, sorry I guess

sorry, I didn't mean, I'm tired - Raelynn

k

should I have sex with Lee? - Raelynn

I just think like, no, right? yeah, no

but I mean, almost seven years, like, half our lives - Raelynn

whoa

maybe I should just do it, I don't know - Raelynn

do you, want to?

I mean yeah! it's just, it's complicated - Raelynn

you answered the question “are you willing to have sex with him” but the question is “do you want to have sex with him”

still, yes - Raelynn

Beth

…yes? - Beth

do you want to have sex with Harry Styles?

I mean that's just totally unrealistic to even think about!!!! - Beth

that’s wanting sex

what???? no!!!! - Beth

follow up question: do you want to have sex with Lee? it’s really two different questions

who else would it be with? - Raelynn

like literally anyone, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift…

we started a feminism club - Raelynn

I’m Nell

hey, Shelby - Shelby

ohhhhhh

sabbaticals are for professors to pursue research - Beth

oh, Beth

oh no - Beth

what

oh my god, you guys - Beth

nooo

what?? tell me! my parents took away my phone - Shelby

it’s a text from Ivy

we should, make sure she knows we're like, there for her family - Beth

so you think it’s not true? I just you know, I don’t know her dad

those weird massages, like at sleepovers? - Shelby

jesus

yeah - Beth

wait so, did she go to Atlanta cause of you and Lee?

my mom said that - Beth

you did like, repeat it though

well sorry - Beth

I mean, she does seem, I dunno

yeah… - Beth

funny, my family says stuff like that about me, like my mom’s on the phone, and she’s like, “Nell’s just a lot",” “Nell’s too much for me,” I think it’s just, people always kinda mean the same thing, you know? like, they mean, “Nell’s a girl”

whoa - Beth

I dunno

yeah, so, yeah - Beth

wait, you guys, wait

what?? - Beth

I just thought of something, and I just, okay… maybe, do you think something, happened, with Shelby and Ivy’s dad...?

huh? - Beth

I mean like, she literally said she wasn’t surprised, and was kinda upset?? and then said “I bet the secretary isn’t the only one,” I don’t know I just, I know I don’t know her

these girls are changing the world, the future is female - Smith

actually, that’s kind of problematic

um, like, their lives? just, yeah no, their lives - Shelby

I mean people still do that, right? go out dancing to blow off steam

so they danced, got caught, what next? - Smith

they start saying everybody else is a witch instead

what did the girls have to gain? - Smith

I mean, power

I think y’all are right on the money - Smith

and money too, they were disenfranchised economically

I think, Miss Gallagher was right - Ivy

but like, what does feminism have to do with your dad?

I brought Lee, male feminists, mofos!! - Mason

you can just say feminist, you know

sucks about her dad - Lee

yeah

messed up, how many is it? - Mason

women?

it's really cool, they've taught me a lot - Mason

you’ve been to like, one and a half meetings

is she gonna be the next to say something? - Mason

where’d you hear that?

kinda figured that’s why she was acting weird, something happened before she left - Lee

the whole thing with you wasn’t enough?

I guess we're not accomplishing much now - Beth

we kind of need everybody to plan the bake sale

don't feminists want to like, not cook? - Lee

that’s oversimplifying

and Abigail's been trying to like, ruin him - Ivy

nope, he made his choice

okay so Mr. Smith says to look at a character's first and last moment, when Proctor first comes in it says, "on seeing him, Mary Waren leaps in fright" - Beth

every stage direction is like, “storms in with deep rage”

does it change anything? - Mason

it seems like more “lalala honor”

the devil's not a character - Mason

or is he

character list, no devil - Mason

he’s in the townspeople’s mind, represented by the yellow bird

are we even allowed? - Mason

it’s an interpretive assignment

but like, well, okay, how? - Mason

that’s why we’re meeting, we figure it out

last project Beth just basically like, did it all - Mason

that’s Beth

it would’ve made me feel bad, but she really liked doing it - Mason

yeah, though I don’t think you would’ve felt bad

...I feel bad about stuff - Mason

if you say so

I say so - Mason

okay, Beth’s such a trip, she like, assumes I’m cool, but I’m like super not, like, at all, I was actually kinda having a hard time with, my friends, “friends,” blehhh, this is boring, I’ll stop

I’m not bored, you are cool, I mean I think… - Mason

don’t tell anybody, okay?

yellow birds symbolize the devil?? you're smart - Mason

I know

damn, humble too - Mason

I mean I won’t pretend I don’t know something, “we teach girls to shrink themselves, we say, you can have ambition, but not too much, otherwise you’ll threaten the man,”

that sounds familiar - Mason

Beyonce song

yes!! - Mason

though originally from Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

there’s an outside source! - Mason

that could be really cool, how it fits though, I don’t know

we’ll figure it out - Mason

yeah… hey do you like, know Shelby well?

it’s a small town, so yeah but like, no - Mason

I was just kind of wondering what you think, knowing her longer

yeah, yeah I don't know - Mason

I wish I could reach out to her without it being weird, it’s weird though, I don’t know

do you wanna like, hang out? outside of school? I just, you’re so smart? which is like a new thing, I dunno, never mind - Mason

yeah okay let’s hang… do your work Mason

on it - Mason

I just, you know

guys Ivy's here!! we're all here! - Beth

we say you an hour ago

just sometimes, for like book recommendations or emergencies - Beth

…what emergencies?

if you're accusing Mr. Smith, you're accusing my dad - Ivy

I think it might be weird that you text Mr. Smith

he cares a lot and he's there for me, and I guess - Beth

Beth, maybe-

what, is, happening - Mason

we’re stressed!