Mass Meeting Chronicles, Part 2

Oh no! You just stepped onto the campus of the University of Michigan, and someone once told you that if you step on the big M on the Diag, you will fail your first midterm!

Unfortunately, you found yourself standing on the big M, and you felt a magical power surging through your body… You know what you must do now.    

You remember the other part of the tradition: to undo the curse, you must run naked from the Diag to the flagpole. But are you really up for the task? Taking a deep breath, you prepare during the night. You go on Craigslist, specifying the exact characteristics that a successful body double would have. If they run fast enough, they can fool the powers that be (Santa Ono?) into lifting your curse. To your surprise, someone volunteers themself an hour after you post the ad. However, the name seems eerily familiar. You think back to all the yearbooks stored in your house, recalling the blurry faces (okay, 21p) from your childhood. Could it really be…? You go to the rendezvous spot and see that it really is your old crush from middle school. The straight one.      

Well, nothing to it, really; you have to do this, or you’ll fail your midterm. You respond to the post, accepting their help. They come the next day, and all those repressed feelings start coming back, the ones you tried not to think about for years. They run from the Diag to the flagpole, saving you. Once they do this, to your surprise, they fall to their knees in front of you.     “You know, I’ve been in love with you since middle school, too. I just didn't want to admit it.”      

“Oh, “ you say, at a loss for words, “Do you want to go out with me, then?”     

They happily accept, you go out, and two years later, you’re happily married. The end. :)

*Mass Meeting Chronicles is a series of short stories written collaboratively by Gayly members at our Winter 2026 Mass Meeting. We followed an initial prompt and each tried to continue the story crafted by the member before, effectively creating the chaos you see before you now. Enjoy!