Chapter Text
Somewhere in Missouri, there is a college which hosts a residential program every summer called the Joseph Baldwin Academy for Eminent Young Scholars (often referred to as JBA). It is for children who have completed the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades and show particular academic potential. It is attended by children all across the United States. The students stay in dorms and live on college campus for 3 weeks, attend class, eat at a dining hall, etc, etc. This summer, 2025, is the 40 year anniversary of the program.
I attended JBA this summer, as my mother did when she was of that age. I took a course called “Fanfiction as literary theory and rhetoric in action.” Choosing to apply for this program was the single best choice I have ever made, and the 3 weeks I spent there were the best 3 weeks of my life. I’m sure my fellow students would say the same.
A lot happened in just 3 weeks, but there were a couple of things that all 200 students were united in, and this fic is one of them. During the session we all learned of a relationship between two staff members. One preceptor (a college student at the university who chaperones a class and helps enforce rules and such. A preceptor is the equivalent of a camp counselor) and one Pro-staff member (this one in question was the Activities Director). Needless to say, we all latched onto it pretty quickly. This story is from the perspective of the preceptor in question.
Some of this story is made up, but much of it is true. I have used several real events from my time at the academy in this. Most of what you will read are true snippets from my time at JBA. And yes, I have permission from these people to write about them. All names have been changed, as per their request. Enjoy, and just know: transformative literature reigns supreme.