Work Text:
September
Penelope Bunce
Chips? I’ve been sexiled again
Simon Snow
sexiled at 6 pm???
Simon Snow
but yes pls
Simon Snow
i need to get out
Simon
“It’s just like,” Penny says, between sips of purple Gatorade. “How are we ever supposed to get to know each other?”
I didn’t even know they made purple Gatorade. Part of me thinks it’s just water and food dye that Watford bottles and sells to freshers.
“You should stop letting her kick you out,” I say, my mouth only slightly full of chips.
Penny glares at me. “I tried, remember? They still made out for hours, with me right there!”
I smile at Penny’s brief slip into American English. She glares at me harder.
“That reminds me,” I say. “We need to watch the new episode.”
“I would hope you’re not just watching Carry On for the making out,” Penny says. “Think we can go back to yours?”
I groan. “I mean, it’s up to you. If you’re fine letting your guard down around my weird roommate who hates me, then I guess so.”
“I don’t exactly think Basilton is going to kill us, Simon. And he doesn’t hate you,” Penny says.
“His real name is Tyrannus,” I say, pointing at Penny with a chip. Tyrannus definitely sounds more murderous as far as names go. I’m about to argue further, but then I remember something else. “Actually, wait—he leaves the room every night around nine. We’d have at least an hour to ourselves.”
Penny raises her eyebrows. ”Where does he go?”
I cross my arms and shrug. “I don’t know. I’m not exactly going to follow him.”
“Great, then,” Penny beams. “We’ll go at nine.”
Penny and I made a pact to never watch an episode of Carry On, Cath without each other. Penny first read the original novel, Carry On, back in year six, when we were eleven. She was absolutely obsessed. I never really got it. It seemed like every time I glanced over Penny’s shoulder Cath was either brooding about her life or embarrassing herself, and Penny had read it so many times that I was pretty sure I had seen every page. But then the movie came out, and of course Penny dragged me to the cinema on opening night, and as reluctant as I had been beforehand, fourteen-year-old me sat down, watched the movie, and got it. When Cath and Levi kissed—Hell, when Cath and Levi touched, I felt like it was me up on the screen. Their chemistry was visceral. I had to read that book.
Since that year, Penny and I have read every spin-off story, every graphic novel, and watched the movie more times than I’d ever admit. We’ve seen Cath go to university (well, college) about a million times. But this time, the television series adaptation, is different—Cath started uni right as we did.
Baz
My uni roommate and I could not be more unalike. He leaves his things strewn about the room. I do not. He dresses like he just rolled out of bed, even when he’s going to class. I do not. He is straight. Must I go on?
That last bit of information would not be relevant, if not for the fact that I have developed a massive crush on said roommate over the span of one bloody week. It feels childish. Which is odd, because I don’t think I’ve ever really had a crush on someone, even back when I was a kid.
Maybe that’s why it hit me so hard. Maybe it was years worth of pining just waiting for the right curly-haired boy to show up. Of course he had to show up in my bedroom. Well, actually he showed up on the lawn. He bumped into me on the lawn. I think part of me knew this was going to happen right then and there.
None of this matters, though, because if I had even a sliver of hope regarding Simon Snow and homosexual tendencies, the giant poster of some American actress on our wall stamped it straight into the ground.
Penny
We get to Simon’s dorm and he immediately lets out an exasperated huff. At first I think it’s because of the shoes and clothing items scattered across the floor, but upon closer inspection they all belong to Simon.
Simon goes straight for the window between the two beds and opens the curtain with about four times the necessary force. “I told him to keep these open,” he says.
“Simon, it’s dark out. It hardly matters.”
“It’s the principle,” says Simon. “He always wants them closed. He’s like a goddamn vampire, I swear.”
“Think he leaves every night to drink people’s blood?” I say, hopping up on Simon’s tall bed and getting comfy beneath his Cath and Levi poster. We each got one from the cinema back when we watched the movie for the second time.
“Probably,” Simon says, sitting beside me and opening his laptop.
Cath has just met Nick. Simon and I groan, but only because we’re aware of the coming betrayal. The new actor for Nick is quite fit, so no complaints there.
“I wonder how different it’d go if she’d known he was an arsehole from the start,” Simon says while Cath and Nick are engaged in an intense writing montage.
“Yeah,” I say. “But arseholes don’t usually let you know right away, do they?”
Simon very pointedly looks towards Basilton’s bed. Ah.
“Does he have a nickname?” I ask.
“Hmm?” Simon hums.
“Tyrannus, I mean. Even Basilton is a mouthful.”
“Oh,” Simon says. “Yeah. It’s Baz.”
October
Simon Snow
coming over?
Penelope Bunce
Is Baz there?
Simon Snow
no
Penelope Bunce
Be there in 5
Penny
When I enter Simon’s room, he’s staring at Baz’s bed. “Hey,” I greet cautiously.
“Hi,” he says, finally breaking eye contact with Baz’s bedding.
“Lots on your mind?” I say, sliding off my shoes and taking my usual spot on Simon’s bed, our backs against the wall.
“The usual,” Simon sighs.
So I guess we’ve reached the point at which Simon no longer has to tell me why he thinks Baz is so off-putting or annoying or malicious or otherwise. I’ve heard the spiel enough times that I don’t exactly feel like asking anyway.
We start the new episode without further preamble. Levi and Cath are going to kiss. I feel extremely childish for how anxious I feel. I hope it’s as good as the book. I hope Simon thinks it's as good as the movie.
Simon
The set up is perfect. Cath is reading to Levi, somehow making her ugly dorm room with cinder block walls look cozy and warm. I’ve seen this scene, read this scene, countless times. It never gets old.
Something feels extra special this time. Maybe it’s the lighting, or the music. It’s longer than the scene in the movie, slower. It’s making me feel better about my own shit uni experience thus far.
They’re lying down. They’re going to kiss. They’re going to fall asleep together, and even though it’s going to fall apart in the morning they’re going to have each other here, for now. Maybe that’s why I love it so much.
Right before Levi’s lips meet Cath’s, Baz bursts through the door.
I slam pause. “Simon!” Penny protests.
“Snow. Penelope,” Baz sneers. “God, is that show still airing? And are you still watching?”
I sigh. “Yes, Baz,” I say, reaching for my earbuds on my desk. “Some of us have hobbies that don’t involve sneaking off into the night.”
Baz cocks an eyebrow. It’s so annoying. And I know what I said didn’t really make any sense, because Baz plays football and he’s actually quite good at it. But whatever.
“Why don’t you watch with us?” Penny says.
“What?” Baz and I say in unison.
“He can’t get on my bed!” I say to Penny. Not my most eloquent moment. I can see Baz smirking.
“I’m flattered, Penelope,” he says. “But I’d rather take my eye out with that ring of yours than watch the contest for most boring love interest.”
Penny frowns at her purple ring.
“Whatever, Baz,” I say, plugging in the earbuds. “Goodnight.”
Cath and Levi kiss, but I’m too worked up to really enjoy it. Baz ruined my favorite moment. He is the worst.
Baz
I don't know why I act the way I do towards Simon. I know I should just be quiet. I suppose it makes me feel better about the whole hopeless crush thing. It forces me to remind myself of just how hopeless it is. And besides, this is my room, too, and he’s never liked me. I might as well lean into it, the whole arsehole roommate act. It might be the best shot at conversation I’ve got.
I really do hate that show, though.
I don’t really know what it’s about, except Americans at uni. There’s a girl and two boys, a blond and a brunette. Very straight. It’s obnoxious. Maybe I’d be slightly more interested if there were magic or something like that involved. That always makes a story at least marginally gayer.
November
Simon Snow
penny
Simon Snow
penny
Penelope Bunce
What????
Simon Snow
kissed baz
Penelope Bunce
WHAT
Penelope Bunce
WHO????
Simon Snow
me
Penelope Bunce
WHAT???:<:”<<??
Penelope Bunce
SIMON
Baz
Simon Snow is ignoring me. Simon Snow kissed me. And now he’s ignoring me.
I don’t know why he did it.
I went home last weekend, and it was dismal. Aunt Fiona was being a menace and my step-mother was clearly exhausted. My father made the mistake of asking me if I’d met any girls at uni while we were sat for family dinner, and Fiona just about exploded. At first it was about how asking was disrespectful to me (I didn’t really think it was disrespectful, seeing as I had never once actually mentioned me being gay, but you can hardly stop Fiona when she gets going). Somehow it turned into an argument about family legacy, and I couldn’t even tell what side anyone was on. I barely slept.
When I got back to the dorm, I skipped class for the first time. I laid in bed and drifted in and out of sleep for most of the day. I woke a few times to Simon bustling about the room and shooting me glances I couldn’t quite read.
I woke up at one in the morning, mostly because I was hungry. There was a glass of water and a bag of crisps on my bedside table. Salt and vinegar. Did Simon…? Did Simon Snow know my favorite crisps?
I ate them as quietly as I could, perched on my bed and watching Simon. He was asleep. He looked nice. I drank the water.
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I woke up to Simon shaking my shoulder.
“Baz,” he whispered. “Are you sick?”
I grunted. My heart stuttered against my will.
“No,” I said.
I thought Simon would tell me to go to class, but he didn’t. He just stood there for a moment.
“Do you need anything?” Simon asked. I didn’t think his voice had ever been that soft.
I shook my head.
When Simon left, I got up and brushed my teeth. I went to class dressed like I had just rolled out of bed.
Penny
“So what was wrong with him?” I ask
Simon is telling me a story that allegedly ends in a kiss. So far Baz has just been in bed, though.
”I don’t know, it just seemed so unlike him?” Simon is ending every sentence as if it’s a question.
“So, what, you decided to kiss it better?”
“No,” Simon says, exasperated. That one was definitely not a question. “When I got back, he was at least up and moving, but he still looked like shit.”
“I’m still struggling so see how this could possibly result in snogging,” I say.
“He wouldn’t answer any of my questions, like if he’d been to class or if he’d eaten. I’m pretty sure he’s never missed a class in his life, so I thought maybe he was, like, really sick. He wouldn’t answer when I asked if he had a fever, so…”
Simon is sort of vaguely gesturing about with his hands. This cannot be good. “So…?” I say.
“So… I grabbed his face to feel his forehead, and I thought he would snarl at me or something, but he just… he just looked at me, like, I don’t know.” Simon shakes his head and looks away. “He looked at me with these huge eyes, like he’d let me do anything to him.”
My jaw is on the floor. Simon never tells me these things. I mean, he never talked about Agatha this way.
“And I kind of froze, but he didn’t look away. And then he sort of, put his hand over mine, and it was so cold, but not really in a bad way? And he wasn’t moving away, so I said, ‘can I?,’ and he nodded, and then…”
“You kissed him,” I say.
Simon nods.
“Holy shit,” I say.
Simon nods again.
“Oh my god—” my eyes widen. “Please don’t tell me you ran away and left him like that,” I say.
“No! I—No. We got on his bed—“
I gasp. I can’t help it.
Simon rolls his eyes. “We just slept, Penny. Really.”
“On Baz’s twin mattress.”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“Then I… then I sort of ran away. Yeah.”
“Jesus—Simon, you have to talk to him. He’s, like, clearly vulnerable.”
Simon scrunches up his face. “I know.”
I sigh. “Don’t pull a Cath.”
“What?”
“Don’t pull a Cath. Do not ghost him right now.”
Simon scowles. “I’m not pulling a Cath. I couldn’t pull a Cath if I wanted to because Baz is so not Levi.”
“I mean, he’s kind of got the hairline.”
“Penny.”
Okay, yes, I’ll admit that drawing guidance from my favorite book from when I was eleven is maybe not the best way to go about, you know. Life. But Cath and Abel's breakup was what helped me turn my own long-distance boyfriend’s pre-uni break up into a mutual decision. (He said I couldn’t do that, but that never worked out for him before we mutually called it off. It was hopeless on his part.)
“Was it a good kiss?” I ask eventually. I mean, I’m not exactly surprised that Simon kissed a guy. I’m just surprised it was Baz.
Simon groans.
“Do you like him?”
Simon glares.
The next two days, Simon disappears.
Simon
I kissed Baz. I kissed my roommate. I feel like I’ve broken the number one rule of dorm life. Or would that be don’t live with a friend? It certainly seems like I’ve managed to avoid that stage of me and Baz’s relationship entirely.
I know I need to talk to him.
Somehow we’ve managed to avoid being in the room together, save for a few awkward shoulder brushes when one of us leaves as the other arrives. I’m not sure if this constitutes “ghosting,” like Penny says, because Baz hasn’t spoken to me, either. Can you ghost someone in real life? Baz and I never exchanged phone numbers. It’s currently nine, so I’m basking in my hour of solitude before Baz returns from wherever it is that he goes. I’m staring up at my wall. It suddenly seems ridiculous, the way the giant Cath and Levi poster is the centerpiece of my decor. There are other photos surrounding it, photos of me and Penny and me and Agatha. There’s one of my mum, too, before she passed away.
I glance over to Baz’s side. He’s never had photos on the wall. Only pictures on his desk, framed in sleek black. There’s photos of Baz with his siblings. They’re much younger than him. There’s a photo of a woman—Baz’s late mother. They look identical. There’s a photo that’s been tipped face down since Monday. I know it’s a photo of Baz with another family member. She looks like she could be a sibling, but she’s much older than the other four in the photos. She has her arm swung over Baz’s shoulders, and he looks endearingly annoyed. I guess I’ve looked at Baz’s photos more than I’d thought.
I suddenly feel as if I might throw up. I need to get out of the room. I rush out, and I see Baz freeze at the other end of the hall. I’m going to be sick. I run to the communal bathrooms. Baz deserves the room, anyway.
I like Baz. I like him, and I’ve been horrid to him. But what am I supposed to do? He hates me. Or, he did, and then didn’t. But now he certainly does again.
Penelope Bunce
Simon, where are you?
Prof asked about you in class
Are you okay?
Penny
“Basilton,” I say, standing in front of the table he’s sat at. He makes an odd face, like he wasn’t expecting to see me even though we go to the same school. He doesn’t have any food, just a set of notes in front of him.
He stands up and makes to leave.
“Baz, wait,” I say, probably louder than I have to.
He stops and looks at me and he looks… hurt. Damnit, Simon.
“Simon is acting like an idiot. Or—he just is an idiot, maybe.”
Baz doesn’t react. I suppose he already figured as much. What am I doing?
After a moment of awkward standing and staring, he speaks. “You don’t have to make excuses for him, Bunce.”
Since when does Baz know my last name?
Wait, excuses?
“I didn’t expect him to fall in love with me or anything,” Baz continues. “We’re at uni. Experimenting is normal.”
My mouth is agape. “Experimenting? Is that—what you think that was?”
Baz nods, like it’s obvious. “Unless Snow told you otherwise,” he says sarcastically, like he’s already sure of the answer. So much snark.
“Well—no,” I sputter. “He hasn’t. But Simon wouldn’t—he wouldn’t do that! I mean, you were hurting! He wouldn’t do that and disappear—“ I stop speaking, because it really does seem like that’s what Simon’s gone and done. But I swear it isn’t like that.
Baz looks tired.
“Listen,” I say, collecting my thoughts, “I’m not saying you have to forgive him. But he’s absolute shit at communicating. He’s not trying to—he just gets in his head, sometimes.”
“There's nothing for me to forgive him for. I’m not mad at him. I haven’t exactly been an angel to him, either, if you hadn’t noticed. Whatever it is that you’re saying—that he’s in his head, whatever that means, Snow needs to figure that out on his own.”
“I agree!”
“Right, then.”
“Right,” I say. And then, ”Wait—you’re not mad at him?”
Baz shrugs.
“You can be mad at him, Baz,” my voice gets softer. “He’s being extremely shitty.”
Baz looks away from me.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“It’s no one’s fault,” Baz mutters. And then he gets up and leaves.
Simon
“He’s upset, Simon!”
Penny found me in my room. She’s lecturing me. I deserve it. Apparently she spoke to Baz.
“He thinks you used him! He thinks you were just experimenting, and that now you’ve gone and decided you’re straight.”
My head snaps up. “He told you that?”
“Yes.”
Oh, god. I didn’t realize Baz thought… Baz thinks I’m straight? I mean, I don’t—I hadn’t really thought too much about it, up until a few days ago, but I’m definitely not. I thought that was a given.
Bloody hell. I fucked up.
“Why’d you go looking for him, anyway?” I ask, picking at my duvet.
“I didn’t go looking for him. His kicked-puppy aura is so strong I can sense it every time we’re within fifty feet of each other.”
“So he’s upset with me?”
Penny laughs dryly. “No. That’s the worst part, isn’t it? He said he can’t even forgive you, because he isn’t upset. Please, Simon. Just talk to him.”
My heart sinks. Baz thinks I used him and he’s not even upset at me.
How can I explain myself to Baz when I can’t even explain myself to Penny? When I can’t even explain myself to myself?
Baz
Despite what Bunce thinks, I am fine. Yes, two incredibly shitty things happened to me practically back to back, but I think the memory of Simon kissing me between those two shitty things is going to be enough to get me through the rest of first year. I’d already moped about for two days before the kiss, which really was unlike me. It made me feel gross. I might as well distract myself from Snow, rather than wallow around in his bedroom.
We’ve gotten pretty good at avoiding each other this past week. He’s hardly in the room, and I’ve been staying out later and later. I’ve never liked to eat around people, so I always get late dinner at the dining hall and take it to the trees near the lawn. No one’s there at night.
Simon’s usually snoring by midnight, but tonight I reach the door and hear voices. It sounds like an argument. It must be Bunce.
I hesitate. Is it wrong to listen? I mean, it is my room, after all.
“This is not—this isn’t even comparable to fiction,” Snow is saying. “This fucking sucks. I… he hated me, and now I have to figure out how to talk to him about… about feelings?”
“He never hated you! He spoke to you like a cartoon bully, Simon. It was an act.” Bunce says. Smart, that one.
“I don’t care what it was!” Snow says, “he was mean. He hated my clothes, he hated my stuff—“
“That’s because you leave your stuff everywhere.”
Simon makes a noise sort of like an arreghhh!!
“Penny. You don’t. Get it.”
“I do get it.”
“You don’t. I’m not Cath.”
“I don’t think you are!”
“You clearly do.”
I don’t have time to react. Penny is opening the door, and nearly walking directly into me.
“Hello,” I say. I don’t have the energy to pretend to be anything.
“Baz,” Simon says.
I suppose now is when one of us should say we ought to talk, but of course neither of us do. Penny looks at me, then shoulders past me into the hall. I guess she's decided for us. I step in and close the door.
Penny
Simon can’t communicate to save his life. Baz clearly has the self-esteem of a wet noodle.
I know I’m not perfect either. I’m a control freak. It wasn’t my place to talk to Baz. Maybe I was too harsh on Simon. I don’t know.
It just—it was so much easier when we were kids. Simon and I had our flaws—teachers would separate us for being disruptive, my mother tried to ban him from our house once (it didn’t last very long). But it never felt like our actions really had consequences. Scraped knees and impromptu haircuts hardly counted. We were our own cosmic mess. It never felt like we were tangling someone else up with us.
I sink to the floor outside of Simon’s dorm. I want to make sure they’re okay, but I also feel like shit, and the five minute walk back to my own roommate and her girlfriend sounds extra excruciating at the moment. I rest my head in my arms. I can’t help but think of Levi, waiting for Cath outside of her room. I feel so childish.
Simon is right. We aren’t them. We can’t expect the perfectly tall and handsome Nebraskan blond to show up next door. I sigh. Maybe Agatha had the right idea, moving to California and all. Loads of blonds there, I’m sure.
Baz
“I’m sorry,” is the first thing Snow says.
“Don’t,” I say, trying to come off as my hardened cartoon bully self and not the pathetic cartoon wet dog I feel like. I think I’ve failed. I decide to drop my acts.
“I don’t… really know what people do,” Simon is speaking slowly. “Like, when it comes to these things. I’m not sure…” he trails off.
“Me neither,” I say. I can barely hear myself. What does he even mean by these things? That we kissed? That he’s straight? That we’ve been ignoring each other for four days straight?
Simon exhales. “I am sorry,” he says, “because you were—er, are—clearly going through something. And I shouldn’t have added onto that. It was selfish. But,” Simon looks as though even opening his mouth is painful. I brace myself for the impending ‘I’m moving out.’ “I wasn’t—I didn’t kiss you because I was… experimenting. I kissed you because I wanted to.”
I’m sure my face looks cartoonish in a whole new way now. Simon’s gone pink. He wanted to kiss me. He wanted to. “And… because I thought you wanted me to, as well.”
I nod sharply. “I did,” I confirm. My voice comes out scratchy.
“And I suppose I didn’t really think about what that meant until after. What it meant that I wanted to kiss you, and then wanted to kiss you more when we were done. It kind of freaked me out.”
Cartoon-bully Baz wants to scoff, but real Baz is too shocked to speak.
“And I’m sorry I took that out on you.” Simon says.
“Snow—“ I hear myself say. “I took everything out on you. For the past three months.”
Simon nods, slowly. “But I was just as mean,” he says. “And, ignoring you after… that… that was cruel.”
I swallow. “So,” I say, “we’re both shit, then.”
“Yeah,” Simon says. “I guess so.”
“But…” I say, still somewhat in disbelief. “You’re not straight?”
“No,” Simon says firmly. “I’m not. I’m honestly not sure why you were so convinced I was, either.”
“Maybe the giant woman on your wall had something to do with it,” I say, crossing my arms.
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this,” Simon says, clearly holding back a smile. “But there’s a giant man right next to her, too.”
Right. I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way. “Oh.”
“Oh,” Simon repeats. He sits on his bed and I sit on mine, so we’re looking at one another. I’m also looking at the giant woman and man, but I try not to think about that right now. “So,” says Simon. “You wanted me to kiss you.”
I nod in confirmation and try not to roll my eyes. God, he’s so annoying. I want him to kiss me again.
“When did you decide you didn’t hate me, then?”
Who says I don’t still? my cartoon bully reflex says. “I never hated you,” the real me says. “I just thought—there was no way you’d want me too. And I’m sorry for acting like an arse.”
“You mean—this whole time…?” Simon’s brows pinch together.
“Yes,” I say. “From the start.” It hasn’t been that long, really. What has it been, two months? I suppose both Simon and I have a flair for dramatics. Bunce, too. I mean, it’s not like I’d been in love with him for years or something. It had kind of felt like it, though. I don’t want to think too much about what that means.
Simon
Baz has liked me the entire time. Baz likes me. I feel a bit delirious. I’m not thinking before I speak, and then I hear myself saying, “Can I have a redo?”
“What?” Baz says.
“Of our first kiss,” I say.
“Oh,” Baz says. “Yes. Please.”
We both move to stand, and then we both hesitate. I laugh awkwardly. We both get up, and we meet in the middle of the room, between our two beds. This time, I let Baz kiss me.
He’s timid. I wonder if he’s ever kissed anyone before. I can’t muck this up. When we pull apart, his eyes shine like I’ve never seen before.
“Would you like to go out with me?” I say, before we can get distracted and dance around the topic any further. “Like, on an actual date? Get dinner or something?” I suddenly realize I’ve never seen Baz eat. I wonder if it’s a Cath-dining-hall-protein-bar situation. Not that our first date would be at the dining hall, I’d figure something much nicer out, but—
“Yes,” Baz says. “I’d—I’d like that. Just promise me if we watch a movie, it won’t be that one.” He points to the poster.
“I promise,” I say. After all, he didn’t say anything about the TV show, the books, the graphic novels, or watching the movie on our second date. I can live with that promise.
December
Penelope Bunce
WHO’S READY FOR THE FINALEEEE
Simon Snow
I’M SO READY
Baz Pitch
No need to shout.
Penelope Bunce
I’ll be over in 10!
Simon Snow
WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO
Penny
I can tell Baz likes the show. He claims he doesn’t, but I can see it in his eyes. It’s the same look Simon got after watching the movie.
We’re all sat on Simon’s bed. Simon and I are squeezing each other’s hands in excitement. Baz and Simon’s legs are intertwined, and Baz is putting on his best I couldn’t care less face.
I count to three and hit play on the episode. Most of the big, dramatic moments happened last week, which was honestly not what I was expecting. I’m hoping this episode will be fun and fluffy. I’m sure I’ll see Cath and Levi again soon. Maybe the long-rumored cartoon will finally be announced. But either way, I’m going to miss them when this ends. Simon and Baz and I will have to find something else to watch, and I’m not sure what else the three of us can agree on.
I’m happy for Simon and Baz. I’m glad they figured everything out, and they do look rather cute together. But honestly, what I’m most proud of is that I, Penelope Bunce, successfully converted the grumpy star football player into a Carry On, Cath fan.
Well, maybe not yet, but we’ll get there. Something tells me that Simon and I will have plenty of time.