Lightspeed Magazine Issue 12 by Eric Gregory & Tessa Mellas & Pamela L. Gay & Nancy Kress & Alastair Reynold & Laura Waterstripe

Author:Eric Gregory & Tessa Mellas & Pamela L. Gay & Nancy Kress & Alastair Reynold & Laura Waterstripe [Gregory, Eric & Mellas, Tessa & Gay, Pamela L. & Kress, Nancy & Reynold, Alastair & Waterstripe, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction, magazine, short story, science fiction magazine, short stories
Publisher: Prime Books
Published: 2011-04-28T16:00:00+00:00

In the weeks that followed, Bibi stopped seeing the boys. I moved my futon back into our room, and we started talking again. I became Bibi’s bodyguard, shielding her from all the male scum on the floor. Boys would stop by and say, “I’m here for some alien sex.”

I’d say, “Fuck off, asshole.” And they’d go away.

By March, Bibi had given up her studies. No more stem cell research. Instead, she starts holing herself up in our room making sculptures out of dining hall silverware. She hangs them from the ceiling where the ants used to be and opens the windows to watch the dead flowers blow in the breeze.

We start having parties in our room every weekend. Everyone brings beer and fills up our fridge. The RA doesn’t give a damn because Bibi got her through chemistry first semester, and she hopes she’ll get her through physics next fall.

I call my mother and tell her we’re getting along great. I tell her Bibi is the best. My mother’s glad we’re back to being friends, says she knew we’d work it out. I don’t mention that Bibi is pregnant. My mother would be disappointed. She wouldn’t understand.

Finally, Bibi and I do everything together like roommates should. We order pizza at midnight, rate the guys on the hall, redecorate the room. We move the beds against one wall and scatter huge pillows on the floor. Bibi finds these red Christmas lights on sale at the hardware store and hangs them up. She turns them on and lies under her swaying spoons, pretends she’s watching hot liquid hydrogen swirl around Jupiter from the moon. She says, “Angela, come lie with me. We can watch Jupiter together. Better enjoy me while you can. Pretty soon, this baby will eat its way out.”

“Don’t talk like that,” I say.

“Like what?” She dangles her three-toed feet in the air, says, “It’s okay. It’s only death.”