Zed is chatty.

So I don't follow politics.

You know this.

So tell me who is Rohith Patel, politician or something.

Zed's obsessed with this guy, and that's great.

Love that.

You know, anytime someone gets super into politicians, I get a bit skeved out.

It's culty, I think, to worship bureaucrats.

Because Zed doesn't know this guy.

He just likes his rhetoric.

And that feels more religious than civic-minded. Were they protests or something on campus this spring? I don't

follow the drama. I think it was about the dining hall hours. Something. I don't keep up with

what's going on. But there were kids with signs trampling the grass and shrubs in front of our building,

absolutely obliterated the tulips I planted, just as they were about to bloom.

For fuck's sake, those tulips weren't doing anything.

But the protests or whatever, it was carried over into the classes, students arguing with faculty, arguing with each other.

It was never clear what was going on. It just felt like nonstop tension. Oh, for what? Anyway, Zed feels like some of those

kids riled up or something or other. I don't know what. Don't know if it's because he didn't

explain it properly or I didn't listen. Whatever, he's picked aside like it's a sport, and he's ride or die.

As nice as Zed is, it's kind of annoying, like he really wants me to care.

Well, maybe I'll start talking to him at length about my intense feelings about bacterial chlorophylls.

Fair's fair.

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