"But you're not really saying anything."
"I know."
"Half the pages are describing
the protagonist pining over some guy."
"I know."
"You're really not even trying to do
anything original."
"Yeah, I know."
"Like, look here: She smiles. I've literally
read the same sentence in, like, a million
coming-of-age books."
"It can't be helped. Now, can it? The story
has already been submitted for marking."
"I really wouldn't go as far as calling it
a story. Perhaps an exchange between
two characters, but definitely
not a story."
"You've made your point. Okay? Seriously.
Are you just going to sit there and criticize me?"
"You're really embarrassing to watch."
"What do you mean by that? Huh? I submitted,
didn't I? What about you? Do you think the HD
is going to accept an excuse for submitting late?"
"It's better than submitting a piece of crap."
"At least I tried."
"Did you, though?"
"You're really something. Aren't you? What gives
you the authority to ask me a question
like that?"