The Early Chapters
Answer side by side“What was the first test this friendship passed?”
The question sits across the top; you each answer on your own page. Whoever writes second reads the first answer before writing — agree, argue, or correct the record.
Why this question
The favour slightly too big to ask, the secret kept, the lift at an unreasonable hour.
And once you’ve both answered
Did either of us know at the time that it was a test?
Answering it honestly
- Whoever writes second reads the first answer before writing — properly, not a skim. Your page can agree, argue, or correct the record.
- Be specific. Dates, places, what was playing, who else was there. Wrong details are welcome; they're evidence.
- Don't negotiate a joint version. Two accounts that refuse to match are worth more than one polished one.
And the house rule, whatever the mode: leave a blank rather than write a lie. A blank can be filled later; a lie sits in the archive forever, and you both have to live with the paperwork.
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