A Love Letter to Cup Pong (and my friend Stef)
By Chloe Bivona
The first week of my junior year of college was already off to a lousy start. For one, the university had moved all classes online (again) due to the threat of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and it did not take long for the Zoom fatigue to set in. Sigh. On one particularly bad day, soured by the gloomy weather and an overzealous teacher’s assistant bulldozing my theories surrounding Machiavelli’s The Prince, I texted Stef. Stef and my friendship blossomed in those first few months of online school when we had a class together. Previously, we limited our conversations to the ongoings of our shared club, but in the isolation of quarantine, it was nice to deepen that bond. So when the loneliness of my apartment once more embraced me, ever more accented by the absence of my roommate who would come to move in with her boyfriend for the entire year (unofficially), I hit Stef with a cautious “U up” text. Almost instantly, my phone chimed back, “yea, sup.” It was my moment, find something, anything, to escape the funk of school. “Netflix party tonite?” I waited with bated breath, watching the three dots on imessages blink in and out of existence. “Can’t tn - zoom call with another friend. This weekend?” Not a total no, but still not the best outcome, definitely not what I desired. I hit her back with a “Yea totally,” expecting the conversation to end, but that’s when it happened. That’s when the glorious invitation to play Cup Pong burst onto my screen. Alright, I can bite.
Beer Pong? Nope! Try Cup Pong! Battleship? Nope! Try Battle Boats. The oddities of Game Pigeon’s widgets never failed to amuse me. I had tried to get into it freshman year when some boys in my dorm were addicted to “Word Games,” but it was Stef who got me hooked. Rebound, after rebound, we sparred to get balls into animated red and blue solo cups. Our skills advanced. We continued to play every day and every day games got more challenging. Through it all, we sent gifs and memes and talked about breakups and plans for the future. We frequently spoke on the phone, offering advice when needed and just listening to each other when that was more important. I felt so heard even in the gravest moments of the pandemic. My online friend became more and more real to me.
Today, Stef and I play Cup Pong less frequently. We spend more of our time making plans to hang out in person and go to Chili’s for a margarita or see a movie or road trip to the Wisconsin Cheese Castle. She’s transcended the realm of online friends and become one of my closest confidants. I’ve played cup pong with other people, even crushing my new roommate’s boyfriend by getting all my balls in one go. Still, never am I as excited to play as when a notification from Stef appears on my screen. It’s never about the game, but all about the person you’re playing.