~~Peter~~
I walk into the apartment and plopped down on my bed with a sigh.
"I'm home," I call out to my aunt.
"Mm-hm," she responds. She's probably tired out of her mind with the work to match, which sucks. "You should go to bed, kiddo."
I sigh, because she's not wrong. I feel like I haven't slept in days. "Where's Uncle Ben?" I ask. Usually my uncle is home before me- and I've been out for at least two hours longer than normal.
"Something wrong with the electrical wires, yada yada yada. Basically, -=his boss has decided Ben's going to have to stay late tonight," she answers.
I flop onto my back, thinking about what Avery had said. "This is really important, and probably shouldn't be overheard." She was completely right. I hadn't thought much about the girl with a head of brown, curly hair who was sitting at the table behind me, but thinking back to it, it had most likely been Michelle. Oh gosh, thank god Avery made me stop talking, I think, blushing.
I'd heard Avery giving relationship advice to a woman while I was walking down the street, and had asked her for help. No guy is going to have the kind of advice I need (at least none that actually works), and Avery has a personality almost exactly like Michelle's. If anyone's going to help me with this, it's going to be her.
I feel a tinging in my back pocket and pull out my phone, looking down at the lock screen's notification center. I frown, my eyebrows creased, as I see a text from an unknown number. Hey, u still up? Asks the person on the other end.
I snort, and type back a reply. Sorry, buddy. She gave you the wrong number.
Actually, this is Michelle. It's Peter, right? I let out a small gasp, and try to remember any reason at all Michelle might want to talk to me. Also, how the heck she got my number.
Yeah, this is Peter. The thing I love about texting is that you can revise and edit and delete something you hadn't meant to say, perfecting your words until they're just right.
Oh. Good. Either Michelle hasn't found out the amazing thing about texting, or she's being awkward to make me uncomfortable.
I wait for a minute, but she doesn't say anything else, signifying that it's my turn to talk again. So, what's up?
Oh, nothing. You? I'm in the middle of making her number a contact when she shoots off a reply.
Nothing much. I pause as my finger hovers over the send button and think through my message. Sending just this and nothing else will send us into the dreading radio silence with no idea how to move forward. Or it'll do that to me, anyways. So, I write more before sending it. Y are u texting? Oh god, no. Especially not with the abbreviated words. Michelle's the kind of person who makes fun of people for abbreviating words. Quietly, anyways. I revise my addition. Why'd you text? Okay, okay. Yes. I send the text.
That took a long time for five words. She's avoiding my question, but I don't really care. It was just to keep the conversation going, anyways.
Technically six if you could the apostrophe. I'm avoiding her question, too, and like me, she doesn't say anything.
Ha. Yeah, I guess so
Shoot. We've gone into radio silence, even with all my careful planning. I'm going to have to venture into dangerous ground to get the texting match started again. So, why ARE you texting?
Silence, and I think I've blown it. But then, You're bolder when you don't have to look at a face, Parker.
I decide to play it on the very unsafe side and take a chance. You're avoiding the question.
That took a long time for six words.
Oh, so that's how she's playing it. And you continue to avoid the question.
Big words from you, Parker. Oh my god, are we at that stage already? Are we already teasing each other? Ohmigod, do we have inside jokes?
I'm basically hyperventilating as I type back, Are you going to answer the question or not?
It takes a minute for her to reply, and I think that I've completely blown it. Again. I say you today. At a coffee shop. Just wondering what you and that girl were talking about.
I swallow, glad she can't see my face. We were talking about you, I thought, but I obviously can't say that. Then I realized that she didn't actually ask me what I was talking to Avery about, just said she was wondering about it. I was going to take as much time as I could to think up an answer. Oh. Okay.
She waited for more, but I gave her nothing. So, are you going to tell me or not?
Not. I don't even think about it as I type my reply.
Ha. Really tho, tell me
Nope
Come on, Parker. Don't be a jumpy cat
Jumpy cat? I text back, confused. Is it not scardy-cat? Have I missed something? Oh god, what if everyone at school is saying jumpy cat instead of scardy cat and just nerds like me missed out on the trend?
Just something I made up. Everything's getting so old now, scardy cat should be 'out' soon. Usually that's not something I pay attention to, but… Stuff.
Stuff. I agree.
She pauses again. So. Wanna meet up after Decathlcon tomorrow?
I can't believe my luck. I just got asked out on a date by Michelle Jones, and I didn't even really have to do anything other than text her! Well. Not a date, but almost!
Sure. I'm not going to sound too over excited or to chill about it, and 'Sure,' sounded perfect.
Okay, great. James's Coffee Shop?
I've never heard of James's Coffee Shop, but it sounds like a good place to stop after doing math equations for a few hours. Sounds great.
Awesome. By the way, call me MJ. Ohmigod, are we at nicknames now? Do I call her this all the time, or just on the phone? Should I make up a nickname for myself, too? Do I tell her to 'call me Pete, by the way?'?
I try to calm down. Again, I'm taking way to long for what should only be a couple of words. Okay, cool. Bye. I hit send, then think again. Instead of deleting it (Mich- ahem, MJ had already read it and would think it was weird), I type one more word before sending the message. MJ.
Bye. She pauses. Parker.
Oh my gods, I can't believe I already have a second chapter out. This is so exciting! I love doing this. Thank you guys so much for reading!
-Lover of everything books