Chapter Eighty: International Telephoning

Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

Album Playing: Presenting that Celebrated Maestro- Oh, Play That Thing by Max Morath

Theme 81: Fool

Well, this was probably the stupidest thing that she had ever done.

And she had done a lot of stupid things in her life. The difference was the previous things she had done she had only realized how stupid they were in hindsight. Standing in her bedroom listening to the ringing tone on the other end she knew she was being stupid. She didn't know what she was going to say when- if he picked up. She should hang up. That's what she would do. She would hang up and forget the whole thing.

"What?"

No turning back now.

"Hey Youichi. How's it going?" She winced at her greeting. What was she? Twelve? This was definitely a mistake. "I mean are you all settled in?"

There was a jostling on the other end as if Hiruma was doing something while on phone. For a moment there was this crippling fear that he was going to just hang up on her. She was beginning to feel like the world's biggest idiot when he finally answered back, "For the most part."

"Good. Good." She wracked her brain for something else to say. "How's the new team?"

"Team's fine." The background noise had stopped so she could only assume that he had stopped whatever she had interrupted and taken a seat.

In most circumstances this would have been a good thing. It meant that his full attention was on her and some of their best bonding moments happened under his full focus. However she was already flustered beyond belief at this spur of the moment phone call. Knowing that he was waiting for her to speak was sending her brain into apocalyptics. "That's good. Great."

The long silence that followed only further proved to herself that she had not thought this through at all.

Then he asked the question she had been desperately hoping he wouldn't asked. "So why are you calling?"

"I-I-" She considered making something up on the spot but she couldn't: partly because her mind was drawing a complete blank but mostly because it wouldn't be fair to him. With a great sigh of reluctance she told him the truth. "I'm so happy that you got accepted to an American League contract and you get to play on a professional team but I miss talking with you."

She should have just left it there. It would have been the smart thing to do. He would have laughed off the awkwardness and they could have settled right into their familiar ridiculous banter. It certainly would have made her feel batter.

But now that she was talking her mouth wouldn't stop. "It's just we spent so much time together in school. Then we were at university together and we were together all the time. Now we're out of university and you're over there and I'm still here and it's been months since we last talked. Do you know that's the longest we've gone without talking since third year? And I guess I didn't realize how much I would miss you until you were gone. So I called to talk but now I don't know what to say."

It sounded even stupider out loud than it had in her head.

She suddenly became aware of the stinging in her eyes and she knew if she didn't get off the phone quick she'd start crying. She felt like such a teenage girl. "I'm sorry. Good luck in America."

She hung up the phone before he had a chance to say anything.

The next three days were miserable. Her emotions were a revolving door of feeling like an idiot for calling, being mortified by her emotional dump, and an almost crippling sadness because even after all that she still missed her friend. The fourth day was shaping up to be the same as the previous three when the unexpected happened.

He called her.

When she answered her cell he didn't bother with a greeting or mentioning her previous breakdown. Instead he launched right into a story about what had happened at practice. He talked about how he enjoyed his team but the managements was shit. He explained his plans to strengthen the business side to match what they were able to do on the field. He asked her how her awful her students were that year and whether she had gotten her shots because as far as he was concerned children were riddled with diseases.

He never once said it but the fact that he called her back just to talk as if they were still in university together told her that he missed her as much as she missed him.

She no longer felt stupid for calling first.