Chapter 4 The Awkward Phone Call
The Awkward Phone Call
Back in my car, reality hits hard. There’s no escaping the mess I’ve made.
I hear Hector’s voice telling me I should go back to school, but I just can’t will myself to do it.
Tremors run down my arms and legs. I don’t recognize myself.
Part of me wants to go on my very own Starbucks crawl and deal with this later; I’ve seen at least three or four of them along the Pike.
How many Trenta iced green teas could I drink in an afternoon?
But then what happens tomorrow? How can I possibly explain my absence?
I need someone to help me out of this predicament.
I pick up my phone and scroll through my contacts until I find the number I’m looking for.
“Hello? Simon? Why are you calling me at the library? Is everything all right?”
“Hi, Carole. Sorry to bother you at work. I…need some help. I didn’t want to call Mom. But I think I might have made a poor choice.”
“What poor choice? What did you do? You’re in school, right?”
“Um…no. I never went in.”
“What! Why? It’s only the first day. Why would you do that? This doesn’t sound like you at all. Are you at home?”
“No, I’m not at home. I’m at Starbucks.”
A sustained release of breath hisses from the phone. There are a few moments of silence before she speaks again.
“I see. Well, come on over to the library, I guess. We’ll have to sort this all out when you get here. I won’t tell your mom just yet. But come straight here, though, and come right now! Got it? Don’t go anywhere else.”
“Okay, Carole. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I promise.”
I end the call. My eyes fill with tears, and here I am, crying in the car again.
I’m so confused and ashamed of myself. She’s right.
This is not like me at all. I turn on the car, clip my seatbelt, and, in silence, drive toward the Rockville Public Library.
Carole was lucky to get a position here after Mom got her new job.
I’ve been to the parking lot to pick Carole up, but this will be my first time venturing inside. I’m nervous to face her.
Once inside, I spot Carole behind the circulation desk and approach her cautiously. She squints her eyes when she catches sight of me. She begins to say something I can’t make out, but once she sees my face up close, she closes her mouth, and all frustration leaves her face.
“Are you okay?” she asks. She reaches across the desk to take my hands.
I nod.
“Good. That’s good. Go find a cozy spot in the library, and I’ll come find you as soon as I’m able to leave the desk. Okay?”
I pick an empty table in a back corner that overlooks the stacks.
Bored, I bite at my nails and pull my phone from my pocket.
I scroll through my contacts to find Hector’s entry.
I stare at his name and run my finger across the screen.
No last name is typed in, just a first name and number.
No, wait. There’s something below in the notes. I look closer.
We may have something in common.
What the hell! What could we possibly have in common? I don’t have much time to contemplate it, though, because a shadow appears across the table. I look up. Carole stands over me, arms crossed, and shakes her head. “Okay, now, what are we going to do about you?”