I woke up to my phone vibrating on my butt. I had fallen asleep as soon as I got home, not even bothering to get changed into more comfortable clothes or at least get under the covers.
I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the harsh light of my phone screen.
“Hello?” I answered the phone, sleepily.
“Hello,” the voice on the other end replied.
“Jen?” I asked.
“Lucas,” she replied, confirming it was her. “I won first place in the show.”
“The show…?” I inquired, stupidly, before I came to alertness and hastily checked the time on my phone’s time display. “No, no, no, no… Jen, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to sleep for so long. the interview went horribly and I just got home and—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Luke,” she said, I could hear the hurt in her voice.
“Wait, Jen, look, I know this is bad, and I can’t say how sorry I am—”
“God, Luke, you don’t even get it. It’s not just the art show. It’s like, you don’t ever talk about anything but your interview lately, and I get that it’s important, but like, you forget about my art show that I’ve been planning just as long as your interview, and then you can’t even be bothered to set an alarm or something. So then I’m there, getting my award, and everyone’s clapping, and I’m thinking that maybe you’re just standing in the back somewhere, but I don’t hear you cheer for me, so I suddenly just know that you're not even there which sucks because I wanted you to be there, and you know I would have been there at your interview if I could have, and it just feels like all you care about is your own future lately, like I’m not even involved in it anymore—” I could hear her choking off in a sob on the other end, and the pool of guilt grew a little in my stomach.
“No, Jen, you know that’s not—” I tried to tell her, but I don’t even think she was listening, or maybe she was, but I was interrupted again quite quickly.
“You know what— it’s— whatever,” she finished, hanging up.
I stared at my phone sadly for a moment, before dialling her number and calling her back, but I was just greeted by her voicemail.
I’m sorry, I settled on texting her, because there was really no excuse.
YOU ARE READING
* Twice in a Lifetime
Short StoryWhen Luke is inexplicably given a second chance to make The Day right, he takes it. I mean, who wouldn't? But there's always a catch, isn't there.
