lost and found | gilinsky

10.2

Jack Johnson

    "Hey, what's going on over there?" Nadia asks over the phone, her voice surrounded by static. It's the first time she's called since she Mom and I dropped her off at Binghamton.

I slide out of my lecture hall without missing a beat, glad to finally hear from my sister. We've fallen into such a normalized routine of seeing each other every day that it's a little strange to be apart like this. It makes me feel even worse for leaving her and Mom last year. But hey, I'm back. All's well that ends well. 

 "Just finished my second class of the day." 

"Oooh, that's fun. Which one?" 

"Marketing Management, nothing too crazy. What about you? What're you up to at this time of day?" 

There's a short pause followed by a loud laugh that is definitely not Nadia's and most likely Jack's. I shudder at the thought. They probably just did it and decided it'd be fun to torture me by calling me right after. 

"You guys are horrible human beings," I complain, searching for Mom's car as I reach the parking lot. I love days when she carpools with another employee to work so I can drive myself to campus, it's way easier than having to hitch a ride or take the bus. 

"What?" Nadia queries, as if completely innocent. 

"Yeah, what's your problem, Jack?" Gilinsky jokes. 

"Listen, I'm glad you two are having a blast and all, but I'd appreciate it if check-in calls could wait until sexy time has been over for at least three hours."

"An hour, three hours, two days - what's the difference?" Gilinsky says, the same time Nadia argues, "who said anything about 'sexy time'? I don't even like Gilinsky." 

"I'm hanging up now, goodbye." 

"Love you!" She calls out before I press the red button on the screen and shove my phone in my pocket in exchange for my (well, Mom's) keys. 

Scanning the parking lot to make sure Hannah isn't wandering around like she had been yesterday, I hop in the drivers seat and head home. 

I wanted to ask her last night why she'd been here, but I didn't know where that'd steer our conversation and I didn't want things to get awkward so fast that we'd both be scared to ever reach out to one another again. It's going to take time to rebuild the friendship that we once had, but I'm glad it's happening. It was weird not having her in my life. 

As soon as I pull into my driveway my phone dings. In case it's Mallory or Hannah asking for a ride somewhere, I stay in the car as I check the message. It's from Hannah. My stomach clenches thinking of what she could of possibly texted to me. 

Are you busy tonight?

Nope. Didn't expect that. I thought maybe a simple 'hey' or a 'what's up' or maybe even a 'how'd your first two classes go?'. Not a sentence that foreshadowed us interacting for the second night in a row. 

I've got another class at five, but after that I'm free.

My friend Kendal is throwing a party at her place, it starts at nine. Would you want to come? 

I'm not new to being invited to parties; I went to plenty of them during my four years of high school, but for some reason this seems way more personal, and I can't believe I'm admitting this to myself, but her invitation is the first one that's ever made me almost too nervous to accept.

Yeah, sure thing 

Would you wanna tell me the address when I pick you up?

Double texting at it's finest. I can do that, but I can't stop myself from being a dumbass while doing it. What if she was already at Kendal's? I mean, how awkward would it be if she replied saying that she didn't need a ride? Or didn't want one? From me, specifically? What possessed me to text that to her? She has a car for heaven's sake! Hannah has a car and I assumed that I would be driving her!? What has gotten into me?