Four Digits

Chapter 1

I surf the net on my phone, looking at Star Wars memes. My math teacher is up at the front, teaching us about infinite integrals, but I had already read that chapter. So I'm on my phone now.

"Psst!" My best friend, Jen hisses at me from the seat next to me.

I look at her blankly. She motions toward my phone.

"Put it away before she catches you!" she whispers. My eyes widen and I quickly nod my head. I had totally forgotten that Ms. Hatchens was a stickler for phones. If she ever catches anyone, she would take it and they would have to get it back after the whole school day is over - including extracurricular activities. Like mathletes or chess. I quickly slide it in my pocket just before she turns around to look at me.

"Miss Hackley, perhaps you can solve this equation?"

I roll my eyes. She knows I've already read the chapter. I quietly stand up and walk towards the blackboard, picking up a piece of chalk. I take one last glance at Jen, who gives me a thumbs up, and I nod, turning back to the board, looking at the problem Ms. Hatchens wrote. I bring the chalk to the board and make the first mark of a string of lines, mumbling to myself. It was almost too easy. "The integral of four over nine plus x squared is a form of the integral of arc tangent..."

---

"I can't believe you solved that in thirty seconds!" Jen runs up to me, puffing, her pink backpack thrown over her shoulder and her blonde hair cascading down over her face in waves. She brushes it back behind her ear. "They was ridiculous! How much did you practice last night?"

I shrug. "I didn't really. I just thought it was a simple branch off of the base of the derivative of arc tangent."

"Woah, where's the math police?" Jen brings her hand onto her forehead as though she is searching for someone. "Speaking of police, has Mister Officer himself come around yet?"

I laugh a bit. "Uh, doesn't look like it. Why?"

"I may or may not have taken a donut from the cafeteria without paying."

My mouth tapes open. "You're kidding, right?"

"No! It was an emergency! I overslept so my mom told me I couldn't eat breakfast otherwise I'd miss the bus and I was starving so I went to the caf to see if they had any. And they did! Lots of donuts! So I went in line to pay, but then I realized I forgot my wallet at home, so I didn't have any money to pay, so when the lunch lady was occupied, I just left with the donut. No one stopped me, but Mister Officer is kind of omniscient so I'm sure he knows, and now I'm scared that he is searching for me." She gives another anxious glance around, and I laugh.

"You criminal!" I fake gasp. "Of course the omniscient Mister Officer would know when he was just coming into the school parking lot!"

Jen shoves me with her shoulder. "Shut up," she mutters.

I laugh again.

"So are you going to the next math-" Jen is interrupted by a sudden buzzing coming from my phone. She raises an eyebrow. "The Great Math Master texts in school?"

"No, I don't." I fish my phone out of my pocket and look at the screen.

From: 224-657-8967
To: 224-657-4302
Hey, r u coming or wut?

Jen raises her eyebrows again. "Coming to where, exactly, Annabelle?"

I stare dumbfounded at the screen. Shaking my head, I pocket the phone again. "Must be a wrong number or something, because I honestly have no idea."

Suddenly, the insistent buzzing returns.

Dude, srsly, when r u coming?

My fingers think on their own and open up to my keyboard.

Who the heck are you?

A full minute passes of Jen and me staring at the screen, waiting for the answer. Finally, the screen lights up again.

And u r apparently not my friend so why do u have his phone?

I do not have his phone! You have the wrong number!

Is that so?

Yes! So stop texting this number!

Who r u?

Nobody!

Well, Nobody, I know u must be into all that Odysseus crap but we live in the 21st century, so try something else.

I pause and think for a moment.

"Type 4302," Jen whispers beside me. I'm startled back to reality.

"Later, we have to go to class," I say, shaking my head, as the minute bell, rings.

But quickly, I type on my phone before stuffing gift back in my back pocket, "8967, I am 4302."