Good Luck Kiss

Fifteen {15}

Or, at least, that's what I wanted to happen.

Outside of my fantasy, Ms. Farkely, Seth, the other students, all waited for my reply. My real reply. My coward reply. The one I didn't want to say, but the one I had to.

"No," I said. "No, I'm sorry." 

She nodded. "Keep your voice down, then." She continued speaking. Continued explaining that each of us had to get together, find out what disorder our chromosomes formed and make a poster board of it. She handed out requirements. The kids seemed excited. Me? I couldn't care less. Biology was the last thing on my mind. Seth was the first.

/-/-/-/-/

The phone rang. 

He didn't answer.

I hung up and called again.

He still didn't answer.

I left the eleventh voicemail: "Seth, it's me. Please call me back. I need to see you."

Then the twelfth: "Seth. I'm sorry. Please pick up?"

The thirteenth: "Fuck, Seth, just tell me what you want me to do."

The fourteenth: "Seth, I lo-"

"Will, you're home so early! I thought you had practice!"

"Fuck, Mom, I'm on the phone!"

"William Gilgamesh Wright, how dare you use that kind of language with your mother!"

 "Dammit, Mom."

 The fifteenth time I called, as I was preparing my next voicemail, someone picked up. Not Seth, but his mom.

 "Hello? This is Seth's mother, Linda, may I ask who is calling?"

 "Hello." My voice came out squeaky. I sat on the edge of my bed. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Hi, I'm Will. Is Seth there?"

"No," she said, her voice sweet. "I'm sorry, sweetie, he's not. Can I take a message?"

"Um, well."

"It seems like you've left quite a lot already." She laughed. It made me nervous.

"Um, yeah."

"Is there something real important you need to tell him?"

"Sort of-"

"With the way you've been calling it's like someone has died."

"Uh, no, not exactly."

"Are you two good friends? I've never met you before."

I winced at the question. What we were? Good question. "We're lab partners..." 

"Is that boy falling behind on his duties as a partner?"

"No, we just have this project due. It was assigned today." I didn't know why I was telling her this.

"He has always hated science." I could almost feel her shaking her head.

"Do you know where I might find him?"

"I don't know for sure, but if I know my son he's either at the library, work, or at the school watching the football players."

"He watches me? I mean, us?"

"Oh, you're Will!" Her sudden recognition startled me.

"Um, yeah..."