SUMMERTIME ↣ NICK ROBINSON

15.

NICK sat against his bedroom door with his head hanging low between his hands. His elbows were placed on top of his knees as he had his eyes closed, holding his phone against his ear like he had been doing all day. But like every time he called, the only answer he received was the ringing from the other line.

Tired, he ended the call and pressed the same contact number for what felt like the millionth time that day.

CALLING NOVA

"Hey Nova, it's me Nick –in case you forgotten about me.

It's been a while since we talked, and I'm really starting to miss you a lot. More than ever, I would say.

Look, I know it's been really hard to acknowledge Dan's accident for you. I know, remember he was my friend too. But I really don't think that's a good reason to ignore me.

Call me back when you can. Please."

EIGHT days later and there still was no answer from Nova. Nick was beyond desperate. He couldn't sleep and he didn't have the appetite to eat anything –not even his favorite food. The dark circles became even more noticeable as the days passed and the tiredness soon began to reflect on his face. Still, he didn't care about catching up on sleep. He kept on waiting for a call that would possibly never come.

Lying in his bed, he scrolled through his phone, looking at the pictures they had taken on all the parties they had gone to during the middle of the summer. He couldn't help to feel nostalgic as he swiped right and left, admiring each photo and traveling back to the moment. Then, his screen went to the familiar picture of his cousin and two buttons; one red, one green. Not thinking twice, he answered.

"Hello?" he said as he pressed the device to his ear.

"Where are you?"

NICK sat down as Garret finished climbing the stairs that led to the top of his cousin's house, walking to his side and plopping down with his knees bending in front of him, resting his arms on them as Nick did the same. He squinted his eyes slightly at the sun, which was soon going to be replaced by the moon in a matter of time.

"You know, Nova hasn't returned my calls since the party." Nick said, not taking his eyesight from the neighbor's house in front of his.

"Neither mines." Garret said.

A breeze of warm air played with Nick's already messy hair as he debated on asking the question that had been haunting him since Garret called or not. The thing about asking and not getting the answer you expected always had him on edge, but it had been too long since he talked to anyone other than his mom, so he had to know.

"You haven't seen her?" he finally asked, feeling as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest at any second.

"No," Garret said, and he made a pause as if he wanted to say something else. But he didn't say anything.

Nick sighed and looked down, then to the sun, then to the street being illuminated by the yellow and orange sunlight rays as he gulped the lump that had formed on his throat.

"I miss her." he said; his nails clawing at the fabric of his jeans for making such confession without breaking down.

After a while, Garret finally said, "I'm sure she misses you too."

A buzzing sound besides Nick's bed distracted him from staring at a white page with a pencil between his fingers while he sat on his desk. As any other night, he hadn't been able to sleep, but usually his nights were lonely with no one to call or talk to that would actually answer besides his cousin, who had just acknowledge his existence again that day.

He got up and walked over to the night stand, seeing the screen of his phone inviting him to answer the call, and so he grabbed it. As soon as he saw the picture of the girl who had him sleepless, he began to shake. He felt his breaths hitching in his throat, and his hands turned cold. Pressing the green button rather quick, he slammed the phone against his ear.

"Nova?" he asked with a shaky breath. There were a few seconds of silence that drove him mad with adrenaline.

"Nick," she finally said. It was good to hear her voice again.

"Where have you been?" he asked "Why haven't you answered my calls?"

It was embarrassing how he could even tell how heartbroken he sounded. But he didn't care, he wanted to talk to her and the opportunity had finally come to him.

"I haven't been home for the past days. I was visiting my mother." she said dryly. There was something off about her; she sounded different from the bubbly Nova that Nick met many days back.

"You mean weeks?"

"Yes, weeks."

There was an uncomfortable silence, one that Nick had never experienced with her and it certainly made him anxious as Nova didn't say anything on the other night. Still, he could feel the way she wanted to say something, but it appeared that she didn't have the courage to say it.

"Well, are you home now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just arrived a couple of minutes ago."

"Can I go see you?"

"Look, Nick," there it was "I think is better that we let some time pass before we meet again."

He stayed quiet. His eyes flooded with tears for the second time that day, and he felt his fist clenching by his side.

"Is that why you have been ignoring me?" he asked, afraid of the answer he was going to receive.

"I'm sorry, Nick. Take care."

And then she hung up.

HE held the piece of paper scribbled with black ink in front of his tired, puffy eyes as he had finished reading it once again. His heart beat went quicker as he realized he had finally done it, and all he needed to complete it was that call from 2:45 a.m. from a girl saying she needed her own time before seeing him again. And even if it wasn't a story, Nick was sure he could submit it in the poetry category.

Nick had finally finished the entry to his writing contest, and all it had taken him to accomplish it was to have his heart broken by the first girl he had loved.