Razzledazzle [ ✓ ]

Chapter 3 | The Call

It's been a couple uneventful days since the whole party thing was announced, but I'm only getting more and more nervous. I'm really, really, really nervous for this party.

I'm laying down on my bed, my phone in my hand. Cracks cover its surface but I can't be bothered to buy a new one.

My science notes are still laying on my sheets. I have yet to design even an inch of the T-shirt, as all of my energy has been devoted purely to worrying about the party tomorrow.

A sudden beeping noise makes me jump and I drop my phone onto the bed. It starts to vibrate: an incoming Skype call.

I read the caller IDs and groan.

Glory and Alex.

Those two never leave me alone. I swear that they will be the death of me. I reluctantly pick the phone up from the covers and answer the call.

"What do you guys want?" I hissed. "I'm trying to work on my project."

"Hello to you, too," Glory retorts, the phone speaker making her voice sound robotic.

"What Glory's trying—and failing—to say is that we're doing the same thing. We just wanted some company," Alex explains. I can hear the rustling of paper in the background.

"Don't you two have each other for company?" I ask, exasperated.

I can practically hear Alex roll her eyes. "Yeah, but Glory is a serious pain in the butt. I need someone who's actually sane to balance out all of the craziness."

"I am not insane," Glory replies, offended.

"Uh-huh," Alex snorts.

"Guys!" I shout into the speaker. "Seriously! This is not working. This is arguing."

"I'm not arguing," Glory objects. "I'm just explaining why I'm right."

"But you're not right," Alex argues. "I am."

"GUYS," I repeat. "Not helping."

They both go quiet at my screaming. I can only hear the rustle of their papers as they straighten out their notes. When they've finally calmed down, I talk again.

"Okay, guys. What elements did you have?"

More paper shuffling. "I had chromium," says Glory. "I think Alex had helium."

Alex makes a sound of agreement. "Well, what do you guys have so far? I've already done all of my research, and I did a little sketch of the design."

I look down at my notes. "I've done my research, but I haven't done my sketch yet."

There's a long silence on Glory's end of the line before she speaks.

"I haven't done anything."

Alex snorts again. "That doesn't surprise me. I guess we should help you do your research, then."

"I don't need help," Glory insists stubbornly. "I can do it all on my own."

"What she means is, she's going to die if we don't agree to help her," Alex translates.

I've already pulled up a website on my phone. "Okay... chromium... it's number twenty-four, the abbreviation is Cr, it's atomic mass—"

"WAIT!" Glory shouts, nearly deafening me.

"What?"

"You lost me at the word 'okay', Rose."

Alex and I groan in unison and start to repeat everything that I just said. Slowly but surely we go through the research, the time ticking away. I can't help but forget about the party as we study, Alex making the occasional sarcastic remark and Glory slipping in a few innuendos.

Until, of course, there's a problem.

About thirty minutes into the call, there's another beep, one that sounds like it's coming from someone else's line.

"Someone's trying to join the call," Alex announces. She, being the tech-oriented one, was the one to set up our Skype group chats.

"Who is it?" I ask hesitantly.

"I don't know," Alex replies. "Their username is 'snickersbar' but that could be anyone."

"Do you think we're being stalked?" cries Glory, starting to panic.

"I hope not," I answer, my voice more nervous than usual. We'd never been called by an unknown username before.

"Now they're trying to message me," complains Alex.

"What are they saying?" Glory asks.

Alex hesitates. "They said hi—here, I'll end the call and we can just message each other."

The call is broken off and I am sent to another screen, a Skype group chat.

•••

snickersbar has joined the chat

alex_lansky: who is this

snickersbar: who is who ;)

alex_lansky: who are YOU

snickersbar: that is for me to know and you to find out

rose555: we're serious who are you???

snickersbar:  your worst nightmare ;)

glorytsunami: what's that supposed to mean

snickersbar: it means whatever you want it to mean ;)

alex_lansky: STOP WINKING

snickersbar: ;)

glorytsunami: who is this seriously

glorytsunami: seriously seriously

glorytsunami: i do not like being STALKED

glorytsunami: help

alex_lansky: glory calm down

glorytsunami: you just told the stalker my NAME YOU IDIOT

rose555: guys calm down

alex_lansky: tell glory to calm down

glorytsunami: tell ALEX to calm down

rose555: both of you calm down

snickersbar: I'm still here, you know

snickersbar: ;)

alex_lansky: WHO ARE YOU THEN

snickersbar: my name is Leon. But my friends call me Lee.

alex_lansky blocked snickersbar from the group chat

•••

[once again, this is unedited, feel free to comment typos]