The Genesis of Peyton Vol. 2

Chapter Five

    I had to get used to a new, new normal. Adjusting my schedule to fit in calls and FaceTime dates with Gen proved to be harder than we thought. Her schedule and mine seemed to accommodate texting better. When she was on a break, I was in class. When she got out of work, I was in class. The only time I got to see her face or hear her voice was early in the morning or before I went to bed.
    To me, it seemed like enough. It was a lot more than we'd talked before. But I could tell something was bothering Gen and I assumed it had to do with me.
    "What's up?" I ask her, laying on my side in my bed, watching her eyes through the screen to detect any change in expression. It's been almost a week since she left.
    Gen pulls her eyebrows together. "What do you mean?" She asks.
    We'd been talking for almost an hour, it was a weird place to ask what she was doing but that's not how I meant it.
    "What's wrong?" I rephrase. "You seem upset today."
    She shrugs making the top of her head pop out of frame with the movement. "Just work, I guess," she says, lying.
    I don't want to call her on it so I humor her. "What happened?" I ask.
    Gen disappears from view and all I can see is the ceiling of her room before she is visible again, laying on her side now.
    "It's just tough being the boss," she says with an exaggerated sigh.
    I roll my eyes. "Bull shit," I say, laughing.
    Gen laughs with me until it dissipates into silence.
    "What are you doing tomorrow?" She asks after a few quiet moments.
    Tomorrow is Friday. I have one morning class but she knows that. She means what am I doing tomorrow night.
    I glance up at Becca who's sitting on her bed facing me with her laptop in her lap. She looks away from the screen and makes eye contact with me, smiling nervously.
    I look back at my phone. "Becca wants to go to the twins place again but I'm not sure I'm going after the last time."
    I watch Gen blink rapidly, knowing she's trying hard to contain her features. "You should go," she says, her tone surprisingly even. "It'll probably be better without me there anyway."
    Instantly I get defensive. "Why would you say that?"
    "I just mean less drama," she says.
    "Well, I'd take the drama if it meant you were there," I say blankly.
    "I know, babe," Gen says. My heart flutters at the term of endearment she rarely uses. "That's not what I meant."
    I sigh and reel in my unnecessary crazy. "I know, I'm sorry."
    "Don't be," Gen says, sincerely.
    We stare at each other for a few more minutes, not exactly sure where to take the conversation. Becca closes her laptop and moves to get under the covers.
    "I gotta go," I say to the illuminated brown eyes on the screen. "I'll call you in the morning."
    "Ok, P. Sweet dreams," Gen says.
    "I love you," I mumble.
    "I love you."
    I hit the end call button and she instantly disappears.
    "You didn't have to hang up because of me," Becca says, lying facing me.
    "It's not like we were really talking," I grumble, leaning down to find my charger and plugging my phone in. "She got upset about the party tomorrow and shut down." I double check my alarm and set my phone on the small table between our beds.
    "Not too upset though, right?" Becca asks. I'd told her about Gen's bipolar depression and how things can affect her extremely.
    "I hope not," I say, wondering if I should send her a text to ease her nerves. Usually if something really bothers her I'll tell by the change in her voice or facial expression.
    I decide I'll just talk to her in the morning and reassure her that everything will be fine. I haven't even made up my mind on whether I'm going to the party or not. Knowing how, if it went badly, this could set us back, it doesn't seem worth it.