“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! Is he cute? When are you gonna see him again? Oh my God, I have a great idea! Come to my house tonight and we can call him.” Emily had just told Allison about what she had been doing the last few days, and her reaction was typical Allison; loud and excited.
“I don’t think my dad will let me.” School was out and the girls were sitting outside at a picnic table, enjoying a few minutes to catch up.
“Oh, I can handle your dad.” Allison smiled at her friend’s confused look as she pulled out her cell phone. “Hello, Mr. White? This is Amelia Reed, I’m in need of some house work and I was informed your daughter may be able to help me.” Emily stared in wonder as her best friend lied to her father. “Yes sir. If it runs too late I’ll just have her sleep in the guest room. Mhm. Have a good day.” Allison closed her phone, a smug look on her face. “Problem solved.”
“What if my dad mentions it to your mom?”
“Does your dad ever talk to anyone associated with this school?”
“Good point, but still…”
“Will you stop worrying? You are going to have a girl’s night out, and talk to your man candy with your jealous best friend.”
Emily couldn’t say no, and after getting permission from the real Amelia Reed they headed to Allison’s house.
The Reed’s had a nice, one story apartment in the middle of town. It consisted of two bedrooms, a small bathroom, kitchen, and living area; all a family really needed. “You can toss your stuff on my bed, I’m gonna grab snacks.”
Emily went into the room she knew was Allison’s and set her stuff on the bed, plopping herself down next to it. A couple minutes later Allison came in carrying a bag of cookies and two cans of soda. She threw one to Emily and jumped onto the bed next to her, the cookies bouncing in her lap. “So, let’s call him.”
“Now? We don’t even know if he’s home yet.”
Allison opened her soda. “If he doesn’t answer than obviously he’s busy.”
“Of course, how could I be so foolish?” Emily joked, opening her own can and taking a sip.
“It’s okay sweetheart, you have me.” Allison patted her friend’s leg before guzzling half her can.
Emily took a cookie and ate the whole thing before replying. “I’ll call him after dinner, isn’t that what people usually do?”
“Ugh, but then I have to wait to hear your sexy man toy.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “You are so dramatic.”
Allison’s exasperated expression changed to a wide grin. “I know; it’s a gift.” She took a cookie and shoved the whole thing in her mouth.
Emily giggled and pushed her playfully. “And a pig.”
“Hey, we can’t all be perfect like Mr. Man.” However, due to her mouthful of cookie it came out almost incomprehensible.
“Thank you for that crumb shower.”
Allison chugged the rest of her soda before saying, “Now who’s being dramatic.”
The girls continued their friendly banter, ignoring all the worries in the world and just enjoying each other’s company.
* * *
Allison was bouncing on the bed like a toddler as Emily dialed the number. “Emily? This is a pleasant surprise.”
Allison squealed at his remark, having the other wireless phone practically glued to her ear. Again Emily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m hanging out at my friends and we decided to call you, she’s kind of on the other phone.”
“Hello Emily’s friend.”
“Hello Emily’s strange guy friend,” Allison retorted. Emily was caught between being horrified and laughing. “I’m Allison, but you can call me Ally.”
“I’m Mick, you can call me Mick.”
Emily laughed. “Now that everyone’s been introduced, how much trouble did you get in?”
“None really, I just had to sit through one of my mom’s lectures, which really is punishment enough.”
“Hello, I can’t read minds, what are you talking about?” Allison whined.
“We skipped school and my mom found out so she called me and made me go,” Mick casually answered.
“Are you going to be a bad influence on my friend?”
“Of course not.”
“Okay good.” Allison was bouncing on the bed eating Skittles, and suddenly she said, “I just ate Skittles, wanna taste the rainbow?”
Mick chuckled. “Oh! I got an app on my iPod for corny pickup lines, want me to read some?”
“Sure,” the girls said in unison.
Okay, hold on a sec…” They could hear rustling and a not so nice word as Mick went on a scavenger hunt for the said iPod.
After a minute of hearing absolutely nothing, Emily said, “Mick? Did you die?” It was something that the girls said to each other all the time when they were talking and one suddenly stopped.
“Sorry, I was talking to my sister.” He cleared his throat, trying to be dramatic. “’Are you a shooting star 'cause you’re lighting up my world.’ ‘You must be tired 'cause you’ve been running through my mind all day.’”
“Okay, that one’s really lame,” Allison stated.
“That’s why they’re called corny,” Emily pointed out.
“’Baby life without you is like a broken pencil…pointless!’”
“Aww, that’s kinda cute,” Emily said.
Mick laughed as he read another one. “’Does this rag smell like chloroform?’ I’m sure that one works well. Um… ‘Girl I got my library card and I’m checking you out.’ ‘Do you have a Band-Aid because I scraped my knee falling for you.’”
“I wonder how many of the people that try those actually think they’re going to get somewhere,” Allison said.
“I think the more shocking thing would be how many times it actually works,” Emily replied.
“They would have to be really hot for it to actually work. ‘That was a really lame line but you have a great body so I’m willing to forgive you’.”
Emily laughed. “And guys are the pigs?”
“Hell yeah they are. If you ever see me go up to a guy and grab his ass then you can call me a pig. You know what I think of when I hear corny pickup lines? A creepy guy with long shaggy hair so you can’t see his face. He throws these lines at you and you humor him because he seems a little pathetic but in that cute sort of way, and then you know what happens? He watches you while you sleep and then you wind up dead in a river.”
“You are so disturbed,” Emily laughed. “Not every corny guy is a stalking lunatic.”
“No, but are you really willing to take that chance?”
“Well, luckily I haven’t been put in that situation so I guess I wouldn’t know.” Just then Emily realized that she was on the phone. “Mick?” Silence. “Mick, are you there?”
“I think we scared him away with our psycho guy talk.”
“Did you die? You really need to stop dying.”
“I can’t help it, every time I hear your voice my heart stops.”
“Aww!” The girls squealed at the same time.
“Okay, that was a good one,” Allison admitted.
The conversation continued for nearly two hours and Emily felt like what she believed a normal teenager would feel, happy and loved, talking to people she cared about.