School's Out (self-insert #1)

Chapter 7

"So, did you call her?" I asked, setting the tray on his desk.

Naru's hand was hovering over the phone but it jerked back when I spoke. He glanced at me, his lips pursed tightly. "I keep forgetting your situation." He said stiffly. "I was just about to. Shouldn't you be giving Lin his cup?"

"I did. This is mine."

Seeing how there was no way he was going to get rid of me, he picked up the phone and dialed a number, glancing at a sticky note for reference. "Hello? May I speak to Mai Taniyama?" He paused. "Yes. Thank you."

"Imagine letting random people call students without asking their name." I said to the ceiling.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the word changed immediately. "Mai?"

I winced. The reply was so loud I could hear it over the end. "Yes! Yes, it's me!"

Naru looked peeved and pulled the phone away from his ear. "You don't have to scream." He snapped. A pause. "Your payment."

I could almost imagine Mai's face as she comprehended what he was saying. At least she didn't remember the broken camera fee was supposedly paid off and that he wasn't supposed to be paying her. He went on. "I'm talking about your assistant fee. If you don't want it, I won't force you to take it."

Pause.

"Do you have a bank account number?" He listened a bit, then made a writing motion at me. Familiar with CSL (Caveman Sign Language), I grabbed a paper and a pen from the bookshelf and slid them towards him. "Then I'll send a check. What's your address?"

Another pause, this one longer and filled with the droll scratching of pen against paper. I wished I'd picked a more engaging conversation to eavesdrop on.

Eventually he clicked the pen shut. "Okay. I'll send it to you within one week. And...does your school allow you to work part-time?" He listened, tapping the pen against his chin. "I see. Do you want to work part-time at my office? It's an administrative job, but I'm short on staff. Somebody quit the other day."

I sipped my tea. Loudly. He ignored me. His intermittent pointed silences were like an entirely different language that was easy to learn. This one meant this lie was necessary but I'm not going to justify myself to you.

"Then please come by my office sometime." He rattled off the address with the enthusiasm of an undertaker. "You can come whenever you're free."

Pause.

"Got it. Saturday's great. I'll be here all day." As an afterthought he added, "Oh, by the way. It was great working with you. Thank you. See you on Saturday, then."

He hung up, then raised a questioning eyebrow at my Cheshire grin. "What?"

"See you on Saturday!" I teased, making a beeline for the door as he chucked the pen where I was standing.

I couldn't wait.