Love At First Emoji

Day 2 - Jay

Day 2

 

Jay

 

         Everything hurts. My entire body is aching from practise and my head feels like it’s being beaten by a hammar. And my brain will not turn off. It’s two in the morning. I can’t even think of going to sleep. My brain keeps wandering off into places that I wish it would stay away from. There’s no way I’m gonna have the capability to go to school tomorrow. Over the summer I’ve become a bit nocturnal. My body is physically capable of enduring the sudden change of schedule.

          I wish I could text A. But surely she’s not awake at this hour. I wish I wasn’t awake at this hour. I know she’d help, though. It’s weird that a girl you’ve never actually met can be the answer can be so important to you. Just as I was beginning to full on day dream about meeting her my phone vibrated in my pocket. Lifting my hips up from my bed I pulled the iPhone 5 out of my back jeans pocket. My phone lights up with the name ‘Captain Marshmallow’ in my dimly lit room.

         It was two months ago that I met A. Just the start of summer. I got bored and went on omegle where I first talked to her. After hours on end of just chatting we exchanged numbers. I’ve been talking to her ever since. I still don’t know what she looks like or what her name is. We decided to just keep each other a mystery. A few weeks ago she sent me this ‘What’s Your Superhero Name’ thing. It went by the first letter in your first and then last name. My initials are JZ which makes me Major Coconut. I asked her what hers was and she told me it was ‘Captain Marshmallow.’ I still don’t know her name but I do know her initials are AS. That’s why I call her ‘A’ sometimes.

         I didn’t even pause before answering her call.

         “Hey. I really hope I didn’t just wake you up. I figured if  anyone was having the same problem as me, it would be you.”

         “Don’t worry. You were right. I should have gone to bed earlier this summer. How was your first day?”

         “The usual. I didn’t talk to anyone and nobody talked to me. How ‘bout you?”

         “It was brutal.”

         “What happened?”

         “Nothing really. It’s just…”

         “Just what?”

         “Pretending to be the cool guy is really tiring.”

         “Then why can’t you sleep?” she jokes.

         “Socially exhausting,” I clarify.

         There’s a pause in conversation but it’s not exactly awkward.

         “I just thought of something,” A speaks up.

         “What?”

         “How do I know you’re not some old man jacking off in front of his computer screen?” she asks in a completely serious voice. It takes me about five minutes for my laughter to calm down before I answer.

         “You caught me.”

         “I’m being serious!”

         “Do I sound like an old man to you?”

         “This is the 21st century. There’s dozens of apps that could make an old man sound like you do.”

         “Well how am I supposed to prove it to you. Send you a selfie?”

         “No! That wouldn’t prove anything. Plus I don’t really want to know what you look like. Just Skype me with your phone facing down towards the floor.”

         “Okay,” I chuckle as we say goodbye and go to Skype. I had to make a whole new account so we don’t reveal our identities.

         After almost twenty minutes I found her. I turned my camera around and stood up so she was looking at my feet. She must have done the same because when I looked back at my screen I saw her tight blue skinny jeans and polka dot socks. I noticed that I was sweating from nervousness which I don’t recall ever happening before.

         “Hey,” I say awkwardly.

         “I believe you now. You’re not an old man.”

         “What makes you say that,” I say in my best old guy voice.

         “Those are not an old man’s legs.” I blush at that comment and the way she said it as if she thought I looked good. Or at least the bottom half of my body did.

         We chatted for a bit about whatever and had an online foot battle before switching back to calling. It was fifteen minutes into our conversation when we started yawning.

         “I’ll let you get some sleep,” I yawn again.

         “You should to.”

         “Goodnight, A.”

         “Sweet dreams Major Coconut,” she replies cockily. The minute I press ‘End Call’ I’m dead asleep.