Ring ring. Ring ring.
"guuuuuhhhhh-" Tommy groaned and rubbed his eyes open. He peeled his face from the desk and looked around the room. Morning light shone through the blinds. His bed was still made and clean, with it's all white covers and pillows and plushies. He looked at the clock as a yawn escaped him; 6:01 AM.
Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. His head snapped back to the bed where his phone sat ringing for the second time that morning. He pushed the chair toward his bed and picked up the ringing phone. After a moment to look at the caller—classified as unknown—he answered the call.
"he-"
"FINALLY, took you long enough! I was afraid I would have to COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND DRAG YOU AWAKE!" A voice boomed through the phone making Tommy hold the phone away from his ear for a second. As he was about to speak, the person on the other line cut him off once again. "And don't even TRY to come up with a good excuse, MISSY!"
Missy? Thought Tommy. Who is this?
"I don't even know how you could miss something SO important! How could you miss it?" What Tommy assumed was a boy's voice slowly quieted down at the last sentence. They seemed to be crying now. "You knew how important this was to me. You knew. We've been talking about it everyday for years, since we became best friends! How could you bail on me like this?"
Silence filled the call and Tommy realized that the boy on the other line was waiting for an answer. From who he thought was his "best friend".
"Sounds like a shit friend to me," Tommy mumbled into the phone, softly. He was still tired but hanging up on this person seemed like the most shitty thing to do. So he didn't.
The call came to complete silence, except for the sniffles from the person on the other line, every now and then. This time, Tommy would wait for an answer.
"W-who the fuck are you?" The person asked, but not harshly. Their voice had gone completely soft, still strained from crying. It almost soothed Tommy. Almost. Then he realized the question.
"Oh, no one important. Not to you, at least," he answered back, getting up from the chair and settling on the bed. He scooted to the far corner of the bed where he could rest his back and head on the wall, and laying his legs in front of him.
"Wait, who is this?" They asked again, seeming more in contemplation the second time.
"My name seems to be the least of your worries," he responded, not as softly but still quietly. He waited for response, but realizing the lack there of, he continued, "with, you know, your friend."
"... what about her?" The guy on the other line asked.
Tommy paused and leaned his head onto the wall to the right. He mumbled, "She bailed on you. And on what seems like a really important day, too. Seems like a bad friend to me."
"No. She-she's not a bad friend. She's been there for me since I fell on hard times. Always talking to me and making me feel better," he said, seeming to adjust to Tommy's company. "I'm just a little upset, is all. I'll probably get over it."
"What did she bail you on, today?" Tommy decided to continue.
The guy paused on the other line for a second before he answered, "Well, I've never gotten along with my parents. Ever since I told them I wanted to pursue my dream of playing music. They didn't like the idea too much."
"I'm sorry, that-that really sucks." This guy must have it hard.
"No, it's fine. Not like it's your fault. But, today I was gonna tell my parents that I would pursue my dream of music, no matter what they said. She was supposed to be there, support me, you know? She was the one who always told me that I should stand up to them. And then she didn't show up."
The call went silent for the third time that morning and Tommy was left speechless. She seems like a horrible friend. He felt bad for the guy.
"Hey, you there? Or am I just rambling to myself about all my life problems."
"Sorry, its just, who does that?" Tommy asked, slightly mad at this girl this guy calls his "best friend". "It must've been the hardest thing, to decide to stand up for yourself against your parents."
"Yeah. In the end, I didn't do it," the guy said and sniffed, sorrowfully. Tommy frowned.
"No, no no no," Tommy said and paused. "As much as I hate to say this, the girl is right. If you don't stand up for yourself, you'll be controlled by them your whole life. They can't stop you from trying to live your dream."
The guy didn't respond for a second, making Tommy worry. But his worries were diminished.
"You think so?"
"Yeah! I mean, where would so many people be if they didn't live up to their dreams? Probably working a 9 to 5 job, honestly," Tommy said and smiled when he heard the guy chuckle on the other line. He continued, "Don't let your parents hold you back, but most importantly, don't let your fears and your uncertainty keep you from going forward. I bet you sound amazing."
"You know what, your right. I'll tell my parents today! No matter what," he said and Tommy could practically hear him smile. His smile widened. "Thank you. This was very... therapeutic."
"Anytime."
"Hey, I never got your name," the guy said. "Mine's Damien."
"Tommy," he responded with a smile and the line cut off. "Nice to meet you."
