𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐁𝐎𝐘. | jodeci.

chapter three. | give me a call.

chapter three
GIVE ME A CALL

Dalvin lay across the couch, holding the house phone in his hand and dialing away the different numbers. He put the phone up to his ear and waited, listening to the ringing sound that it made in his ear. His eyes wandered toward the television screen where black and white footage of Chuck Connors carrying a rifle in his hand appeared with Johnny Crawford in tow.

"The caller you are trying to reach is currently unavailable," the answering machine's robotic voice said into Dalvin's ear, making him look away from the TV and sigh. "Please leave a message after the tone. When you are finished, please hang up or press one for more options." A loud beep followed the voice and left space for the boy's message.

Dalvin sat up on the couch before speaking. "I know this is my tenth time calling today but I really want to talk to you, T..." he said, "So, call me back when you get a chance, okay?"

He paused for a moment and pulled the phone away from his ear, covering the microphone of it with his hand as he leaned off the edge of the couch and looked out into the hallway. Seeing no one in the vicinity, he sat back down on the couch and moved his hand from over the phone, placing it back to his ear.

"I love you and I miss you lots," Davin mumbled into the telephone, "so uh... yeah, talk to you later." He looked at the phone and pressed the end button, putting the phone down and huffing.

He flopped back onto the couch and covered his face with his hands, letting out a loud groan. "Where are you, Tionne?!"

"In New York," DeVante replied to the younger boy's question as he walked into the living room with a bag of chips in his hand.

Dalvin moved his hands and looked over at DeVante. "I know that." He moved his legs off of the couch and gave his brother room to sit down beside him. "But she's not answering the phone and I called her ten times!"

"Maybe she doesn't like you no more."

"What? No! That's not possible!"

DeVante opened his bag of chips. "Oh, it's very possible."

Dalvin looked at the phone on the table in front of him and his brother. "Maybe I should call her again." He reached out for it but DeVante grabbed his wrist. "De, wh—"

"Give her time to call you back," he said, moving Dalvin's arm back into his personal space bubble and dropping it. "She's probably still tryna listen to the ten messages you left her."

"It shouldn't take her this long—"

"With how much you talk? It should take her two years to get through those messages." DeVante snatched the phone off of the table. "Let her breathe for a second. Go outside and touch some grass or somethin', aight?"

Dalvin looked at DeVante and frowned. "But what if she calls while I'm outside?"

"I'll come get you if she calls," he said, "now go outside."

With a soft sigh, Dalvin rose from his seat on the couch and exited the living room. He wandered over to the door, looking back into the living room a few times — only to find DeVante staring at him from the doorway. He opened up the door and stepped outside, feeling the sun's scorching heat hit his brown skin.

Looking around, he saw Cedric standing at the edge of the sidewalk. "K-Ci!" Dalvin called out to his friend, making the older boy look back at him as he came closer.

"What's up, Dal?" Cedric greeted him.

"Nothing... just waiting for my girlfriend to call me back."

"Your girlfriend?"