Wholesome

Chapter 04 >>>

04 >>>

"Can I borrow your phone for a second? I need to text my cousin about our dinner plans tonight and my phone's at five percent right now."

I slid my phone over the table without any reservations. Unlike the rest of the world, I kept close to no personal information on my device so I had nothing to hide. I had no need to worry every time somebody so much as touched my phone--or so I thought.

"Your lock screen is a flower?" Bishop exclaimed, sounding scandalized. "And your home screen is a puppy? Wait, you told me before that you only have a cat. So this isn't even your puppy."

"What's wrong with that? I like flowers and puppies," I said defensively. "They're not annoying. Or human." Bishop didn't even laugh at my dead-pan retort that he typically took as my attempt at humor. He looked genuinely upset by the lack of personal touch of my phone. It was all so typically Bishop.

"You probably look at this tiny little screen at least twenty times a day and you choose these impersonal pictures? Why not a nice family photo? Or a selfie with your best friend?" Bishop shook his head in mock shame. "For you, Maribel Duncan, I am going to risk losing the five percent of battery I have left on my phone. You must be informed of the proper use of background photos. Must, I tell you. It's an absolute necessity."

"Cool it, drama queen."

Bishop answered by shoving his phone under my nose. I squinted down at the dimly lit screen and didn't know where to look first. There were about five or six different pictures crammed into the tiny space.

"It's a collage! With my favorite people and/or things in the world. Really personal, super comforting."

My eyes zeroed onto one specific picture in the right-hand corner. Bishop was grinning widely, his hair everywhere and his long arms wrapped around a pretty girl at his side. A girlfriend, maybe? He hadn't mentioned any girls to me before, but it wasn't like the topic had ever come up. Besides, it wasn't hard to imagine normal girls flocking to Bishop's everlasting positivity and charm.

"Cute."

"Thanks," Bishop beamed. "Now your turn." He pulled up the camera and before I could say anything, made a funny face and snagged a picture.

"Hey! I wasn't ready."

"Oh shush. You look fine."

He showed me my newly assigned lock screen, featuring a picture with me looking anything but fine. My eyes were slightly wider than usual, as was my mouth, coming together to form a comedic expression of surprise. Naturally, I hated it. But at least Bishop looked as equally as hilariously bad. One eyebrow was cocked way higher than the higher and his eyes were freakishly wide, making him look like he was running away from a serial killer or like he was the serial killer. The whole panic-striken look was ruined by the mirth twinkling in his eyes, however. "We're adorable," he announced.

"I'm changing it back later," I informed him petulantly. Not saying anything and taking his antics in stride would have felt too compliant for my tastes. He waved me off dismissively and turned his attention back to my phone again. After some suspicious looking typing, he handed the device back to me.

"Thanks. I texted my cousin so if you get a text from a random number, that'll be her. I also took the liberty of adding my own contact info and texted myself. This way I can let you know if I'm ever late again, rather than having you get mad at me and forcing me to bribe you with expensive food."

"I did not force you to bribe me," I protested hotly. "You volunteered."

"Yes, because I wanted to avoid getting maimed by you."