Story Requests

Exchanging numbers

The park was crammed with cars. It was a smashing mess of red, white, blue, black, gold and silver vehicles banking up one after the other, all different sizes and brands. The different colours gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight and reflected off of each other. 

An occasional honk from an impatient driver filled the air, mixing with chatter of students, the slamming of car doors, yelling from teachers, and loud tapping sounds that radiated off cell phones. Three teenagers sat cross-legged on the white cement. Victoria, Ashley, and Emmeline. "What you did in class was amazing," Ashley stated. "I can't believe you actually dumped all manner of paints on Elliot. He's the most popular boy in all of Riverdale Highschool." 

Emmeline chimed in. "Yeah. This'll get around like a house on fire. Just ignore the stares, gossip, pointing and you'll be fine." 

Ashley whacked Emmeline on the arm. "Fine? Everyone will be talking about this for weeks." 

Victoria put both hands to her mouth. Her face went pale. "What? How do I- what do I- what should I do?" she asked, worried. "I don't want everyone talking about me," she added in a low whisper. "And it's only my first day!!!" 

"Like I said, ignore the stares, gossip and pointing. It'll turn out alright." Emmeline pulled a packet of gum out of her bag and slid the zipper to the side. "Want some?" she gestured it to both her friends. 

"What's the flavour?" 

"Strawberry." 

"Sure." 

Victoria held out her fingers and Emmeline broke off a piece before dropping it into her hand. She placed it in her mouth and began to chew thoughtfully, the sour flavour bursting in her mouth. She made a face, but chewed on. "So. You guys been friends for a long time?" 

"Um..." Emmeline glanced at Ashley. "Yeah. About a year, I think." 

Ashley nodded in agreement. "We both started here in 2022." 

"Cool." 

Silence hung between them for a moment. "Hey!" Victoria spread her arms wide. "We should get each other's numbers!"

The others looked doubtful. "So soon?" 

"Yes! We can chat at home and on the weekends." Victoria looked between both her friends. They looked unsure, but a smile soon spread across each of their faces and they all nodded. There was a the quiet noise of the unzipping of pockets in bags and backpacks, rustling as paper was teared in three and scrabbling as a pencil was shared hastily between them all. 

"Ok. 0329 639 48—"

A loud honk sounded in the distance. Victoria glanced up. She saw a red Hyundi, her dad sitting in the front. His brown eyes scanned the grounds. He was looking for her. 

"Hurry, Emmeline, hurry!" 

"Done!" 

Ashley scribbled hers fast on both papers. Then she handed it to Victoria. 

"Come on, come on!" 

"Quickly!" 

"OK, finished. See you all tomorrow!" Victoria said. She waved goodbye and slung her backpack over her shoulder; right fingers clasped around the handle of her other bag; Elliot's shirt tucked safely inside her backpack.

Her dad pulled into the pickup spot. He opened the door for her, seeing her hands were full. "Jump in," he said, kissing the top of her head.

Dad drove the car away; they barely moved an inch as the traffic suddenly hit. "Dammet the traffic," he groaned before turning back to his daughter. "So, how was your first day at school?" 

"Good." Victoria hugged her back tight, rolled down the window of the car, and waved back at the two girls watching her. "Bye!" 

"Bye!" they both called. Then they turned to each other and smiled. 

"I made some new friends," Victoria smiled. "Their names are Ashley and Emmeline. They're both in my year and they're super nice!" 

"That's great honey." Dad gripped both his hands on the sides of the wheel and wrenched hard to the side. The car turned around sharply around a corner. "So—" A skidding sound rang in their ears, a beeping sound and another loud honk interrupted the conversation and they were driving away and passing the other cars.

"Dad! You  know  I hate it when you do that!!" Victoria hugged her backpack tightly. "Stop it!" 

"Ok, ok, sorry sweetie." He flipped the blinker on and it flashed over and over. "Sorry. Now, back to the point. What classes do you have?"

The red car overtook a silver Torrogo. They swapped lanes and then the traffic light switched to red. The tyres stopped and then they had paused, waiting desperately for the lights to go green. 

"Art, English, Math, Science," Victoria told her dad. She smiled. "I attended those today. Just a little problem occurred during art, but it's fine. I took care of it." 

Dad looked back at her and grinned. "I'm proud of you, Victoria." Then he turned back to the wheel and they were off, speeding through the streets of Toronto as the clouds opened and rain poured down from the sky.