Prank Calls

Part One: A Pranksters Death.

                                                                      Nick, 17 years old, Texas.

                                                                             

I was always into pranking as a child. I stopped doing phone pranks or as people call them "prank calls" due to lack of interest. No one would answer and when people would they hung up immediately. I sighed laying in my bed, faced down into my pillow. I turned my head to my phone. I sat up and scrolled through my missed notifications. "What if I continued that prank-calling era?" I thought. I shook my head. "What am I even thinking, no way in hell," I said out loud. I stared at my empty phone for a few seconds. "What if I did?" I said. I went to contacts and started pressing random numbers. First number, no answer. The second number, no answer. "Lucky three?" I said pressing the last random two numbers. - Answer. I froze. "Hello?" the voice said. "Who is this?" it said again. "I-- uhh... Hello! you gave me your number last week, right?.." I said making up a dumb excuse, assuming the number wouldn't believe me. "Oh, yeah! Stacy right? We met last Tuesday at the bar! I was wondering when you would call!" the number said. I played into the bit more. We talked for a few minutes. "Well, it is late and for you too. I think I'll go, see you!" - "Wait!.." I said. The voice stopped for a second, obviously confused. "I--uhm... wanted to say something?..-" I said. I was going to own up for my stupid lie. I thought he wouldn't believe me but he did. What an idiot. "Yeah?" the number said. "I uhm..- I'm not Stacy...-" I said with my teeth. "I know." The number hung up. "Wha--- hey! Wait, what do you mean you know?-." I said not realizing they had hung up. "Oh--. they hung up." I said. I blushed. "I'm such an idiot." I thought as I fell back into my bed.

A few days later I sat on my bed, bored, again. I remember the number I pranked called and lying about being "Sarah". My phone buzzed. I picked it up and saw the number texted me again. A simple "Hi", I replied, " Hello, is this about the call?" The number started typing. "Yes, lol I know you're not Sarah I just went with the bit, I could tell from the voice. Who are you?" I frowned. "gahhh- sorry about that. . . I was just bored and wanted to do stuff, sorry again." I texted. "Clay." the number said. "What?" I said. "Clay, my name is Clay. Who are you?" He said.

"I'm Nick." I texted. We started texting from that day on. I would wake up, take a shower, do my usual computer work, text him, sleep. It turned into a routine. An unhealthy routine. I've known Clay for 3 weeks. I thought we would stop texting after the first day. We didn't. He would ask me questions that no one would bother asking. "How are you?" or "How was your day?" or even "How'd your work go?" I felt so special knowing someone actually wondered those things about me. I blushed thinking about it. "It can't be a crush, I've known this guy for three weeks, I don't even know what he looks like!" I said. I sat up. "Oh my god. It's a crush." I said anxiously.

I paced around my room. Doing nothing. Until Clay messaged me. I ran to my phone and opened messages. "Hey Nickk, sorry for not texting earlier, I got caught up with family stuff lol," he said. I felt bad always texting Clay because I know he has an outside life. I can't make him stay on his phone forever. I was deciding if I asked him if we could call for the first time. I typed. I erased. I typed. Until I sent the message. "haha that's fine that's fine hahaha aha, do you want to maybe call today??? if it's not that's okay lolol I'm sure you have an outside life hahhh." I said. I covered my face waiting for him to message back. If he even would.

A few minutes went by and he finally texted back. "Oh, you want to call? We can do that if you want to! Also, why do you sound so nervous in that message? lol" he said. "uhh I don't know, anxiety lol." I said in reply. He called me first. I managed to get out a goofy "hi" and blushed out of embarrassment. I never liked my voice. ever. He said. "Hi Nick, I'm nervous sorry," he said with a giggle. I smiled. His voice was soft, like butter. I started to get comfortable with talking to him after an hour went passed talking to him. I looked at the time. "Clay I think I'm going to go, it's late," I said frowning. "Oh, it's also late for me." He said. "Goodnight," I said. Those words hurt to say.