Jun 3: Write a story in the mystery genre
....
Jerry was easily the most unserious person alive. Everyone in our friend group could attest to the fact that he has never been serious in his entire existence. And although sometimes he was entertaining, most times he got us and himself into trouble and we always cautioned him about it. We literally beg him to change. We prophesied that he was going to get himself into huge trouble, one so bad it'll be too late to change.
Jerry never cared though. He wasn't changing anytime soon.
One afternoon after school, we were all sitting lazily in my living room, eating snacks and talking nonsense. Someone got really bored when his phone had died and suggested we do something fun.
Jerry perked up immediately and the rest of us shot daggers with our eyes to the person who spoke up.
“Thank goodness somebody pointed out that they're bored, I was starting to think it was just my ADHD yelling at me to move my body,” Jerry said, beginning to vomit his usual nonsense out of his mouth.
I sighed and sat up on the couch.
“Okay, what do we do–?”
“Nothing crazy!” someone yelled immediately, staring directly at Jerry.
Jerry held his arms up in surrender and his brows creased as the gears in his psycho brain began to turn.
The brows eased up and then rose as his face lit up.
Oh no.
“Hey, hey, nothing crazy. I just thought of prank calls.”
That wasn't a bad idea. And it didn't involve anybody getting hurt or anything blowing up.
“Sure, but you're calling,” I suggested quickly and everyone agreed.
He picked his phone up immediately and dialled a random number.
We waited as it rung and then the person picked the call up.
“Hello?”
“Good day, is this Peterson?”
We all had to stifle our laughter.
“Uh…what? No it's not. Who is this?”
“I'm your boss, you come to work too early and leave too late. So you're fired!”
“What?”
We couldn't hold it in anymore. The sound of our laughter made the guy to realize it was a prank and be hung up immediately.
My sides were still hurting when Jerry made another call. The person picked up immediately.
“Hi…?”
It sounded like a woman.
He cleared his voice and deepened it.
“Hi, it's Bob.”
“Bob?!”
She sounded so surprised.
“Uh…yeah.”
“OMG hi, it's been a long time! How are you doing?”
He made a face and hung up.
“I can't tell if she's being serious or not.”
We all laughed loudly.
He was about dialing another number when one of the guys had an idea.
“Hey what if you call your own number?”
We all froze.
“It will just ring and then turn off…” Jerry said carefully as if still considering it.
“Do it anyway."
He dialed it and suddenly the call got answered. We stared at one another in shock…and terror.
“Hello?” Jerry said, his voice shook.
“Who's this?”
“Um…Jerry Martinez. Who are you?”
I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I almost passed out.
“What the fuck, no way. I'm also Jerry Martinez.”
Jerry sucked in a sharp breath. It was actually the first time in my life I'd seen him serious.
“Whe–where are you calling from?”
“Uh, my house?”
He facepalmed himself.
“What city do you live in?”
“Chicago.”
There was silence in the room.
“What's…what's your um...hair colour?”
I looked up at his brown curls and my eyes widened when the person at the other end spoke. “Brown.”
Jerry was struggling to breathe.
“We're the same person…” he whispered.
“No fucking way.” God, he even sounded like him.
“How is this possible?” Jerry asked.
“Beats me, dude. So what –”
Jerry's phone dropped to the ground with a clatter and it was then I realised he was gone.
We all ran out of our seats and scrambled for the phone.
“Jerry? Hello?”
The phone was turned off.
We stared back at one another.
---
Been long
