Don't Try the Noodles

Chapter 04

Chapter 04

Caleb

Joel left the apartment two hours ago for The Monolith. He goes there as often as he can not only because of his friend-turned-boyfriend but also from the free drinks that come with him. Matt apparently has no problems about the free drinks though. From a business point of view, having a well-known model frequent your bar is great publicity.

From how happy Joel looked when he left, I have a feeling he won't be coming home tonight. I'm not complaining. He did give me pizza money.

With a half-empty box of extra cheese pizza and a fairly organized new room, I am sprawled out on my bed, letting the day's exhaustion take over me. It's odd how even though the time has flown past, the day itself felt so long.

I scroll through new posts on Instagram and stop when I see Aiden, Roy, and Noah have all shared news of our performance at The Monolith in the coming month. It's our first gig in Freer City and the biggest venue yet. We're all pretty excited about it.

One of the members has also posted the update on the official Midnight on Saturn profile. A lot of our fans are already saying that they'll be there. It's hard to believe that the four of us went from playing shows in each other's basements in front of only a couple of friends to having thousands of followers on Instagram willing to drive over an hour to come see us. At this point, I think all four of us have developed hope of achieving some success with the band. Even so, Noah and I aren't as appreciative of the personal fame we've gotten as Aiden and Roy are. Well, perhaps appreciative is the wrong word to use here. I am still incredibly thankful for the recognition. It's just that I've never wanted popularity to get to my head.

I finally catch up with the guys and post our show date on my own Instagram. It doesn't take long for a few responses to come. They're mostly from my high school friends at first, but then quite a few fans join in as well. I quickly scroll past the ones of people complimenting me for my looks. I never know how to reply to comments such as "OMG! Caleb is so hot!" and the occasional "Caleb, please have my babies!" I don't know if I even should respond to the latter.

Amongst all of the short positive replies, there is one that is comparatively longer. It's from Emma, congratulating me for making it to the city. She's a high school friend and a huge fan of the band. I have technically known her since elementary school, but we didn't talk much until freshman year of high school. That was when I started saying hi to her first because—

Bailey.

My heart skips a beat as once forgotten middle school memories come flooding in. Even after all these years, the thought of her face still makes me smile. Now that I think about it, before music was there to brighten my life, Bailey was already doing so. The way she used to get so nervous around everyone in class was the cutest thing in the world. I miss that. It's a sort of longing that doesn't constantly linger around you, but as soon as it makes its way to the surface after some time, you can't stop thinking about it anymore.

I wonder how Bailey is doing now after four years. I never got to say goodbye to her back then. Or maybe that was for the better. Goodbyes entail the meaning that we might never get to see each other again. But...

Bailey moved to Freer City. Emma had told me back in ninth grade.

Wait a second. I'm in Freer City.

My mind begins picking up all the loose memories from middle school and connecting them together once more. Emma should know where Bailey is. I might be able to see her again. The possibility of it makes my heart want to fly to the moon and back.

I must have liked her a lot more than I remember...

What was supposed to be a simple middle school crush—my first real crush at that—has currently taken total control of my actions. I find myself in Emma's DMs, typing and retyping the most casual message I can that mentions Bailey.

Would it be weird to randomly mention her out of the blue like this?

That thought transforms my sudden eagerness into immense dread. I want to meet Bailey, for sure. At the same time, I have no idea how to go about finding her. Even if I message Emma, there could be a chance she doesn't know exactly where Bailey lives. And Emma being Emma, she's bound to contact Bailey to ask her for me. Then, once I do meet her, how will I explain myself?

Um, hi. I know we never really talked in middle school, and you barely know me, but I just wanted to see you again—Yeah, that doesn't sound awkward at all...

I think I deserve this mental torment. Things might not have been so distant between us if I only had the guts to approach Bailey back in middle school. If I only had said something to her. If I only had put it out there that I liked her.

Perhaps things could have been different, but I didn't even try to make them different during the past four years. I practically forgot about her after she moved away. Bailey probably forgot about me, too. I never did anything worth remembering to her after all.

Without even erasing my last attempt at messaging Emma, I close Instagram. I turn onto my stomach and bury my head into my pillow, hearing the pizza box fall powerlessly to the floor from my shuffle.