Static [Riley Mattews]

05 - Cell Phones

Noah closed his locker door when Maya said to Riley, "Talk to him."

"Why? We have a great text relationship," Riley said.

"You know what's a better text relationship?" Maya asked.

"What?" Riley asked.

"Talk to him," Maya said. "He's right over there."

"Noooo!" Riley exclaimed. "Too complicated over there. Lots can go wrong over there. The only thing that can go wrong over here is if I go over there."

"You've got to be kidding me?" Noah said. "Riley, just talk to him. You didn't have any trouble talking to him before."

"No, no, no, no," Riley protested. "I can't."

Noah and Maya both pointed in Lucas' direction, and Riley finally walked over.

Riley attempted to say "Hi" several times but only mouthed it.

Talk to him, Maya mouthed.

You can do this, Noah mouthed. 

Riley sniffed Lucas' neck and walked back to Maya and Noah.

Noah cringed. 

She sniffed him.

"How'd I do?" Riley asked.

"You did not just smell him!" Noah said.

"You smelled him," Maya said.

"Yup," Riley confirmed.

"You smelled him is what you did," Maya said.

"I can't believe you smelled him," Noah said.

Noah began to wonder if she would be like that if it was him she was crushing on and not Lucas. Noah gets why Riley has a crush on Lucas. Lucas is tall, probably athletic, and good-looking.

Noah on the other hand, wasn't. 

He wasn't like Lucas and he'll never be like Lucas. It bothered Noah knowing that Riley was crushing on a guy she barely knew, while he has always been there for Riley. He would do anything for Riley to look at him the way she looked at Lucas, but he knew she will never look at him like that.

Does he need to get into sports or something to be like Lucas so Riley starts noticing him?

"I walk through life, the way I walk through life," Riley said.

"Can we please talk about this?" Maya asked. 

Instead of answering Maya's question, Riley texted Maya. 

Maya, exasperated, read, "Nope."

Riley entered the classroom and Maya followed her in. 

Noah glanced at Lucas who was sitting on the bench before he followed his two best friends in.

***

Mr. Matthews started the class. He was holding up a cell phone.

"You guys don't connect with each other. It's like you can't exist without these. You use emoticons instead of emotions. You're an unfeeling generation of zombies," Mr. Matthews said. Riley and Maya both mimicked zombies.

Noah wanted to laugh. He bit his lip, suppressing a laugh.

"Stop eating her," Mr. Matthews said to Riley and Maya. 

The classroom door opened and a student entered.

A girl entered with a blank expression on her face.

"You're late, Miss Myzell," Mr. Matthews said.