Starring role | l.h

Chapter XI

Samantha Stewart

"Shit!" I winced once I felt a burning sensation on my torso as my third coffee of the night was now all over my shirt. I glanced over my window and glared at the four boys goofing around next door with their mind-numbing video games.

It was already late and I would've already been done hours ago if it wasn't from their noises that kept distracting me from finishing anything at all. The coffee spill on my shirt was the last straw and I really needed to sleep, but with all the caffeine running through my veins -and my shirt-, it seemed pretty impossible for me to be able to.

Nonetheless, I decided to dial up Luke's number. I watched by my window as he fumbled around the room looking for his ringing phone. He finally picked up after a decade of searching without diverting his eyes from the t.v illuminating his room.

"Hello?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, hello. I'm calling due to the disturbance you and your friends are giving me with your loud shallow video games and inappropriate shouting." He then quickly turned his head around in my direction through the window once he heard the sound of my voice.

"Is this another one of your noise complaints, Sammie?" I watched him steadily as he slowly approached his window. I walked towards mine and we both stood there looking at each other with stupid looks on our faces.

"Damn right it is." I heard him chuckle through the other line making my lips break into a smile. It was weird how his voice felt so familiar through the phone even though it was only our second time talking through it.

"Hey what happened to your shirt?" I looked down at myself and made a face as I've felt my shirt sticking and unsticking on my chest with the bittersweet smell of the coffee.

"Michael sucks at virtual soccer, that's what happened." Just then, I've heard another shriek coming from Michael through the background.

"Yeah, he tends to scream a lot whenever he misses an open goal." I let out a laugh.

"Just tell him to keep it down, I'm trying to be responsible and actually do homework, unlike you idiots."

He paused for a second to look at me closely from where he stood before speaking up again. "God, you are such a nerd." I rolled my eyes once more.

"And you are such a jerk." He laughed.

"Do you need any help though?" Nearly a month ago, I never would've pictured myself standing in front of an opened window while on the phone with my neighbor offering help with my homework but here I am and there he was.

"From you? No thank you." I answered curtly.

"Figures." He stated. "Would that be all for this late night phone call then?" I nodded my head in his direction.

"Yes, Hemmings. One peaceful night is all I ask." I saw him shrug.

"Alright. But can I just say something first before you hang up?" I furrowed my eyebrows as he slowly started to lean on his window frame. His face suddenly became much clearer once he stepped out of the darkness of his room and into the gleam of the moonlit sky.

"What?" He smirked.

"You really shouldn't have worn that color tonight, Sammie." I felt my face scrunched up in confusion.

"What do you-" He cut me off.

"Nice pair though." After he said that, he immediately hang up the call and ran back to his friends inside where I couldn't see him.