I'm Sure You've Heard It All Before

phone calls and broken laptops

"I'm home," I say when I first walk into my house. But no one replies.

"Hello?" Yeah, nothing.

When I shut the door I feel slightly dizzy but I know why.

Seriously I just talked to the most charming guy I've ever met and there's no denying I have a... fascination? No, wait that sounds creepy. I have a crush? No too soon. 

My mind is fucking fuzzy from thinking about this. No joke, this guy makes me feel, I cannot believe I'm saying this, glittery. But it's so weird because I just met him and I'm a sputtering mess around when I talk to him.
Feeling extremely emotionally tired (like always), I kick off my vans in the mudroom and carelessly throw my bag onto the ground where it makes a loud bang.

Oh shit.

Fuck.

I throw myself on my knees and frantically look through my bag to look for... my laptop.

That was the loud bang. No, it definitely was. I pull it out, too fucking scared to open it.
Please don't be broken, please don't be broken.

I open it, slowly, and yup, there she is. A huge crack across the screen. Two actually! Wouldn't 'ya know!

I groan and shut my laptop.

Do you know that phrase "luck be in the air tonight" or some shit? Well, whatever air I'm breathing it, there's zero luck in it.

I'm so fucking stupid. My laptop was in my bag and I was stupid to throw it like an idiot.

"Goddammit."

I trudge up the long-ass stairs and slammed my door shut then I threw myself on my bed and dug my face into my pillow.

There wasn't anyone home, not that that's new, so I called Aleeah.

Have I mentioned that my parents are not Aleeah-fans? They see her crazy curly hair, blonde with blue streaks, as well as her eye makeup that's always black and they automatically think she is some unkempt emo freak. Even though she's so happy all the time that it kills me I won't ever be happy and optimistic the way she is. Don't ask why I'm making this assumption.

Her parents were also not very popular amongst the local high-class people since they always thought they were some freak-a-zoid therapists who raised their daughter to be some rebellious hippy.

First of all, rebellious? Aleeah is literally the most respectful person I know to adults and to everyone at school. She's always sweet to teachers and you can tell by the teacher's faces that they are glad they aren't being rudely talked to by prissy, rich snobs.

She also gets straight A's as I do and she's been getting them way longer than I have. We study together all the time and she helps me with my homework when I need it.

Also, hippy? The amount of times I've told Aleeah to recycle and not trash is sort of concerning for a girl who goes on and on about how much we need to take care of our environment and is treasurer of Earth Club.

Okay maybe she's a hippy but she's not a very good one.

But look, my parents don't understand how much I appreciate Aleeah and if they can't see past her awesome hair and makeup, then so be it.

I just got off the phone with Aleeah and she's coming over right now. I heard some papers moving around when we were talking and I guess she was doing homework, which I feel bad about but Aleeah would have told me if she couldn't make it.

I worry too much about what she thinks about me even though we've been best friends for years. Probably because she's cool and I'm not.

Whatever.
o.o.o.o
"And I misspelled...in front of the whole school...the word 'failure'."

Aleeah and I crack the fuck up.

The Office was our new Netflix show to watch and Aleeah and I are obsessed.

"I love him, I love him, man," Aleeah says, wiping her nonexistent laugh-tears.

We're laying on my bed watching it on my broken laptop and I guess I should be grateful that it works fine but, I don't know, the cracks bother the hell out of me.

"How did you break it anyway?" Aleeah asks.

I tell her that my mind was too distracted thinking about... god knows what and that I called my parents and told them what happened and luckily, my parents were willing to buy me a new one.

"Well that's good, right?"

"I guess, but you know how much I hate asking for stuff. Especially from my parents. It feels wrong."

I know I have money, I know that. But whenever I watch those shows where like the teenagers have to get a part-time job to buy a pair of fancy shoes or buy a car but I can't relate myself to them because my parents buy everything for me. And there is no way my parents would let me get a job.

"Appreciate them, Robin. They just want to make you feel loved."

Leave it to Aleeah to be kind to my parents even if they aren't here and don't even like Aleeah.

"Loved? They barely notice me."

Aleeah grabbed my hand and looked at me in the eye. She looked serious.

"I know they love you, and if they don't, which they do, Robin, do you hear me? At least I love you." She kissed my hand and went back to my laptop.

"So I say we go back and watch the one episode where Ryan starts the fire." She chuckles to herself as she remembers what happened in that episode.

"Yes, let's do that."

We've gotten ourselves situated and we're halfway through the episode when my phone rings.

She clicks the space bar to pause and sits up.

"Woah, who is it?"

I check my phone.

Got my phone back :) it's Franco btw

Aleeah takes my phone and looks at the message. Her mouth spread like hell across her face and she covers it with her hand.
She makes this squealing noise and says

"Robin!"

Okay, so cute Franco texted me back. Awesome. Cool. What do I do now?

I save his number into my phone.

"Please tell me you'll text him back."

"I will. But I just... what do I say, dude?"

She thinks for a second but then we both jump when my phone starts ringing.

He's calling me.

My mind goes blank.