Side Effect ● Open Novella Contest Entry 2019

5 • Messages

I sat on the couch in front of the TV, clicking through channels with my foot propped up. Silly me had fell on it yesterday and now I could feel my heart beat in waves of pain. I didn't want to watch anything on Netflix. I promised Levi I wouldn't finish The Office without him and it was hard to hold true to my word. I had finished my other shows months ago and now I was just a bored, lazy lump.

My phone buzzed beside me. I set down the remote and it tumbled to the floor. With a sigh, I grabbed my phone and saw who the text was from. Levi. Yeah, no. I flipped the phone upside down and reached for the remote. My fingers wiggled just out of reach from it.

"So... close..." I said, strained.

The phone buzzed again.

"Levi, no!" I pulled myself back up and grabbed my phone. It wasn't Levi. It was Max. He was okay to text, I guess.

Max: Dude, do you know what I found?

Me: It would be extraordinary if I did. :)

Max: Check out this news link: idk48;29.com

I clicked on the link and it brought me to a news station site from New York. Automatically, I thought about Levi and his school.

The site read, "Drug Causes Man to Act Like the Undead."

I scoffed. Max must've gone into some clickbait on a sketchy site. I wonder what viruses my phone was gonna get.

"Early yesterday morning, police received a 911 call saying that a man was trying to get into his house, acting like a wild animal. Before the police could arrive, the crazed man broke the the front window and crawled through, not ever reacting to the glass that embedded itself into him. The owner of the house ran from the man and hid into his closet. The man tried biting at the owner but police arrived and arrested the man after tasering him.

The man was tested for drugs and it was found that an unknown combination of chemicals was in his bloodstream. Experts have not yet determined what the drug is or why it caused him to act in that fashion."

Me: okay, what's your point?

Max: it might be your mystery drug!

Me: you're still hung up on that? Even I've stopped caring.

Max: I know it's silly but there's just something weird about it...

Me: I think it's just nothing so stop freaking out :) At least you didn't take the stuff

Max was typing and then it went away

Me: Did you?!

Max: :) No I didn't. Just wanted to freak you out

Me: jerk :)

Because of the news in New York, I decided to check Levi's text. I rolled my eyes and begrudgingly clicked on his name.

Levi: Hey, remember the Hiipe? I think I found out a guy who took it.

He sent me the same link I had gotten from Max.

Me: I already read it. It probably isn't the drug.

Levi: Why are you so mad at me?

Me: I'm not mad

Levi: Really? Cause my phone is starting to ice over. I'm sorry we left you.

Me: whatever

Levi: I really am. Mom didn't want you to hurt yourself

Me: Yes, because Jo can't take care of herself. She's a klutz and too annoying to deal with hurt foot. No one likes her anyway

Levi: don't say that Jo. We just wanted you to get healed up as fast as possible. You keeping your foot up?

Me: No. I'm playing tennis with Max.

Levi: Max? Is that where you read the article?

Me: Yes

Levi: He's weird

Me: whatever. How's school?

Levi: I just got into my apartment. I'm rooming with three other guys. Jake's pretty cool but Warren and Owen are... unusual.

Me: in what way?

Levi: Warren is a health nut, trying to get us to do yoga and drink his green drinks with him. I drank one of them and let's just say I couldn't leave the bathroom for a few hours. Owen's parents are rich and he's bought most of the things in the apartment. If my pizza has 25 seconds left but he want to microwave his hot chocolate, he'll take mine out and put his in.

Me: that's annoying. You need to bring something and do the same. Like a toaster or something

Levi: I'm gonna have to :)

I stretched and tried to reach for the remote again. I grabbed my crutches and tried to pick it up like some massive piece of rice and two strangely shaped chopsticks. At this, I succeeded. Finally. Scooping up the remote, and went through, sifting through movies and shows again. Nothing, as usual. It was like going to the fridge over and over, hoping some different food will appear. And it never does.

"Having a productive Saturday?" I turned around at the voice, craning my neck. My mom had just come up the stairs, laundry basket in her hands. "I wish," I huffed, turning off the TV completely. "I'll help with that."

"My Jennifer Jo, helping with laundry?" Mom said in mock surprise. "What has this broken foot done to your head?"

"Yeah, yeah," I said, sweeping my foot off the stack of cushions. "I'll go nuts if I don't do something." I lowered myself to the floor to help her with the pile of clothes.

"You've forgiven me then?" Mom asked, almost nervously. She sat across from me, setting the basket between us.

"I guess," I said. "Just don't do that again. Or I'll just pick up and leave to annoy you!"

"You're going to do that eventually," Mom said. "But wait until you graduate, okay?"

I grabbed one of my dad's shirts to turn inside out. "I can't promise anything but I'll do my best."