10/17

Episode 3, Chapter 10

Wednesday morning, Parker once again woke up to the sound of his mother pounding on his door.

"Parker, I swear, I am counting to three and releasing the hounds," Mrs. Carlisle yelled through the closed door. "One. Two."

"I'm awake, I'm awake," he moaned. "I'm up." 

"Alright, get moving. Throw on some sweats and a t-shirt and some shoes you can get in and out of easily, and come get breakfast."

Parker rolled over and snagged his phone from his nightstand. It was a little after eight in the morning, but that was not what caught his attention. He had two missed texts from a number he did not recognize. 

The first one read, "Hi Parker, this is Delaney Dempson. We have last period English together. I hope you don't mind, but I got your number from Chloe. I told her that I have a project I'm working and I was wondering if you could help. Chloe said you would probably be out sick today from school but that's okay. Call whenever and I'll explain more. I know this seems out of the blue, but if you don't mind giving me a chance, I'd appreciate it. Thanks." 

Parker blinked a few times, trying to make the text make sense. Delaney Dempson? Did he know a Delaney Dempson? And who was Chloe and why did she have his phone number? He pushed up on his elbows, then sat up, thinking it over. Hold, on, last period English. Yeah, now that he thought about it, he did remember a Delaney in that class, or at least a Laney. He wondered if they were the same person. The Laney he knew of was one of the girls that sat with Bannah at lunch everyday. He had met them once or twice. Then it hit him, Bannah's first name was Chloe. In ROTC, everyone went by their last names, so it was an easy mistake to make. Then, Parker read Delaney's second text and his his eyes bulged.

"By the way, you and I have the same birthday. I'm out sick too" Parker stared at his phone, unsure what to do next. What did she mean by that? Did she mean what he thought she meant? Should he call her? Text her? No, definitely not text, he didn't want anything in writing. But, what would he say? What did she want from him, anyway? Did she think he might have answers? Did she know something and she was reaching out to tell him? 

"Oh my heck," he said to himself as his mind buzzed with questions. Well, one thing was for sure. He was wide awake now. As he threw off the covers and got dressed, he debated whether he should tell his mom and dad about the texts. His mom would probably be furious if she found out he was keeping something from her, but, on the other hand, what his parents did not know, they could not forbid him to do. That decided him. If he went to the kitchen now, he would never be able to keep this from his mom. Being sneaky just was not in his nature. He picked up his phone and called. Laney's line rang three times. Parker nearly lost his nerve and hung up when someone finally answered 

"Hello?" 

"Um, hi. Is this Laney?" Parker guessed.

"Yeah, is this Parker?"

"Yeah, hi."

"Hi."

A long awkward silence stretched between the two teens. Neither knew what to say next. At last, Laney could not take it anymore. She cleared her throat. 

"Um, so, you and I have the same birthday," she began, scrambling for a way to get to her point without revealing too much too soon. 

"Yesterday, October seventeenth, yeah, that's cool I guess. Happy Birthday," Parker said. 

"Oh, thanks, you too," Laney replied, glad he could not know how warm her face had become. 

"Thanks. So, you're doing a project and you need my help? Did you need to ask me some questions? Is it about our birthday?" Parker asked, attempting to sound light and unconcerned.