The Kids Aren't Alright

Sneak Peak of Book #2, "Kids These Days"

June, 1989

Ronan

It's five in the morning, and my telephone is ringing

I fumble blindly in the dark, nearly tumbling out of bed in the process. The phone is going off so loudly I'm worried it'll activate our recently-installed burglar alarm. (Long story.) Knowing that Sabrina will take away my landline privileges if that happens-- I had to plead and bargain for months just to get permission to install it-- only adds to my desperation. Finally, I manage to snatch the phone off the dresser and press it against my ear. "Hello?" I demand, voice cracking with exhaustion. "Who is this and why are you calling me in the middle of the night?"

There's a hesitant pause. For a moment, I consider hanging up-- until a familiar voice crackles through the speaker. "Uh... it's Finn."

"Who?"

"Finn Murphy."

"Oh."

"If you don't remember, we met at summer camp last year--"

"Of course I remember who you are," I snap, falling back against my pillows. The spine of a math textbook pokes into my side-- I must have fallen asleep while doing my homework. (Again.) "Although you'd think after a year of not talking I would've forgotten."

For a few seconds, all I can hear is crackling static. And then: "I'm sorry. My mom and I are stuck at the airport, and I thought I might call you while we wait. I forgot you don't like waking up early."

"Forgot," I mutter, forcibly rubbing some of the sleep out of my eyes. "You forgot that it's the middle of the night, just like you forgot to call me for nine months. Either you're suffering from amnesia or there's something fundamentally wrong with you."

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

My grip on the phone grows tighter. "Are you shitting me, Finn? Nine months ago, I gave you my phone number and told you to keep in touch. You never called. Why would I make anything easy for you?"

"I was busy!"

"For nine months?"

"Alright, I admit it, I should've called you earlier." I can practically hear Finn clenching his teeth as he grumbles, "But I just wanted to know if you wanted to-- if you wanted--"

"I know that you forgot to call me, but don't tell me that you forgot English, too. You'd better make this call worth it or I'm hanging up. I have SAT prep this morning."

The phone hisses as Finn lets out a string of illegible words than sounds suspiciously like something Sabrina would slap me for saying. "I wanted to know if you had any interest in going on vacation with me."

"Vacation?" The word rolls clumsily off my tongue. I've never been on a real vacation before. All the business trips Sabrina forced me to go on don't really count. "Vacation," I say again, just to test the word out. It feels alien in my mouth. "You want to go... on a trip?"

"Yeah. In California. My whole family is going, and I wanted to bring a friend along. So I'm inviting you. To go on a trip with me. As a friend."

"As a friend," I repeat incredulously. "You haven't returned any of my calls, but the second you need me, we're friends again."

"I don't need you for anything," he says irritably. "I just thought...."

"Thought what? Use your words, Fish."

He grumbles another slew of curses before responding. "Forget it. I knew you wouldn't want to come."

"Then why did you call me?"

"I don't know. Just... forget about it. This was a stupid idea."

I've had enough of this conversation. I've had enough of Finn. "Fine," I say, with as much acidity as I can muster up at five in the morning. "Goodbye, then."

When Finn speaks up again, he almost sounds regretful. "Bye, Ronan. I hope you have a nice summer."