You Live And Learn

03 | phones and problems

 I headed home immediately after school. I'm sure my friends wonder where I vanished off to so early, but I have a big day tomorrow. In the middle of attempting to do my homework, my phone lights up indicating I got a notification.  Assuming that it was just one of my friends, I left it alone and resumed my work. A few minutes later it lights up again. This time, it got my attention. So when I looked at who texted me, I couldn't believe my eyes. 

"Can't wait for tomorrow," Camille texted with a smiling emoji. Reading that text morphed my face into a smile. Then I read the one that she sent right before I checked my phone. 

" You better not be ignoring me, I'll get mad." That's a yikes. I was so nervous that I broke out into cold sweat.  I honestly have no idea how to respond, but I'll try my best. 

"Honestly I wasn't. I was just doing homework, promise," I shakily press the send button. To my surprise, she replies instantly.

"Okay, okay that's good, had me worried for a sec. Are you done now?" 

"Yeah I'm done, you need something?"  My phone starts ringing mere seconds after sending that text. I glanced over expecting it to be my mother calling about something silly, but of course, it was Camille calling. Immediately my heart dropped to my left ankle, I felt my heartbeat there. She caught me off guard, I'm too ugly to go on a call with her. After a second, I decline the call. Who does that to a person? I would never call someone unannounced, who knows what they were doing. After a few moments, the phone rang again. Once more I ask, who does this to a person? The second time around, I still decline the call. Just when I thought I was safe, my phone buzzed indicating I got a text message. Surprise, surprise, it's Camille.

"Decline my call one more time, and I won't go out with you tomorrow." She knows that threat wasn't necessary, but it is what it is. Now, I am in quite a predicament. Let her see my ugly face in its natural habitat or forfeit my 'date' with her tomorrow.  My phone rang almost a second later, so time was running out to decide. Against my better judgment, I answered the call. After the call connects two seconds later, I was greeted with the green-eyed beauty on my screen. Even digitalized, she can easily take my breath away. My brain quickly remembered I was still ugly though, so I titled the camera so that the infamous ceiling fan will get its time to shine.

"I finally got a hold on you, you had no reason to deny my first call," Camille calls me out.

"I can't even say it was an accident?" I asked trying to bail myself out.

"It can't be an accident if you rejected it at two different times. If you were going to say it was an accident, don't answer at all so you can come up with different excuses." She does have a fair point, and I might just use this tip in the future.

"Okay, but did you need me for something?" I asked quietly, still not showing my face. From my angle, I still could've seen her every action. She was laying on her stomach, resting on a pillow. Her hair was in a bun with one strand falling to her nose. I don't know if girls do that on purpose, but that hairstyle can cause any man to fall. It's just a guy thing I suppose. I can't see what kind of shirt she was wearing because the pillow was blocking it, so the only thing that was in clear sight was her well-made face and I am not complaining. 

Before answering my question, Camille blinked twice. 

"Oh, I really don't need you for anything, I just felt like talking to you. That's all," She responds, giving me a small smile afterward. Impossible. I sense a lot of lies from that statement, but it makes me feel happy on the inside. 

"By the way," her tone changes from wholesome to almost angry in a split second, "Why can't I see you?" I know I didn't call you just  to be reunited with another ceiling." To be fair, I never asked her to call me in the first place. Also, this calling thing is new to me, so excuse me if I do not know the proper etiquette.

"I just don't like showing my face like that," I answer her question. I  might as well come clean now. My face has been one of my main insecurities ever since I became a teenager. This stupid brain of mind always compares this face to the millions of other attractive people in the world. Immediately her hardened face softens, and she spoke in a tone that reminded me of that dream I had the other day.

"Lonzo, you do realize I see you basically every day right? I don't know why you're getting shy now when we already met in person countless times. It's okay, it's only me after all. You don't need to hide from me," Camille responds with the softest tone I ever heard. In that instant, I knew that those words gave me a feeling I never felt before. If I could explain it, I would but I really can't. So, I grabbed my phone slowly and showed her my face. My fit wasn't that bad, just a typical T-shirt and a hoodie. "There we go!" she exclaims when my face gets in view. "You don't look half bad."

Well, I suppose I really don't. 

After that, we talked for almost an hour. We talked about whether or not we did the homework, our favorite foods, and stuff of that nature. This is the first time I really had fun talking to someone on the phone. Before I know it, it was already 11 PM and we were going out at 2 in the afternoon tomorrow. I totally forgot that I still haven't planned our date correctly. Well, another all-nighter might occur. That is fine though because it's for her. 

"Well Camille, I really have to go," I subtly dismiss myself. Camille pouts but quickly covers it up with a grin.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. I can't wait! Bye-bye," she waves at the camera, and just like that my serotonin levels got a spike. I hang up the call and quickly get to work. Tomorrow is the big day.