ME & HIM ✔︎

12

november 3,2020

•••

"Hello?"

"Hey, Boo." I held my phone tightly to my ear as I plopped onto my bed, my hair a mess from moving around so much.

"How you doin'?" His voice came through clearer now, like he'd gotten closer to the phone. "We haven't talked in a minute. I've been busy—getting my grades right and with football practice."

"Yeah, I know. I've been swamped with work too. Guess we've both been busy."

"Speaking of work, how's it going? You like it?" I could hear background noise—probably company over, or maybe he was out somewhere.

"Work's great! Libby's super nice, and I'm getting the hang of the coffee machine. Better than last time, at least." I cringed, hoping he didn't know about the disaster that happened my first day. I wouldn't put it past Cameron to have told him, though.

"Ahhh," he laughed, clearly knowing something. "Heard about your little mistake."

I groaned but smiled. "Shut up! It was my first time, and Cameron was making me nervous."

"Nervous, huh?"

"Did I say nervous? China doesn't get nervous. I meant... annoyed. Yeah, he was just annoying me." I tried to play it off, though I could tell from his laugh he wasn't buying it.

"Sure, sure. Annoyed." He dragged out the words, teasing me.

"I'm serious!" I hopped out of bed and made my way to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water to cool off both physically and from the slight embarrassment.

"If you say so." His voice softened, shifting the conversation. "Hey, listen. I was thinking... wanna hang out today?" He sounded a little unsure.

"We wanted to hang out—" Dove's voice cut through on the other end, and I instantly knew the whole crew was either at his place or out somewhere.

"Don't interrupt me, child," Booboo snapped back playfully.

I rolled my eyes, knowing Dove would fire back.

"Excuse me? I'm the same age as you!" she shot back, and then silence followed. She put me on mute, didn't she? I huffed and made my way back to my room, already digging through my closet for something to wear.

I glanced at my art book lying on the bed. For a second, I thought about tucking it away—didn't want anyone accidentally flipping through it—but no one was coming into my room, so I shrugged it off. Grabbing my Air Forces and a graphic tee, I knew it would match the streetwear vibe I was going for. I liked my clothes comfortable, nothing too tight.

Some girls at school loved dressing to impress, and while I didn't judge them, I couldn't help but think they sometimes took it too far. Like, there was this one girl who came to class in just a bra under an open jacket. No dress code meant you saw it all on campus—some outfits were really cool, but others... well, I wasn't gonna say anything.

"China," Booboo's voice finally came back on the line, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Did you forget about me? Why was I on mute?"

"Sorry, Cam interrupted my little argument with Dove," he chuckled.

"Oh." I hesitated for a second, wondering if they were keeping something from me. "How's Cameron doing, anyway?" I tried not to pry, but I was curious.

"He's fine. You patched him up pretty well, China." His tone shifted to something warmer, like he was genuinely impressed.

I smiled to myself, proud that I'd helped someone. "Thanks. I did my best. I've been watching way too much Grey's Anatomy and The Good Doctor."