Chapter 7 - Click

A Chapter by Natalie Mark

Drammmaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Chapter Seven:
Note: S**t continues to hit the fan in this chapter. Last one ended in a bit of a cliffhanger. Expect lots of things to happen in this chapter, with the addition of a new character: LH, a mutual aqua instance of NR and MA. Enjoy!

January 15:
Ring ring. Ring ring.
(NR) "Hey."
(LH) "Hey."
(NR) "So..."
(LH) "Yeah..."
(NR) "What's up?"
(LH) "Not much. Have you heard from Moth lately?"
(NR) "No. Last I heard she was in the hospital for a concussion."
(LH) "S**t. We've got a science project due the 23rd... Do you have her number?"
(NR) "Yeah. I'll text it to you."
(LH) "Thanks. Take care of yourself, K?"
(NR) "Yeah. If you find anything, tell me how she's doing."

Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring.
(MA) "I'm sighing."
(LH) "Oh, good. You're your old cheery self. We've got a project due in a little more than a week, and we haven't done jack s**t. Wanna get to work?"
(MA) "Can't, sorry. Too busy with things."
(LH) "What things?"
(MA) "Just things."
(LH) "Avoiding your responsibilities kind of things?"
(MA) "Yeah."
(LH) "Now I'm sighing. Uh... Nova's worried about you."
(MA) "Yeah, I know. She's so cute."
(LH) "Are you planning to do anything about that?"
(MA) "Meh..."
(LH) "Are you high?"
(MA) "Can you perhaps ask that question in a less judgmental tone?"
(LH) "Well, I'm judging you because you're mental. So I don't think I can."
(MA) "Uh..."
(LH) "Nova said you got a concussion."
(MA) "Yeah. She's so cute; she doesn't think that I know her name's Nova. She likes the who mystery thing, I guess. It's sweet."
(LH) "You sound like a 4-year old when you talk about her."
(MA) "Maybe I am a 4-year old. A giant 4-year old."
(LH) "Why can't you just do what people tell you to!"
(MA) "My dear Leona, if I did that, I'd be dead right now."
(LH) "So I'll just do the whole project myself, then?"
(MA) "Yeah."
(LH) "I'm taking all the credit, then."
(MA) "Good. Take it. I don't want your pity points."

January 17:
(LH 11:46 am) "I don't know what the f**k any of this means. What the f**k is a smooth and rough ER? Those sound like god damn sex toys! What is even happening in the f*****g cell thing?"
(MA 11:52 am) "Well"
(LH 11:54 am) "?"
(MA 11:57 am) "That's all I got."
(LH 11:59 am) "Why aren't you coming to school anymore?"
(MA 12:02 pm) "There's been a slight debate about the value of my education. It's been unanimously decided by everyone but me that I'm worthless and valueless to everyone except myself. So naturally, I have no reason to go to school if I'm never going to become anything decent."
(LH 12:05 pm) "Please don't do this to yourself. You're so smart, so clever."
(LH 12:22 pm) "You can't just ignore the people that care about you."
(LH 12:35 pm) "Fine! I don't even know why I care so much about you you bloody sociopath!"
(LH 12:48 pm) "I hate you."
(MA 1:04 pm) "Join the club. They're making shirts."
Ring ring. Ring ring.
(NR) "Hey Leona."
(LH) "Hey Nova. I'm going to cut right to the chase: I'm worried about Moth."
(NR) "Oh, please, don't be. I'm spending most of my time getting gradually more and more worried about her."
(LH) "Yeah, I know. She's like a giant f*****g magnet for worrying thoughts. Probably not the best person for either of us to hanging out with, but that's beside the point. I think she's been getting into some s****y stuff lately."
(NR) "Crap. Uh... Drugs?"
(LH) "Probably. Do you have any ideas...?"
(NR) "No. We've talked about drugs a little before... I just assumed... Pot?"
(LH) "Doesn't seem like her type. Something stronger than that, I think."
(NR) "Oh, crap... Jesus, um... What do we do?"
(LH) "Intervention?"
(NR) "That'd go over really well. Just imagine, we all sit around in a circle with our pre-prepared speeches about how much we care about her, and she interrupts us to insult us all. One by one, she tears up every basis for our argument down and leaves us a confused and volatile chamber pot of questions about humanity and philosophy. Yeah. That'd go over really well."
(LH) "You are so... You. But you do care about her, right?"
(NR) "Yeah."
(LH) "Well, we have to do something! We could call her mom?"
(NR) "Have you met her mom?"
(LH) "Good point. Police?"
(NR) "Better than her mom, but no."
(LH) "You sound different today. More apathetic."
(NR) "Yes, I am pathetic. Oh, you said apathetic? I'm that too."
(LH) "So, you don't care?"
(NR) "I do. I'm just tired of caring."
(LH) "She cares about you."
(NR) "What do you mean?"
(LH) "She never shuts up about you at school. Like, she talks about you for hours and hours, and when she does, there's this gleam in her eyes like she doesn't hate you quite like she hates everyone else. She has, like, a special kind of hate for you. Maybe love?"
(NR) "Uh..."
(LH) "I ship it. You guys are my OTP."
(NR) "Jesus, I hope you don't draw fan art of us."
(LH) "Hell yeah I do. I write fan fiction, draw explicit fan art, and I have a blog dedicated you you guys. Nova + Moth = Noth or Mova? I'm a huge Noth shipper. OTP 5ever."
(NR) "I'm disturbed and intrigued at the same time. We should bombard her with texts. Then she'd have to pay attention to us!"
(LH) "The lyrics to 'Bohemian Rhapsody'."
(NR) "YES. LET'S DO IT."

(NR 7:28 pm) "IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?"
(LH 7:30 pm) "IS THIS JUST FANTASY?"
(NR 7:32 pm) "CAUGHT IN A LANDSLIDE."
(LH 7:33 pm) "NO ESCAPE FROM REALITY."
(NR 7:36 pm) "OPEN YOUR EYES."
(LH 7:38 pm) "LOOK UP TO THE SKIES AND SEE!!!!!!!!!!"
(NR 7:40 pm) "IM JUST A POOR BOY."
(LH 7:42 pm) "I GET NO SYMPATHY. CAUSE IM EASY COME. EASY GO."
(NR 7:44 pm) "LITTLE HIGH. LITTLE LOW. ANYWAY THE WIND BLOWS."
(LH 7:47 pm) "IT DOESNT REALLY MATTER TO ME. TOOOOOOO MEEEEEEEEEEEE! BA BA BA BA DA BA DA. BA DA BA BA DA DA."
(MA 7:50 pm) "I SEE A LITTLE SILHOUETTO OF A MAN. SCARAMOUCHE, SCARAMOUCHE. WILL DO YOU THE FANDAGNGO."
(MA 7:52 pm) "WAIT. Hold the f*****g phone. I am a grown-a*s, 16-year old woman and I'm too angry to sing BR right now."
(NR 7:54 pm) "Anyway the wind blows."
(MA 7:57 pm) "Just stop. Please just stop. Not in the mood."
(NR 7:58 pm) "Call me."
(MA 8:00 pm) "Fine."
Ring ring. Ring ring.
(MA) "I hate you."
(NR) "That's nice. You need help."
(MA) "Please, I'm finnnnneeee. I don't need help."
(NR) "You sound sick."
(MA) "Oh, gee, I wonder how. Oh, gee, that's right �" it's flu season."
(NR) "You have the flu?"
(MA) "..."
(NR) "You're just not going to answer me? I thought you were my friend."
(MA) "I obviously don't have friends."
(NR) "Not with that attitude. Just talk to me."
(MA) "I don't have anything to say."
(NR) "Just talk to me, okay? Whatever it is, I can help."
(MA) "I told you �" I'm fine."
(NR) "You don't sound fine."
(MA) "Well, I am, so �""
(NR) "There's nothing brave or noble in destroying yourself, you know that, right?"
(MA) "I'm not destroying myself. I'm SAVING myself."
(NR) "At least tell me what you're doing!"
(MA) "That shouldn't bother you. Why would that bother you?"
(NR) "I care about you. I care about what happens to you. I care about the people around you who care about you."
(MA) "You care about yourself."
(NR) "You can't turn this around on me �""
(MA) "Oh, no, I think I will. Remember the first time you texted me? I asked you how you got my number and you said, 'Our English teacher gave it to me to ask you about the English homework'... Why would an English teacher have my number? Why would an English teacher tell you to ask me the homework for their class? That doesn't make any sense. Conclusions: you are a liar, you have always been a liar, and you will always be a liar."
(NR) "... I didn't know it was you. My art therapist told me about this project she was arranging where she set up two lonely people, anonymously through texts, so they could be friends. I thought it sounded like a good idea, so I made up some bullshit excuse and just ran with it. I didn't expect anything to happen... I didn't know it was you."
(MA) "But I always knew it was you. I know who you are, Nova. I remember you. And I never hated you, not once before, and I don't hate you now. I'll spare you my sob story, but... Don't text or call me again, please. Leave me alone. Forget about me. You're better off."
(NR) "Goddammit! NO!"
Click.

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