The Call

Note: This is a slow-burn, slice-of-life romance story first and foremost. There will be erotica, but not for a long, long time.

Note 2: I intended for certain parts of the story to be read along with music. I strongly recommend listening along to get the best experience. Every song will be clearly stated. Small tease: The first is in the next chapter,

Santa Monica Dream

by Angus & Julia Stone.

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All human wisdom is contained within these two words -- "Wait and Hope"

-- Alexandre Dumas,

the Count of Monte Cristo

.

Arc 1:

"A Place to Stay"

Wait and hope

"Ch. 1- The Call"

A sudden vibration in my pocket jolts me, almost waking me up from Ms Lang's boring class. I'd zoned out listening to the rain tapping on the glass.

Thomas leans in, whispering, "Dude, I think your phone's going off."

"Yeah, I guess," I mutter back. I can't do much about it right now, and it's probably just another scammer -- I've been getting many of those lately for some reason. At least, it stopped me from falling asleep in the middle of class.

When the vibrations in my pocket die down, I attempt to focus back on the math lesson happening in front of me. While I'm no math expert, it's not rocket science either, so I should be able to understand whatever it is we are doing today, but it seems this call wrecked what little focus I could achieve usually.

As I'm still trying to figure that out, I'm again stopped by the same buzzing against my leg, this time somehow even more insistent. My friend nudges me again, this time in a more serious tone. "Back-to-back calls? Maybe you should check?"

He has a point. Getting two calls in a row isn't normal. Whoever it is, they probably have a good reason for calling me. While nodding to acknowledge my friend's advice, I quickly scan the classroom for Ms. Lang. She's helping a student on the other side of the room -- perfect. Now's my chance to check my phone.

While we aren't supposed to use our phones in class, no one has ever gotten in trouble for just checking theirs, so it shouldn't be an issue. I pull out my phone, doing my best not to draw attention. My eyes almost immediately lock on the name flashing on the screen. That name is enough to make my throat tighten.

"Chloe"

"So? Who is it?" Thomas asks, peering at me, his curiosity obvious.

I answer in a low voice. "It's... Chloe? Why would she call me now? Actually, why would she call me at all?" I say, thinking out loud, my throat getting tighter by the second as my mind fills with questions.

Chloe's been a good friend of mine for years, but we never call; we just text each other every so often. Seeing a text from her wouldn't be surprising, even right now in class. A call, on the other hand, would be surprising. And two calls? Something's not right.

Without needing to look, I can feel Thomas' confused gaze. A moment later, he speaks up. "Is that your friend from middle school? Do you two still talk? You hardly ever bring her up."

Thomas is right, I don't mention her often, if at all. Soon after, my phone stops buzzing in my hand. Almost instantly, my throat relaxes. Maybe it was an accident. Can you accidentally call someone twice?

"Yeah, we're still in touch," I start to explain, "but it's not nearly as often as before. We texted each other pretty much every day before... It's not nearly as frequent now... The last time we spoke was a few months ago. We did send a text or two for each other's birthday last month, but that's it."

Thomas looks at me, quietly listening as I speak.

"I guess not seeing each other every day does that. At least, we still speak. I lost contact with pretty much everyone else from back there..." I say, my voice growing quiet near the end as I recall the good friends I lost when I had to leave.

Right before I started high school, I had to move for my father's work.. I wasn't very happy about it then, but we had to. I don't resent my parents about it at all. Looking back, they didn't want to leave much more than I did. Didn't someone say, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?"

Suddenly, something yanks me back to reality once again: "Jesse! Can you go to the board to show us what you did?" It was my teacher's voice.

Right. We are supposed to work in class, not listen to the sound of rain and think about old friends. I can always send a text to Chloe to check everything's fine.

As I'm about to stand up and improvise something on the board, my phone buzzes again. That's it. 3 times in a row cannot be an accident. I need to answer as soon as possible, and that means getting out of here sooner rather than later. This class isn't even close to being over. Without thinking too much about it, I turn to Ms Lang and mutter, "I don't... feel so good. Is it okay if I go to the bathroom?" I rub my forehead like I have a headache, hoping she'll buy it.

My heart pounds in my chest, and a knot forms in my stomach as my teacher's eyes meet mine. What I'm doing is obvious: Getting out of something I didn't do. And yet, Ms.Lang seems to agree with me. "Yeah, maybe you should go splash some water on your face," she says, more casual than I expected, and maybe even a bit worried. Not gonna complain about it, that's for sure.

Both of my friend stay quiet as I exit the room, keeping their obvious worries to themselves for now.

Once out in the hallway, I pull out my phone. Chloe's name is still flashing on the screen. Without thinking about it, my finger presses the green button below my friend's name.

Almost instantly, a relieved sigh comes through on the other end. "Hello? Chloe? Are you here?" I ask, not sure I'll even get an answer.

Through the speaker, I hear her voice--exhausted and tinted with sadness. "Hey... Jesse... Glad to hear you..." Hearing her after all these years is nice, but it doesn't sound like she's calling just to catch up.

Walking down the hallway toward the main hall, I can feel the cold air rushing against me. We're still in February, and the air hasn't warmed up at all yet. And today's downpour isn't helping in the slightest. Maybe I should have grabbed my coat before I left...

"Are you okay?" I softly ask her.

"Yeah..." Well, she doesn't sound like someone who's okay to me...

She keeps going, her voice cracking slightly as if she's about to cry: "Sorry to bother you... But--but I didn't know who else to call." She takes a pause, letting silence settle between us. Even though she's not speaking, her breathing still comes through the speaker--Shaky, uneven. Her voice had always been light and cheerful, but now it carries a weight I'd never heard before.

After a few moments, she finally breaks the silence. "My parents..... they--"

As she struggles to say that, I hear her sobbing on the other end. What the hell is happening?

"Are--Are they okay?" I ask, my voice trembling, as I brace myself for her answer. At the same time, images of some terrible accident flash through my mind, the knot in my stomach growing ever bigger.

She takes a deep breath, but it doesn't seem to help. "That's--That's not the issue. No one's hurt..."

A wave of relief washes over me as she says that. Soon after, I realise that while she's not hurt, it doesn't mean she's fine.

"My parents...They..." she says, clearly battling with her emotions to speak. Not wanting to interrupt her, I stay quiet, give her space to speak.

"They kicked me out," she blurts out, fina­lly breaking down into tears as the painful words tumble out.

I freeze, speechless, unable to process what she just said. Kicked out? By her parents?

I barely met Chloe's parents, and she very rarely talked about them... But from what I remember, her parents weren't the best, but nothing close to the "Kicking our child out" level. Should I--Should I have known that something was up? Was there anything I could have done? My mouth opens as I try to say something, but the words stay stuck in my throat.

Having finally made it out of the hallway and into the main hall, I find a chair and collapse into it. It wasn't my life that was being torn to pieces, and still I couldn't stand. The cold metal made me shiver a bit, as outside the wind was howling against the large windows.

My first thought is to ask what happened. Ask why anyone would kick their child out? It's not like she's a troublesome child. If anything, it's the opposite. But that's not a very good idea. What she needs right now is someone to talk to and some comfort.

After a bit, she manages to stop crying. Then, she says, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "Sorry... I just don't know what to do."

Chloe tries to keep it together, but her words waver. "I just have a bag with me...A few clothes, my papers, and my laptop. And--and that's it..." It takes no effort to picture her. Outside, standing in the rain, crying while on the phone, with just a bag and the clothes on her shoulders. This thought is enough to make my eyes water and my chest tighten.

So her parents kicked her out -- what the fuck by the way -- As it sounds, she didn't have much time to grab anything. And now, what? Is she supposed to fend off by herself on the street?

"Do you have anywhere to crash for the night?" I ask, since it's perhaps the most important thing.

"I-I don't. I've been trying to call my other friends for a while now. Almost none answered, and of the ones who did, no one wanted to help me..." Chloe keeps going, seemingly not wanting to elaborate on why her friends ignored her. "I didn't want to call you, but I had to... Sorry..."

The chair beneath me feels even colder as she tells her story. What happened to her? Whether it's her parents or her friends, it looks like everyone gave up on her. That doesn't happen overnight. It must have been brewing for months, maybe even longer.

"Hey, don't worry, it's okay. You're in trouble, and I'm your friend. And that's why you called me, because you need help." I said, trying to sound normal. But the truth is that Chloe's situation was also getting to me: as this conversation goes on, the knot in my stomach is almost getting painful.

She's wrong on one point: She's not alone. Not yet. I'm here, and I'm going to do everything I can to help her. "What's the plan then?"

Once again, silences fall in the hall. Each time heavier than the last, as I realise my friend's situation is seriously bad. She's always the cheerful girl, always smiling and happy. As I got to know her, I quickly understood that it's a facade. We never really discussed what she's hiding... I always assumed something in her past she wasn't ready to talk about yet. And today, I think I finally understand what it was.

"I don't know..." She answers, bringing me back to reality. "Finding somewhere to stay, I guess. Or a comfy underpass." Her voice sounds hopeless, something I've never heard before coming from her.

"Okay-- How about I come get you? You shouldn't be alone out there. We'll figure out the rest together." I say, hoping it will be enough to really help her. But in the back of my mind, I know it won't be enough. What else can I do?

She sighs and says, her voice still totally resigned about her fate. "Yeah, that...That would be nice. When do you finish class?"

I know what she's thinking. That even if we find a shelter or something, it won't be great. Much better than the streets, probably, but still. And I don't think I could rest easy knowing I left her in such a place. Maybe she could stay at my place while she looks for something better? Yeah, that's probably better, but I should ask my parents before giving her false hopes.

"At like 5 pm--" I hesitate for a bit. You know what? Screw it. "I'll come over right now, class can wait for a few hours. Where do we meet up?"

"I'll wait in front of our old middle school." Was that a touch of hope I heard in her voice this time?

"I'm on my way then."

After that, we hang up. Well, that was unexpected... I'm not sure I get what's happening.

Let's not get distracted. I need to get going as soon as possible. If it's raining even half as much over here as it's here, she's not going to enjoy waiting for me... It's an half-hour drive or so to get there after all.

Since I'm supposed to be on a bathroom break, I'll have to explain why I need to leave to my teacher. Let's hope that Miss Lang will let me go without issues. That's the last thing I need right now. It would have been much simpler if I hadn't left my stuff in the classroom... After all, I just need my keys, nothing else. I should keep those with me at all times...

I walk back to my classroom. Once there, I take a second to brace myself. When I finally feel ready, I open the door. When I get near my friends, they notice me right away. "You good, bro? You seem a little... Shaken?" Ask Thomas, feeling that something isn't right

"Not really... look, I gotta go, I'll explain everything later." Both Thomas and Ruby stare at me intensely. I can feel their gaze on me, trying to figure out what the hell is happening. A glance at my watch reminds me of the time ticking away.

I try to gather my stuff, but Thomas's hand on my wrist stops me. "Slow down there, bud. What's happening, but like for real?" Okay, maybe they deserve an explanation.

After sitting down, I say. "Okay, so... Chloe's is in trouble..." My voice is heavy with emotions that are still very fresh in my mind."

Suddenly, my other friend, Ruby, interrupts me. "That's why you ran off to the bathroom! Someone called you! I get it now!" Right, since she's sitting in front of us, she didn't hear what happened before I left.

Thomas sends her a look that means something like "Shut up, let him talk."

"She called me because her parents kicked her out. She needs help, and no one is answering her calls. Not even her other friends."

"Did she tell you what happened at all?" Ruby asks, this time waiting for me to finish my sentence. I shake my head. Chloe wasn't ready to tell what happened to her earlier on the phone...

She keeps on going with her questions, genuinely worried about someone she's never met in her entire life. "But you can't do much about her being kicked out, right?"

"No, but you can offer to pick her up so she's not alone on the street, and give her a ride wherever she needs to," Thomas says, answering our friend's question for me. Man, this guy knows me too well.

I simply nod, and by the time they are done questioning me, I'm just about ready to leave. The teacher didn't notice me yet. So I can either just sneak out and deal with it later, or I'm up front with it and hope she allows me to leave class early.

"What are you going to say to Ms. Lang?" says Ruby, almost as if she's reading my mind.

Immediately, Thomas adds, "Don't just go, that'll get you in trouble. Ms Lang is nice, I'm pretty sure she'll understand." He has a good point, but if she doesn't, I'm also gonna be in trouble, and let's not even mention Chloe... On the other hand, sneaking out will 100% get me in trouble...

So I nod to my friend, agreeing with him. "Well, see ya'll later. Can you please tell the other teachers I have an emergency or whate­ver?"

They both nod. "Keep us updated," says Ruby.

"Yup. Well, let's do this then!" I gather every bit of bravery I have and go up to our teacher's desk. She appears to be grading something, so she doesn't see me right away. "Excuse me, miss?"

She notices me immediately when I speak. And it takes her only a moment to understand what I'm about to ask. With my jacket on and my backpack on my shoulder, it's not hard to guess what I'm about to ask. "Where do you plan on going like that, Jesse?" She asks, suspicious

"Home," I answer, a bit nervously. "I'm sorry, but something came up. Family emergency. I really have to go."

She looks at her watch and then sighs. "Fine. I won't mark you as missing. But if I hear you lied to me, you are going to get in some serious trouble." She said, her tone grave.

That feels bad. It's not a family emergen­cy. Would she let me go if I had been honest with her? I guess I'll never know. "Yes, miss, thank you, miss," I say, still a nervous wreck since it's probably the first time I've had to lie to a teacher.

She speaks back up, this time more softly. "Now go. I assume Thomas or Ruby will bring you up to speed on what we are going to do." She pauses for a bit before adding, "I hope whatever's happening isn't too bad." It sounds like she genuinely means it.

And just like that, I'm out of class. That's much easier than I thought it would be. And Thomas was right, being upfront was the best thing I could do here. As I walk toward the student parking, I can't help but nervously fidget with my keys.

So, to recap the last few minutes: I had a call from Chloe, she's in trouble, and now I lied to a teacher to get out of class... And to say that we didn't even hear each other's voice for years. In another context, I think I would have been happy to hear her voice after all this time...

Once in my car, something strikes me: I don't care about missing school for a few hours. My friend is asking for help, and that's all I care about. Never thought I'd say that. I'm usually a good student, never causing any issues. And now, I'm skipping classes like it's nothing. Whatever, I'll be fine. Although I should probably text my parents so they don't have a heart attack when they get notified by the school that I'm not in class.

My parents are great, so they shouldn't be mad at me. I wouldn't even be surprised if they were to be worried by Chloe. "Hey, just a heads up, I'm gonna have to skip a few classes today. Chloe called me, and her parents kicked her out. I offered to come pick her up, so she doesn't stay alone on the streets, and then help her figure out what she's going to do. I'll explain in detail this evening. Bye."

That should do it. I send the text. And then I look at the grey sky, still pouring rain. That's terrible weather to be stuck outside. Better get going.

Before getting on my way, I sent a text to Chloe."I'm in my car. I should be here in half an hour or so."

Ending note : Thank you very much for reading the first chapter of

Wait And Hope

. I hope you liked it! Please feel free to give me your opinion or tips on how to improve! I'l try to include them in the next chapters.

I have some pretty big plans for this story (currently there are 7 or so Arcs planned, over the course of a few years in universe.) So I hope you like reading!