Nat is an idiot. I told him so when we met at school the next day. He was pulling my leg, obviously because he knows how I feel about all this mumbo jumbo nonsense. Man has come far since we found fire. Civilization should have moved far past superstition by now. Right?
I wasn't too sure after I spoke to him. He seemed pretty convinced, even for lack of conclusive evidence but in the end even he agreed that the chance of a witch existing, much less being in my class, was radically distant.
Short story cut even shorter. I didn't call her on that first evening. We had a test remember?
And I was right, by the way, the test was tough but I doubt Monster would ever use the scores. He almost forgot to take the sheets back.
I did call her the next evening. It was a Friday, if memory serves me correctly. To be honest, it was what's-her-names fault. You know, the girl who used to sit behind me, as tall as one of the basketball boys.
You see, she needed me to be a sweetheart and get her textbook back for her. I didn't know how the rumor started but apparently every missing thing in the class that was even fractionally important was said to have gravitated into the 'witch's' possession.
She whispered to me, too loud, even in a noisy classroom.
"You're friends with that Sherry girl right?"
My objections to her observation clearly didn't register. She just plowed on.
"So you can get me my Bio textbook back right?".
I could have sworn I said no, but she heard yes. So, as honourable as my old soul insisted, I had to give it a shot. At the very least I could prove to everyone that what they thought was exactly what I knew it to be: superstition.
So where was I? Yes. The first call.
##
I think I smelt sandalwood-citronella when she picked up the call. Back then that might have been a little bit crazy. Looking at the world now, maybe not so much.
"Hello?"
She picked on the third ring. I knew I wanted to talk to her (on so many levels) but I was stuck with what to say.
"Hello?"
A question this time. I was over thinking it. I hadn't spoken since she picked.
"Sup?", I ventured, because... I had nothing better?
"Hi. Who is this?"
"Dave, in your, uhmmm... I took your number. No wait, you gave me your number... In my phone, remember."
Sometimes I tell the story to make it sound cooler, but yes, it was that awkward.
"I remember. I got the voice but I just wanted to be sure. Dave right? Yeahhh, I did that. Sup? "
I remember trying to recall the reason for the call. In he meanwhile I went,
"Nothing much. I just dey. You know, weekend things."
'Weekend things' that day was a tube of Pringles, all by my lonesome.
"Sounds interesting"
(definitely not)
"Yeah. So uhm"
"Calling about your wish?"
She cut in before I could land a full sentence.
"Uh. Wish? No."
I recovered quicker that time around. I learn fast.
"There's this thing about a textbook? The girl sitting behind me..."
"Ah!"
The force of that exclamation almost threw me off my bed.
"Like, really!", she continued.
I remember thinking that it must have been her thing; always having her way in a conversation.
"She thinks we're cool so. Yeah. Do you know anything about it?"
Her voice grew syrupy sweet. Somewhere deep inside me, prehistoric sensors began to tingle.
"Do you think I do?"
"Nope" I answered honestly. "I don't know what to think. I don't think I've been keeping up on this sort of stuff."
She laughed a bit. That felt good.
"What sort of stuff do you keep up on then?"
"I won't give you further reason to believe I'm a nerd or something"
"A nerd! Honestly why would I..." another laugh and then the question again.
"What sort of stuff do you keep up with. Come onnnn. Tell meh!"
When I responded with silence, she added, "I won't tell a soul. Cross my heart."
"Okay." I finally let up, but promise you won't laugh."
"I promise."
"Well, Japanese animé, military sort of stuff and cook shows,"
She was silent. I knew I had made a mistake somewhere. I did help out by adding on...
"Not lame cook shows, just the good ones like, 'Ultimate show down' and stuff."
Still silence.
And then she laughed, and kept on laughing.
I was a bit hurt. Truth be told. I had actually believed she'd keep her promise. Stupid me.
"Sorry."
She finally managed to breathe in edgeways between giggles. "I've had an odd day, this was a surprise. I totally did not mean to laugh. Like, seriously, cross my heart."
I should have cut the line at that point, right? Instead of letting her continue explaining and say, "I like animé too. And I was just thinking to myself: if that makes him a nerd, does that mean..."
And then she went right on with the giggle-fest. I was baffled by her sense of humour, even then.
We spoke about a number of things that night: favourite animé, worst teachers and basic school hijinks but we never went back to the textbook issue.
I've forgotten how things turned that way. I do remember that by the time I was done I felt like I needed to call her again later.
Two weeks prior I would have thought she was on a pedestal out of reach. It was amazing how human she was.
Fast forward to the Monday afterwards and the girl behind me? She found her textbook on her desk when she came in that morning.
Coincidence?
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