Hello

Joanna’s POV

I UNLOCKED THE FRONT door while I rolled my waist, trying to balance the heavy school bag on my shoulder which I was surprised I could do all at the same time. I heard a loud noise coming from within as I succeeded.

I guess Elvis is home, I thought as I stepped into the living room and spotted said brother hopping up and down on the couch and singing loudly with the music blaring through the speakers at full blast.

I wondered what his numerous lines of one-night stands and all those girls swooning over him would think if they saw him this way.

“Hey, bro,” I huffed in a bid to catch his attention.

“Hey, sisi,” he replied after he turned down the music. “How are you?” I shrugged in reply, slumping on the couch in a sigh.

“That bad, huh?” He sagged beside me.

“Yup, Mother Nature visited me today, plus there’s this new guy Blake was talking about,” I answered, a small smile on my lips.

“Sorry, I understand the Mother Nature part but what has the new guy got to do with you?” He implored.

“I don’t know,” I spoke, uncertainty in my voice.

“By the way, you’re home early,” he declared.

“Yep, classes ended quickly today, thank God!” he exclaimed in joy.

“Haha,” I chuckled at his enthusiasm. “I’m gonna go up to my room and get some homework done.”

“Good luck with that.” He called over my shoulder.

“I need it because I have to fight with chemistry,” I pronounced, heaving my lazy ass up the stairs.

**********

Halfway through the chemistry assignment that I was not loving, I was seriously considering committing suicide or conducting gender surgeries to become a boy because of the incessant cramps that ran through me.

Lastly, I presumed that being a boy would still mean doing chemistry homework. So suicide might have been the best option as I would have killed two birds with one stone.

In a sigh, I stood from my bed and stretched, grateful for some relief. I headed to the bathroom to splash some water on my face when I heard my phone ring. I rushed out to see Tony was calling me.

With a huge smile on my face, I picked it up. “Hello, deaf,” I greeted.

“Hi, dumb,” he replied. “How’s it going?”

“Really bad.”

“Wanna Party?”

“No thanks,” I answered honestly.

“Come on! It’s gonna be fun!” he whined.

“I wish I could but I can barely walk on my own at the moment,” I said with a sigh. “Even if I could, I’m stuck with chemistry.”

“But I would have loved to see you.”

“Awww, really?” I doubted, feeling my cheeks heat up.

“Of course, Jo,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry next time,” I said, as my lips twitched into a grin.

“I would hold you to that, babe,” he uttered before the line went dead.

Awww, he called me babe, I thought, blushing. I was currently fangirling at that moment even though we weren’t dating. My smile dropped slightly as I recalled Tenda’s crush on him.

From the look of things, he might be into her.

Thankful for the brief distraction, I focused my attention back on the task in front of me.

“Why the hell am I stuck with this question?” I mused. Isotope. Isotope.

“What is an isotope?” I swore I could remember hearing the deznition somewhere, however, I couldn’t quite get my hands on where.

Idiot, you probably heard it in class, where else could you have heard it? my subconscious taunted.

“Dang it!” I growled and banged my head and zsts on the bed in frustration. “Why can’t this woman allow us to google the answer?”

I hissed, sensing a small but strong cramp dash through me. I couldn’t copy the answer from my textbook or use the internet because the punishment was extraordinarily horrible. How teachers even knew we copied the answers was beyond anyone of us.

The last time someone was caught doing that, she was assigned to toilet duty for a week. A whole freakin’ week! I preferred to keep my lungs in good working order, thank you very much.

So I was stuck, really stuck. I briefly thought about asking Harmony for the answer, but he might end up telling me his exact answer. Then both of us would be assigned with toilet duty.

Why, Lord, why? I cried internally as my phone dinged again. “Thank God!” I praised, grateful for another distraction.

I peeked at the device and immediately concluded I would have rather been left with chemistry than seeing a text from the same unknown number that messaged me the previous day.

Unknown number: Hey, babe.

Me: Hi.

Unknown number: How are you doing? Me: Argh ... don’t even ask.

Ahy was I replying to this dude’s messages? I had no idea.

Unknown number: Haha. Why?

Me: Shit happens.

Unknown number: I know but what’s the shit?

Me: Like you wanna know.

Unknown number: Try me.

Me: Should I really?

Unknown number: Yeah, baby.

Me: Okay. I’m stuck with chemistry homework, and I kind of missed a fun party because of it. But then again, I don’t like parties, but heck I would choose a party over this.

Unknown number: Well, that kinda sucks.

Me: Yeah, it does.

Unknown number: I’m at a party but would prefer to be home right now.

Me: You’re at a party?

Unknown number: Yup.

Me: Texting?

Unknown number: Correct.

Me: Wow! Is the party that lame?

Unknown number: Nah, but for me it kinda is. Would rather be

with you.

Me: LOL. You don’t even know me.

Unknown number: Who said I don’t? Because I didn’t say anything of the sort.

Me: So, you know me?

Unknown number: More than you can imagine.

Great, Joanna, I speculated to myself, freaking out a fraction. You’re currently texting a stalker or a cultist, even a murderer.

Me: Are you a stalker, murderer, or a cultist?

Even though I knew the question was stupid, I had to ask it. Aould a cultist even accept he was one?

Unknown number: Trust me I ain’t a murderer or a stalker. I’ve known you all my life.

Me: But you didn’t deny being a cultist ...

Unknown number: I didn’t admit it either

Me: Since you said you know me, can I ask you a few questions to know how?

Unknown number: Shoot, baby.

Me: Sorry?

Unknown number: I meant you are free to ask anything.

Me: Alright. What’s my name?

Unknown number: Joanna.

Me: Wow. Age?

Unknown number: Currently 18. Elvis is your senior brother.

Me: OMG. You are making me scared. How do you know all this? Unknown number: Don’t be. Your full name is Joanna Alex. Joanna Gore Alex to be precise.

Me: Who are you?

Unknown number: You know me.

Me: I don’t.

Unknown number: I know

Me: What the ... just tell me.

Unknown number: In due time, hun, in due time.

Me: No, tell me now.

Unknown number: Bye

Who the hell could he be? I wondered as he went offline after the last message.

My chemistry homework was now long forgotten.

********

Unknown Number POV

Clasped in the middle of a high school party which was the first party I’d attended since I returned to this town, I was bored out of my mind. Elvis who literally convinced me to come said it would be fun and help me socialize, but the damn idiot didn’t even show up.

So, yeah, I was sort of glued with drunk teenagers grinding themselves and having their version of fun.

Glancing around, I thought back to when I was like them, getting high to be happy. Ever since I failed a grade because of all that, I swore never to get high again.

I recognized some faces here, like Tony and Blake, whom I wasn’t sure I could talk to because of my new fake reputation of a fuckboy as they could assume I was here to steal their show.

Needing to clear the boredom, I decided to text her. The only girl who could get me high more than any drug. I didn’t tell her my name or who I was was for a reason.

A reason I suppose was still because of the fake reputation and the fear of rejection, because which good girl like Anacould date a fuckboy? None apparently. Hence, this was real life and not some cliche teen fic.