Short Scene: Phone Tag

Nathanial swung his bag up onto his shoulder and headed for the door to the classroom as everyone else packed up their stuff. As he went he called his voice mail box. He'd gotten a call in the middle of Theater History -- fortunately his phone was on silent or the professor might've leapt across tables and attacked. She had not been in a good mood.

"Please enter your 4 digit password then press pound." He complied with the phones instructions. "You have one saved voice mail. You have three saved voice mails. First new message:"

The phone switched over to a deep voice. "Hey hottie, it's Brad. I know we haven't talked in a while, a couple months. I've been super busy. Just calling to say hi. I miss you, Nathanial. Give me a call back some time. Talk to you later."

Before the instructions could even be heard Nathanial slammed a finger into the "7" button to delete the message. By now he was walking outside in the chilly January air, not too frigid but much colder than it was outside, and his suddenly foul mood was visible to anyone who got close enough to see his facial expression.

"Hey Thanial," a voice shouted. Only one person called him that -- Terry, who refused to use most people's full names, "What's up?"

Nathanial turned towards his friend and forced a smile. "Not much, Terry, how are you?"

"What's wrong?" For all the boy's acting skills, it was simply too difficult to fool Terry. He was very good at reading people.

But perhaps a part of Nathanial wanted his friend to know and had given him away. "Brad called," he sighed.

"No, you're not going back to him." The boy's reaction was instaneous, every joint of his body tensed and his jaw jutted forward stubbornly.

Nathanial rolled his eyes. "I know. Jesus, I know. I just hate that he calls every time he's single again. You'd think he'd delete my number at some point, he has with all his other ex's."

Reassured, Terry relaxed and became congenial again. "You were the only guy he's dated who didn't treat him like shit," Terry pointed out, "At least according to him." He smirked. "Of course, there's a reason that they treat him like shit."

Nathanial shrugged. "I guess. He is a douche. But I dunno."

In a split second, Terry's demeanor had changed again. "Don't know what? Whether or not he treats everyone around him like a toy or a tool that's completely expendable and to hell with how they feel? Cause that's been pretty obvious to the rest of us since the day you met him."

"Maybe he's changed, I haven't seen him in forever," Nathanial shot back defensively, "I mean, it does happen. And I kind of miss, you know, being with somebody."

"You can get any guy you want! Okay, tonight we're going to the club and getting you a man," Terry insisted.

Nathanial held in a laugh. "You're coming?"

Terry shrugged. "Well, I figure I'll be safe if I make out with Alexis all night. Right?"

"Sure, if letting you think that will get you there," Nathanial smiled.