“I was starting to get worried.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I stopped off to get a phone on the way home and I didn’t know it would take so long.”
I showed him my phone, and he seemed impressed.
“I wanted to make sure you could reach me if you need me,” I explained.
I’d left my backpack in the car, and Will got it out for me. He carried it into the house and tossed it on the floor in the parlor. I invited Kai in, and he followed me up to my room.
My room was probably unusual. I didn’t have a bunch of teddy bears or frilly curtains like I imagined most human girls would have. The room was dark, and my bed was covered in rich browns. The curtains were thick and heavy, blocking out as much light as possible. The floor was hardwood and very dark – almost black. A large rug in creams and browns covered all but a few inches of the floor. My desk was a huge wooden antique, also dark. In fact, there was very little in my room that wasn’t dark. I just liked it that way.
Kai sat on my bed and he commented on how soft it was as he sank down into the downy pillow top mattress.
“I like my bed really soft,” I explained. “I can’t sleep on a hard bed.”
“Me, either,” he acknowledged.
“Do you know much about phones?” I asked.
“Phones?” he questioned.
I shoved my new phone at him.
“Oh, right. Phones,” he nodded. “Sure, what do you want to know?”
“How do I use it?” I asked.
Kai laughed. “You called your brother from my phone the other day.”
“No, I know,” I agreed. “I know how to call people. But I have no idea how to do anything else with it.”
Kai spent the next hour showing me how to add names and numbers to my address book. The first number he added was his own, of course. Then he helped me add my brother’s cell phone, and my home phone so I could reach my mother. He showed me how to send a text message, and the first message he sent from my phone was to his. He showed me how to use the camera, and how to access email.
“There’s one thing I really want to know,” I said. He hadn’t covered it yet.
“And that is?” Kai asked.
“How can I make my ringtone ‘Moonlight Sonata’ like yours?” I demanded.
“Oh, that!” he laughed. “Watch.”
He flipped through the options until he reached the ringtone store. He searched through the shop and found they had three different versions of “Moonlight Sonata.” He let me listen to each one. I hated two of them. One sounded like it was being played on a harpsichord. I hate harpsichords. The other sounded very juvenile. The other sounded like a concert piano piece. I loved it.
He added it as my ringtone, and a message popped up saying I’d just been charged ninety-nine cents.
“Oh, neat,” I gushed. “My first charge!”
We were still fiddling around with my phone – taking pictures of each other and sending each other goofy text messages, even though we were in the same room, when Kai’s phone rang.
He answered it, and his face blanched. The happy smile he’d just worn disappeared, and he hung his head. I could hear yelling through the phone. I guessed it was his mother. He listened to the shouting for a few minutes. He stared at the floor the whole time.
After he hung up, I asked, “Your mom?”
He nodded, and said, “I have to go.”
“Nooo!” I whined. “Why do you have to go?”
“I just have to,” he said. “I’m sorry. I really want to stay.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” I asked.
He shook his head dejectedly.
“I will,” I assured him. “I really want to spend more time with you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll call you later.”
I gave him a hug, which didn’t last nearly as long as I wanted because he felt he needed to hurry home. I was hoping his mother wasn’t drunk, and I was really hoping things would go smoothly for him when he got there.
I tried to do my homework, but I kept staring at my phone. I was waiting for
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I stopped off to get a phone on the way home and I didn’t know it would take so long.”
I showed him my phone, and he seemed impressed.
“I wanted to make sure you could reach me if you need me,” I explained.
I’d left my backpack in the car, and Will got it out for me. He carried it into the house and tossed it on the floor in the parlor. I invited Kai in, and he followed me up to my room.
My room was probably unusual. I didn’t have a bunch of teddy bears or frilly curtains like I imagined most human girls would have. The room was dark, and my bed was covered in rich browns. The curtains were thick and heavy, blocking out as much light as possible. The floor was hardwood and very dark – almost black. A large rug in creams and browns covered all but a few inches of the floor. My desk was a huge wooden antique, also dark. In fact, there was very little in my room that wasn’t dark. I just liked it that way.
Kai sat on my bed and he commented on how soft it was as he sank down into the downy pillow top mattress.
“I like my bed really soft,” I explained. “I can’t sleep on a hard bed.”
“Me, either,” he acknowledged.
“Do you know much about phones?” I asked.
“Phones?” he questioned.
I shoved my new phone at him.
“Oh, right. Phones,” he nodded. “Sure, what do you want to know?”
“How do I use it?” I asked.
Kai laughed. “You called your brother from my phone the other day.”
“No, I know,” I agreed. “I know how to call people. But I have no idea how to do anything else with it.”
Kai spent the next hour showing me how to add names and numbers to my address book. The first number he added was his own, of course. Then he helped me add my brother’s cell phone, and my home phone so I could reach my mother. He showed me how to send a text message, and the first message he sent from my phone was to his. He showed me how to use the camera, and how to access email.
“There’s one thing I really want to know,” I said. He hadn’t covered it yet.
“And that is?” Kai asked.
“How can I make my ringtone ‘Moonlight Sonata’ like yours?” I demanded.
“Oh, that!” he laughed. “Watch.”
He flipped through the options until he reached the ringtone store. He searched through the shop and found they had three different versions of “Moonlight Sonata.” He let me listen to each one. I hated two of them. One sounded like it was being played on a harpsichord. I hate harpsichords. The other sounded very juvenile. The other sounded like a concert piano piece. I loved it.
He added it as my ringtone, and a message popped up saying I’d just been charged ninety-nine cents.
“Oh, neat,” I gushed. “My first charge!”
We were still fiddling around with my phone – taking pictures of each other and sending each other goofy text messages, even though we were in the same room, when Kai’s phone rang.
He answered it, and his face blanched. The happy smile he’d just worn disappeared, and he hung his head. I could hear yelling through the phone. I guessed it was his mother. He listened to the shouting for a few minutes. He stared at the floor the whole time.
After he hung up, I asked, “Your mom?”
He nodded, and said, “I have to go.”
“Nooo!” I whined. “Why do you have to go?”
“I just have to,” he said. “I’m sorry. I really want to stay.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” I asked.
He shook his head dejectedly.
“I will,” I assured him. “I really want to spend more time with you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll call you later.”
I gave him a hug, which didn’t last nearly as long as I wanted because he felt he needed to hurry home. I was hoping his mother wasn’t drunk, and I was really hoping things would go smoothly for him when he got there.
I tried to do my homework, but I kept staring at my phone. I was waiting for
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