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Chapter 39
Fox
“Hey, Darla,” I say into the phone. “It’s me.”
I hear a sharp inhale behind the silence. I wait, casually pacing the carpet at the foot of my bed. Her curiosity will win her over, eventually.
“Uh,” she finally says. “Hey, Channing.”
I chuckle. “Hi.”
“How did you get this number?”
“You gave it to me, remember?”
“Oh, right.” She clears her throat. “What’s up?”
“I’m just calling to check on you,” I say. “How are you holding up?”
“You mean after the whole almost getting murdered thing?” she asks.
“Yeah, I mean exactly after that.”
“I’m… peachy.”
I smile. “Kept your sense of humor, though.”
“It’s a defense mechanism, I assure you.” She pauses. “Honestly, I’m taking some time off from school, so…”
“How long?” I ask.
“Not sure, actually…”
Her voice fades. I ache with empathy, feeling like a lost teenager all over again.
“Well, I’m nearby if you want to talk, all right?” I say. “It’s cliché, but I know what you’re going through. Talking helps.”
She snorts. “Oh, now you wanna be friends, huh?”
“I do.”
“I thought that costs too much,” she says, amused.
“It does, but you can afford it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, do me a favor. Are you near a computer?”
“Uh…” She chuckles awkwardly. “Yeah.”
“Check your bank balance for me.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
Darla shifts around audibly until I hear her sit down, followed by the quick tapping of a laptop keyboard as she hums lightly to herself.
