Learning to Fall

The cell phone never really had an important meaning to me. Why would it? It was Zack’s. It’s not like I could use it or anything – if I even wanted to. But now, as I sit on my bed with the phone in my hands, I’m suddenly very curious about it.

Both Kaitlin and Tara are sitting on my bed with me and they both have different emotions going on. Kaitlin seems excited while Tara looks really nervous.

“Read the text messages.”

“No, maybe you shouldn’t,” Tara puts in, biting her lip. “They’re your brothers – he wouldn’t want you to read them.”

“Why are you so nervous? Are there some from you in here?” I joke, but she blushes.

“There may be one or two…”

“Wait, seriously?”

She nods. “Okay, so I may have had a slight crush on your brother…”

“You did?”

“Yes, I did. I just said that. So whatever. Let’s get this over with.”

She grabs the cell phone from my hands and clicks a bunch of buttons. After a few seconds of searching, I see her eyes get wide and her eyebrows practically disappear into her hairline.

“Oh... well um…”

I grab it back from her and decide to check for myself. The one she has open is from Alex.

Sent at 6:22PM on 8/27
i cnt help that im attracted 2 her! Grow the fuck up nd stop bein such a baby about this

Sent at 6:25PM on 8/27
this isnt my fault…

Sent at 6:40PM on 8/27
so thats it? ur gonna stop tlkn 2 me just b/c I like ur sister?

Sent at 6:55PM on 8/27
this is fucked.

Sent at 7:12 on 8/27
ZACK come on…im sorry I wnt mention it ever again.

Sent at 9:32PM on 8/27
can u at least answer me? im sorry.

I stop reading.

“Maybe you shouldn’t read anymore,” Tara suggests.

“Wait, what do they say?”

Kaitlin grabs the phone from me.

I sit there as she reads them. There are a million things going through my mind right now. But the most obvious one – Zack and Alex fought about me. I’m the reason.