Mastery

New Phone

Rory

Fire. I am fascinated by fire. I'm not a pyromaniac or anything but i'm mesmerized by how it melts it's own colors into each other.

I was in full concentration, working my brush on my latest project when my music paused and an annoying ringing replaced it through the speakers. I sighed loudly, irritated to be interrupted and reached over to my phone to answer.

"This is Rory"

"It's me"

"Hey Benji, what's up?" I knew he hated when I called him that but I also hated to be interrupted so fair game. 

"We're going to the field tonight, you in?"

"Pick me up at nine"

"Awesome"

I hung up and sighed. The down side of not going to school was that I didn't have a lot of friends. But Benjamin and I used to be on the town's soccer team together when we were little and we've been friends ever since. We usually went out onto fields or parking lots and just listened to music, wrestled around and talked about girls at his school. About a year ago he started bringing this other dude along, Dave. He and I never really got as close but we were cool. He was the linebacker in their school's football team and we'd often toss a ball around when we were hanging out. I'd throw really far and he'd run as fast as he could to catch it. I've been told I have a rather "supernatural" throw. 

I looked at the time. It was 7:35 so i still had time to finish off the last details of my painting. I tossed my phone onto the couch but i missed and threw it straight into the wall above the couch. What the hell?

I quickly grabbed it off the ground and realized the screen was shattered. I clicked the power button a couple of times but the screen stayed black... and cracked. Fuck. How did i miss that?

I went downstairs to find my aunt making tea.

"Hey honey, do you want some?"

"No thanks, where's uncle Gary?"

"He went out to get some groceries. Why? is something wrong?"

She must've noticed my distressed face. She was gonna be pissed if i told her so I'd rather told my uncle.

"Nothing, don't worry"

I ran back upstairs. I plugged the charger into the phone and tried to turn it on again but it still wouldn't. The screen stared darkly and empty back at me. My phone was my only connection to the outside world. My only friends and means to contact them were on that phone. I was going to need a new one and soon. I logged into my bank account on my computer to see how much money I had.

I could buy two meals at Mc Donald's and a new shirt if i spilled some of the sauce on it.

I heard my uncle's truck pull into the driveway and started contemplating how i was going to break the news to him. I hated asking him for anything, let alone money. 

I heard the front door open and made my way downstairs. The moment of truth. 

"Hey uncle,"

"Yeeeees Rory?" he said turning towards me slowly. 

"Can i talk to you?"

He looked at my aunt who crossed her arms.

"Let's go upstairs"

"You guys are unbelievable, you both live under my roof!"

My uncle handed the grocery bags to my aunt, kissed her on the cheek and followed me into the atelier. He sat down on the couch and I sat on a chair in front of him.  The phone in my hand.

"What's up? Are you pregnant?"

"Yes, and I don't know who the father is"

We laughed at the lame joke. At least there wasn't any ice to be broken. But my phone was. So i just blurted it out.

"I accidentally broke my phone today, by accident. I don't know how it happened and I hate to ask you for this but I really need a phone"

The smiled slowly dripped off his face and he glanced at me.

"And you're asking me to pay for it?"

I swallowed hard. I hated asking my uncle for money and the older I got, the more reluctant he became to give me any. He's told me to get a job multiple times ever since i turned 16 and even offered me a job at his shop but fixing cars wasn't anything for me. I wanted to paint. I needed to paint. And there were no jobs involving art in this stupid town. 

 I slowly nodded and gave him a puppy smile. He stayed quiet for a while and then he slowly stood up.

"Get a fucking job Rory, for God's sake you're seventeen and all you do is mope around in this room and ask me for money."

He walked out of the room.
It hurt. Not what he just said but how he said it. It was so calm and that meant that he had meant it. He didn't scream it out in a 'i-didn't-know-what-i-was-saying' kind of way. 

I sat there staring out in front of me for a while passing the phone between my hands when I heard Benjamin honk outside. I went into my room, grabbed a hoodie and my vans and went downstairs.

"Where do you think you're going on a school night?"

I ignored him. What he called 'moping around' was what I lived for and it was insulting. Painting was everything to me and he knew it. Plus, I barely ever asked him for anything.

"Rory come back here, right now"

"You're not my father, piss off!"

I slammed the front door shut behind me. I thought i heard glass crack but I was angry and couldn't care less. I was angry at myself for yelling at my uncle. He wasn't my father but he's the best uncle I could ever ask for even when he hurts my feelings. Beats parents who disappear on you anyway. 

Thank God Dave was in the passenger seat so I had to sit in the backseat and they couldn't see the tears that were building up behind my eyes. 

"You okay man?" Benjamin asked, looking at me in the front mirror.

"Yeah, whatever let's go." I nodded while looking outside.