The Uneventful Life of Harvey Mackler

c h a p t e r | f i v e

     HUNTER IS A dead man walking.

"Well, at least it's a change from your usual death threat victim," Gia's crackly voice replies from the other side of our FaceTime call shortly after I say this out loud. "Hayden not around?"

"He's MIA. I haven't seen him since the dumb party started," I admit. "But that's beside the point—Hunter was the one that initiated this whole thing over a girl and..." I get up from my bed to peer out the window, "I haven't even seen Laney tonight."

"Laney, like Delaney Johnson?"

"Mhmm. We met her at the White the other day, and now Hunter suddenly remembers he has unrequited feelings for her or something."

"Really? I always thought it was the other way around."

"It is," I insist. "Hunter's just being an idiot as per usual. Plus he'd never ignore an excuse to throw a party."

"On the upside, at least it's down at the beach, rather than an actual house party," Gia responds, still trying to make something positive out of it. "It'll be quieter inside."

"Yeah, you'd think, but they're just as obnoxiously loud anyway. They have to at least be a quarter mile away but I can still hear them."

"Yikes." Gia winces. "How have the neighbours not complained yet?"

"Their son's cohosting the party? I don't know, Gi," I mutter irritably. "Probably not at home either."

I let out a sigh, glancing outside once more and then at my door.

"I'm going to go make myself a sandwich," I declare.

"Oh, okay then," I hear Gia say. It's hard to see because her side of the screen is dark, but I could tell she had an eyebrow raised as she said this. Ignoring this, I pick up my phone and head down to the kitchen.

I prop my phone up on a counter where Gia is able to see me (there isn't much point in me seeing her — she is sat in a dark room, I can barely make out her face in the dim lighting).

"The worst part, Gi, is the music they're playing isn't even that good," I carry on, as I manoeuvred my way around the kitchen in search of the ingredients from my sandwich. "It's that awful, mainstream synth pop stuff. The drumbeat alone gives me a headache."

"Oh, the horror," Gia replies drily. "How ever will you survive the dreaded mainstream music."

I look up from cutting my sandwich into triangles to glare at her.

"Funny," I reply in a mocking tone, before I tear aggressively into my sandwich.

"Ooh, PB&J? You must really be annoyed," she notes, this time in all seriousness.

"You think? But Gi, seriously if you were here, you'd be complaining as well," I say. "I can't concentrate. I can't do anything, I can't hear anything. I can't even hear myself th-"

The rest of my sentence is muffled by a chorus of raucous cheers and laughter. I inhale sharply.

"That's it. I'm going out there." I slam the rest of my sandwich on its plate and push myself off the tabletop.

"Godspeed, ye brave soldier," Gia salutes me.

I momentarily pause to give her a questioning look.