Guys Our Age (Wattys2017) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Chapter 11: Late Night Talks (Hailey)

"I have news that may or not be great to you and awesome kickass news." Mason said when I answered his call.

"What's that?" I turned speakerphone on as I started brushing my hair.

"Well, I'm not spending Christmas with you guys this year." I frowned at his happy sounding voice.

"That better not be the awesome kickass news." I said lowly.

"Why would that be the awesome kickass news?" He asked but didn't give me time to answer. "My uncle is coming over for the whole break." I could see him bouncing around his room.

"Holy shit." I said right as I hit a knot in my hair. "Ow."

"Are you okay?" He went from carelessly happy to worried soccer mom in under a second.

"Yeah, just hit a knot." I rolled my eyes. "Why is your uncle coming down? Doesn't he work twenty hours a day and live like half a day away?"

"He's coming down for work." He was back to carelessly happy.

"I didn't take your uncle for the mix business with pleasure kind of manager." I joked.

"He isn't a manager." Mason corrected me for the millionth time. "He's just an overseer for a gallery."

"Fancy way of saying manager." I smiled as he started ranting about the difference. "So if your uncle spending Christmas with you isn't the awesome kickass news, then what is?"

"Oh yeah." I heard him shuffle some things around on his end. "Well the boss people of the gallery own a whole bunch worldwide-"

"I know." I reminded him.

"And the general theme or whatever for the next up and comers show is Local, as in you're applying." Mason didn't bother waiting for my outcry before tearing it down. "Walt told me that the boss people are looking into opening a new gallery within two hours of here, and you have to be at least sixteen to apply."

"Can't apply with nothing." I finished brushing my hair and started braiding it.

"You have a wall covered in pictures, and a box under your bed overflowing with what isn't on your wall." Mason said with enough cockiness that made me want to throw a book at him again.

"Mase, sweetheart, there's a huge difference between a professional gallery and a bedroom wall." I sighed.

"Well, the deadline for apps is early February, interviews for semi-finalists are in March, final picks are announced in March, and the show starts in May." I couldn't tell if he memorized this or was reading it off the website. "So you have time to think about what you want to do for your display things."

"Just to get you to shut up, I'll think about it." I shook my head when he cheered in victory. "But we're not telling anyone, not even Walt and Hannah."

"Cross my heart and hope to die." He responded and I took him off speakerphone.

"Don't hope to die." I murmured. "I don't wanna know what I would do if you died."

"Probably have more friends." He said without hesitation.

"I have three friends, and that's enough." I got up and closed the door. "Hannah said you stopped by earlier with Justin."

"Yeah, he needed helped bringing her chocolates and flowers." He said as I laid down on my bed.

"Okay, I thought you came over to talk about our gameplan for getting you laid." I waited him for to reply.

"Mason?" I asked after nearly twenty minutes had gone by.

"Sorry, stuff." He said.

"So I was thinking maybe Ella from work." I knew not to push him. "She thinks you're cute for reasons unknown, and I've seen you check her out."