Call

Call
CALL

INT: A SMALL APARTMENT

LEAH is moving restlessly(ˈrestləs) around her apartment, idly(ˈīdlē) picking things up and moving them around. Every now and then, though, she pulls(po͝ol) out her phone and checks the screen.

LEAH

He still hasn’t called. Awesome(ˈôsəm). Isn’t there some kind of cliché(kli-,klēˈSHā kli-,ˈklēˌSHā) sitcom(ˈsitˌkäm) rule about waiting three days? What kind of stupid crap is that? Like, if he calls earlier than that I’m going to think he’s desperate(ˈdespərit) or something? What if I just think he actually wants to talk to me?

(Pauses(pôz) to check phone again)

I guess technically(ˈteknik(ə)lē) it hasn’t been three days, because it was like 2 A.M. when I left, but still.

(Shakes her head and laughs in a self-deprecating(ˈdepriˌkāt) way)

Okay, I just heard myself say that out loud? And now I’m thinking there’s definitely(ˈdefənitlē) something wrong with me. I could call him, I guess. It’s 2015, that’s something I’m allowed to do. I just…don’t want to seem desperate. I’d like to know he’s interested in me. But maybe he’d like the same thing? I dunno(dəˈnō).

(Checks phone again and sighs(sī))

I should just go out. This isn’t the ‘80s—I don’t have to be shut in my apartment in order to stare(ste(ə)r) at my phone all night. But I probably won’t, because I’ve spent my whole life waiting for everything to come to me, and it never does.

(Finally stops pacing(pās,ˈpäˌCHā,ˈpāˌsē) and sits down)

I don’t know why I do that, except that it’s not just this, or my job, or that I never travelled. I can remember when I was just a kid and we all played kick-the-can in the street. I was the one kid who would never go for it. I’d just sit there in my hiding place, not really sure if I wanted to be found and caught or never found, ever. I just knew I didn’t want to try for it and fail.

You know, I think I was just waiting for the right time, for the right signal(ˈsignəl). Sometimes they’d forget about me and start another game without me. But I was just sitting there, knotted(nät) up and breathless(ˈbreTHlis), crouched(krouCH) behind the bushes(bo͝oSH), waiting for the call, waiting for someone to shout Olly-olly-oxen-free!

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