Lucky Caller(61)

58.


THURSDAY WAS THE DAY. THE interview had finally arrived. Tonight, the mystery guest would be revealed.

I didn’t know about the others, but I couldn’t eat lunch. Couldn’t focus in class. My mind was perpetually fast-forwarding to seven o’clock that evening, when the auditorium would be buzzing, awaiting the reveal of our mystery guest.

Unknowingly awaiting the moment when Dan—nice, kind, khakied Dan—would step out onto the stage.

What would happen? Would they boo him off? Would the TION fans and the Existential Dead fans riot? Would the four or five innocent people in the audience who maybe just wanted to hear an interesting talk be caught in the crossfire?

I couldn’t concentrate. I skipped last period and went to the student gallery.

To my surprise, Joydeep was there. He had a textbook and a notebook open on the table, but he was staring at his phone.

“Hey.”

He looked up, his expression brightening when he saw it was me.

“Free period?” he said.

I shook my head as I took a seat across from him. “Skipping.”

“Rebel.”

“I mean, there’s not much more that can compare to whatever’s gonna go down tonight.”

Joydeep looked at me placidly. “I think it’s all going to go really well.”

“For real?”

“No, it’s gonna be a bloodbath. But you know? Maybe we’ll still get some money out of it. For Jamie’s grandma’s thing.”

I thought of Joydeep in that very first radio class, gesturing back toward Jamie. He’s with us too.

“Why didn’t you go with Colby and them?” I asked. “Like when we first made groups in class.”

“Because.” He frowned and mumbled something that sounded like “peaks me.”

“Sorry?”

“He picked Sammy,” he said more clearly. “Over me. Hana and Lily, those are her friends, and he chose their group over mine.”

“Is that why you fucked with their show?”

“No, I fucked with their show because it’s funny and I’m good at it. But in general I feel like people shouldn’t abandon their friends.”

“But if you had been in his group, Sammy would have had to abandon one of her friends.”

“No she wouldn’t. There’s no reason Colby and Sammy had to be together in a group. You or Sasha could’ve gone with her people and Colby could’ve been with us.”

“Great to hear how fast you’d trade one of us out.”

“Hey, it was early days! I didn’t know—” A shrug. “I didn’t know how this was gonna turn out.”

“We still don’t know how it’s gonna turn out.”

“But we know about us, though. That we’re…” He waved a hand between us.

I smiled and raised my eyebrows up and down suggestively. “Soul mates?”

He sputtered a laugh. “You wish.” He made a funny face, like he was embarrassed to be sharing feelings. “I don’t know. We’re kinda … bros now.”

“Do we have to be bros?”

“Well, not if you don’t want to. I just thought—”

“I mean, can’t we be friends instead?”

He bobbed his head. “I could be okay with that.” It was quiet, and when he spoke again, his voice was oddly careful. “So. What does one friend do when another friend is obviously super in love with their mutual friend?”

I blinked at him. “I’m not—me and Jamie aren’t—” I shook my head. “I’m not.”

A huge grin split Joydeep’s face. “I didn’t even say Jamie. I didn’t even say you. You just assumed, because you are! You are!”

“You are!” I said. “Your face is!”

“Hey!”

“Sorry.” I put my head in my hands. “Vikrant’ll get you first.”

He huffed a laugh.

“I knew it. I totally knew it. Sasha and I have a bet going.”

“What’s the bet?”

“I’m not telling you. I don’t want to compromise the conditions of it. But rest assured, I’m going to win.”

“Whatever you’re doing here is probably tampering, though.”

“It’s not tampering to tell you I think you should tell Jamie how you feel.”

“That sounds like tampering.”

“That’s not the bet! That’s just being a good bro.”

“Okay, bro,” I replied, but I couldn’t help but smile.





59.


A STEADY FLOW OF PEOPLE streamed into the auditorium that evening. I tried not to look out into the house as we all stood backstage—me, Jamie, Sasha, Joydeep, and Dan. Mom and Sidney and Rose were out there somewhere in the audience. Their support was not optional.

You really don’t have to come, I had told them.

We’ll be there whether you like it or not, Mom replied with a smile. For both of you.

We all had our roles for the evening—Joydeep and Sasha would be doing the interview. I was going to record, so we could broadcast it on our show. Jamie was in charge of getting the equipment ready, the mics and the recording set up.