Chapter 14

             I finally picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Hey! For a minute there I thought you weren't going to answer" Nick said. "No, I'm here" I replied. "Soooo, should we try this video chat thing or what?" he said. "Ya, ok" I said, and we hung up.

            As I went over to my computer and started up the chat, the reality of what was about to happen hit me, and as much as I tried to fight it, tears started to well up in my eyes. I hated myself for crying. "Come on! This is stupid. I told myself I wasn't gonna do this. At least not in front of him. I need to maintain this one last shred of dignity that I have left. This wasn't even anything serious. I've gotta suck it up!" I could see Nick now at the other end of the video chat. I hadn't started my webcam yet so he couldn't see or hear me. For a moment I just watched him sitting there, waiting. He seemed calm for the most part, maybe a little impatient, but he definitely didn't seem distressed at all. "He's not sad. He doesn't even care. I can't do this! Not with him watching me." I wiped the tears from my eyes and typed a message to him "Sorry, I can't get my webcam to work, but I can see you. Can you just tell me whatever it is?" He sighed as he read the message. "I really wanted to have this conversation face to face" he said, looking into the camera. "I'm sorry" I typed back. "Ok, well, this isn't really the way I wanted to tell you this but ... I'm in town." I sat there in shock for a minute, I was really confused. "If he is in town then why couldn't we have just met to have this conversation? And why couldn't he tell me he was in town?" I finally typed back "What do you mean your in town? Where? How long have you been here?" "Not long" he replied "just for the past few days." I had gone from upset to furious. "This whole time he's been avoiding me not just over the phone, but in my own CITY! He's probably been gallivanting all over town with some other chick, and making me look like a complete JACKASS!!" I didn't know what to say when Nick finally said, "you know what ... can you just come meet me?" "Now?" I replied. "Yea" he said, "if you can. Can you come now?" "I guess" I typed back "Where are you?" "4165 Walker St." he said "I'm up in the penthouse." "Why aren't you at a hotel?" I asked. "Don't worry about that, it'll all make sense when you get here. Just come" he said. "Ok. I'll be there soon" I typed, and we closed the chat.