Stay off the line

It was a typical Saturday in Emmas suburban paradise,Emma could barely sit still. She was perched on the edge of the couch, the phone resting beside her on the table. Her fingers drummed a restless beat, the anticipation making her jittery. She had been waiting all day for a call from Brian. Brian, the boy from school who had finally noticed her—really noticed her. The same boy who told Becky at the Mall he would call her, and now, Emma was counting the minutes.

But, of course, nothing in her life was ever easy.

“Hey Emma, have you even started that essay yet, that has to be done this weekend?” her mom called from the kitchen, her voice a mix of exasperation and concern. She was standing at the stove, stirring something that smelled like broccoli and cheese, while the house hummed with the usual Saturday afternoon chaos.

“I’m busy, Mom,” Emma called back, her voice strained. “I’ve got stuff to do.” Her gaze flickered to the clock on the wall. 

“Oh, right, sure,” her mom replied, unconvinced. “Busy staring at that phone, huh? I swear, if I have to I will unplug that phone dor the day, I’ll—”

“Mom! I said I’m waiting on someone!” Emma cut in, her tone a little sharper than she intended.

Her dad, who had been lounging in his chair, reading the newspaper, chuckled. “Waiting on some shmuck, huh? Who is he, come on tell your old man? You’ve been pacing around here like a puppy, just waiting for your precious phone call. He’s probably just forgotten or maybe you gave the wrong number.”

“Dad, please. I don’t need you teasing me right now,” Emma mumbled, her face flushing.

Her little brother, Ryan, who had been sprawled out on the floor playing a video game, glanced over at her. He was moody as usual, more interested in his game than anything else. “Yeah, good luck with that. He’s probably got better things to do than call you.”

“Ryan!” she snapped. “Don’t be annoying.”

“Don’t be you then,” Ryan muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

The house felt suffocating, the noise of family life pressing in on her. Emma could almost feel the phone’s silent hum beckoning her. She needed space—needed to be alone. It felt like the entire house was conspiring against her. She stood abruptly, tossing a half-hearted glare at her brother, and bolted upstairs to her room.

Emma’s Room in 1999:

Emma’s room, though small, was her sanctuary. Posters of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC covered her walls all except the wall by the Vanity which was covered in poloroids. There was a collection of stuffed animals on her bed, ranging from a worn-out bear to a shiny new bunny she had gotten last Christmas. The bedspread was a faded lavender, with a few stray cushions scattered across it, offering a comforting, lived-in mess. Her room smelled faintly of lavender body spray and the familiar scent of her favorite peach shampoo. It was the sort of room that felt her—like the world outside didn’t matter when she was in it.

Emma flopped onto her bed and reached for her stereo. With a few clicks and buttons, the soft, familiar strains of Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time filled the room. She turned the volume up, a sense of nostalgia sweeping over her. The track was almost a theme song to her teenage years—catchy, full of longing and an innocence she knew she was just starting to outgrow. It played as she lay back against her pillow, staring at the ceiling, imagining how her life would change if Brian actually called. What would they talk about? Would he ask her out to the big party tonight? Everyone was going, and she had to be there.

The phone on her nightstand suddenly buzzed.

RING... RING... RING...

Emma shot up, her heart racing. She grabbed the receiver just as the second ring sounded.

“Hello?” she said breathlessly, her voice high and eager.

But before she could even get another word out, her Mom’s voice came over the line. “It is ok Emma it it is for me”

“Mom, she hissed, get off the phone!” she hissed.

“Oh Emma, just go do your homework” 

Emma ran back to her room and slammed the door. After switching it up and listeninging to Sarah McLachlan’s Angel a few times, the phone rang again but she was beaten to the phone again, this time by her Dad. “Dad she hissed, I told you not to answer the phone.Her heart leaping into her throat. This was it—finally. She snatched the receiver from her Dad, breathless, but instead of Brian's voice, she was met with the unmistakable awkwardness of Kyle, one of Ryan’s dorky friends. "Uh, hey, Emma," Kyle mumbled, sounding way too nervous for her taste. "Is Ryan there? I—I need to talk to him." Emma’s heart sank, but she forced a smile, her tone cool and dismissive. “Kyle, he's out right now,” she said quickly, trying to cut this short. She could hear him fumbling on the other end, likely blushing. "Look, don’t call again, he is busy all day, I will tell him you called, Byeee. She didn’t wait for his reply, slamming the receiver down, feeling the sting of disappointment mix with irritation. It was so typical of her brother’s friends, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she walked away, hoping Brian would call soon—if only for a conversation that didn’t involve anyone else.

A few minutes passed, and the tension in her chest seemed to expand. Her family was loud downstairs, too loud. She couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up and grabbed her sweater off the chair, slinging it over her shoulders as she left her room. The phone might ring again. And this time, it had to be him.

Downstairs, her parents were in the middle of a typical dinner-time bickering. Her mom was asking her dad why he hadn’t helped with the dishes earlier, while Ryan was slouched at the table, barely touching his food. He muttered something under his breath, but Emma could tell it was about her and how he thought she was too obsessed with that phone call.

“Come on, Mom, just let me eat,” Ryan grumbled. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Ryan, sit up and eat your dinner. You’ll thank me when you’re older,” her dad chided, half-attentively.

And then it happened.

The phone rang again.

Emma jumped up from the table, knocking her chair back as she scrambled to get to the stairs. Her heart was pounding in her chest, louder than anything else in the room. She sprinted up the stairs, hands clammy with excitement, and grabbed the phone just before the second ring ended.

Hello?

A long pause, then a quiet, shaky voice from the other end. “Uh... hi, is Emma there?”

It was him. It was Brian.

“Oh Hey, Brian! Hey!” Emma’s voice cracked a little, and she had to force herself to steady her breath. She closed the door to her room softly, her heart racing. She wasn’t sure if he could hear how nervous she was.

“Uh, yeah. Hi,” Brian stammered. “I, uh... I just wanted to, like... ask you about this party tonight. I was wondering... if, maybe, you were going?”

She could barely stop herself from smiling. This was it. “Of course, I’m going! I, uh, what about you, are you guys stopping by?.”

There was another awkward pause. “Oh I wasn’t sure but if you are going then mm yeh I think I will be there,” he said, his voice so unsure that it made Emma giggle. “So... maybe we could hang out there?”

Her cheeks burned with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. “Yeah... that’d be awesome.”

Another silence, and Emma’s hands were shaking now, even though it felt like they’d been talking forever. There was still something she couldn’t figure out how to say.

Brian finally cleared his throat. “So... I’ll see you there, then?”

“Yeah, totally.”

The call ended awkwardly with a click, and Emma stood there for a long moment, grinning to herself. It wasn’t perfect, but it was everything she had hoped for.

She walked over to her bed, the warmth of the moment spreading through her chest. She had made it through the awkwardness. And maybe, just maybe, tonight would be the beginning of something else.