#assuming all is okay. glances at calc rn.

[oysterie]

yayy I get to take geography next semester provided it's available

[zvkos]

CH. 6: DELETED SCENE

wassup my loves!! it’s been a month since the last instant crush chap, and i feel so crappy that i haven’t been able to give y’all anything sooner. i have a part of chapter six that i wrote and then got rid of, but i thought: “instead of deleting it, why not post it as something separate?” so that’s what imma do! give you all something to tide over the wait till chapter seven. it’s short and sweet (and unedited :p) but pls take this as a peace offering 💕 

SUNDAY

Sundays are lazy days for Clementine. They always have been. She'll wake up to the muffled sounds of the vacuum cleaner seeping underneath her door. She'll go downstairs to find Lee vacuuming the living room, singing along to the crooning of the television.

Undoubtedly on the 80s music channel.

He'll greet her before she pours herself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. That bowl of cereal will accompany her in her room as she works on homework until A.J wakes up and demand she join him in watching the newest episode of his latest cartoon obsession. They'll spend quite some time like this—curled up on the couch together—until Lee makes A.J clean his room and start on his forgotten homework. Then Clem is left to her own devices.

Most teenagers are out with friends on Sundays. Some have extracurricular activities that keep them busy during the weekends. More often than not, Clem has nothing.

This Sunday is the same.

With only four months left in the school year, it’s too late to join any clubs. She contemplates texting Ruby and seeing what she’s up to, but decides against it for fear of coming off as clingy. The idea to text Sophie appears in her mind for a split second and disappears just as quick.  

No, instead she resolves to help Lee with laundry because… why not?

She’s folding A.J's shirts when her phone loudly vibrates on top of the dryer. Lee is separating the dark and light clothing when his head jerks up at the harsh sound.

Clem grabs her phone and checks the notification. Lee's watchful eye has her controlling her expression, but she can't stop the small smile that breaks through.

[3:16pm Louis] U ever feel like ur brain is melting out ur ears?

[3:16pm Louis] Bc that's me doing my calc hwk rn

She shoots a quick reply back and continues to fold A.J's shirts—periodically stopping to reply to Louis.

The cold loneliness she felt melts away. He’s so easy to talk to. She was nervous to text him after Saturday night, not wanting to disturb him. According to everyone, Louis is a social butterfly. He probably has plenty of people vying for his attention.

So she's pleasantly surprised he texted her at all.

She doesn't miss the way Lee watches her out of the corner of his eye. If he’s curious about who she’s talking to, he doesn’t say anything, choosing to stay silent.

She's grateful for that. She doesn't know how many more times she can say “a friend from school” before he insists on knowing who.

The texts continue long after she's done with the laundry. They're still going strong, even after the sun bleeds a deep orange into the sky and disappears behind the horizon. It's nearing six o'clock when she realizes they've been talking for two hours—going on three.

She only peels her eyes away from her phone when A.J appears at her door with his arms folded. “Who're you talking to?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Louis,” she answers, sitting at her desk. Two new speech bubbles pop up on her screen as Louis replies.

A.J gasps and rushes to her, gripping the back of her chair as he peers over her shoulder. “Can I say hi?”

“I'm texting him, A.J.” Clem holds up her phone so he can glimpse at the bubbles of text. “I'll let him know you said hi, though.”

A.J frowns in confusion. “Why not just call him?” Before she can register what's happening, A.J snatches the phone out of Clem's hand and presses the button to video call Louis.

“Whoa—! A.J!” Clem twists around in her chair and reaches for her phone, but A.J is too fast. He darts away from her, holding the phone above his head.

“A.J, I swear—” Clem lunges for the phone at the exact moment Louis picks up the call.

She stops mid-action when his face takes up the majority of her screen. “Hey,” he says, looking slightly puzzled but still smiling. “If I had known you wanted to video call I would've—oh, you're not Clem.”

The phone is maybe four inches from A.J's face. “Hi, Louis!” the kid exclaims with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Louis says, “Hey, A.J!” Then adds, “You're a little close to the camera there, buddy. I can only see your forehead.”

A.J stretches out his arm so the phone is farther away. “Better?”

“Yup, better.”

Clem simmers off to the side, out of the camera's view. A.J can be a real pain sometimes.  

“So, uh, is Clem there? Or did you steal her phone?”

“Clem's here!” Before she can tell him no, A.J is shoving the phone in her face. “Say hi, Clem!”

She was not prepared to see anyone today, let alone Louis of all people. For one, she's still in her pajamas--which consists of an old, faded college shirt from Lee and grey sweats—and her hair is a mess. She's not one to fret over appearances, but this is a bit much. She wills her cheeks to remain their normal shade as she greets him with a wave. “Hey, Louis.”

“Hi, Clem.” He appears to be in his room—if the bed and books are anything to go by. He's wearing a white t-shirt, looking relaxed. “I'm assuming A.J is the one who called me?”

“He—”

A.J turns the phone towards himself, interrupting her with his own sentence. “Yeah! I wanted to say hi.”

Louis chuckles. “I'm flattered. How are you, little man? Doin’ okay?”

“Mhm,” A.J hums. “Can I show you my Monster Alliance collection?”

Louis blinks, caught off guard. “S-Sure thing.”

Clementine stands behind A.J and rests her chin on his shoulder so their heads are side by side. She mouths, “I'm sorry” to Louis, unbeknownst to her little brother. Louis’ mouth twitches in a smirk.

“Lemme show you my room,” A.J says before he's off, gallivanting out of Clem's room and down the hallway.

“Don't hog the phone, A.J!” She calls after his retreating form. “I need it back!”

“I won't!”

Poor Louis. Clementine laughs inwardly, comparing his situation to a prisoner being carried away against their will. She's sat through one of A.J's Monster Alliance lectures before—they're not short. The kid knows enough information about the game to conduct his own class on it.

It's a good thing Louis is kind enough to listen. However, Clem finds herself restless in the absence of their conversation. She wishes A.J didn't have to interrupt their conversation.

Chatting with Louis was the highlight of her Sunday. Clem doesn't remember the last time she felt so comfortable talking to someone who wasn't her immediate family.

Yes, she's comfortable with Ruby, Omar, and Aasim—but there's an uninhibited comfort that can't be explained with Louis.

It softens her—makes her feel mellow.

But now she has to wait for A.J to finish talking to him and who knows how long that'll take.

So she pulls out her notebook and starts studying for her biology quiz because now's as good a time as any.

An hour full of microfilaments and microtubules passes before A.J barrels into her room a second time.

“So Vextaur doubles as a support and a defender,” Louis' voice comes from the phone in A.J's hand.

“Yup,” A.J says. “But a lot of players only use Vextaur as a support. That leaves their backline open for attack.”

Clem furrows her brows, not understanding a word of their conversation.

“Wow, I gotta remember that. Good tip, A.J,” Louis says.

“I can show you how to play next time you come over!” A.J stands next to Clem while she sits on her bed. He covers the screen with his hand and whispers, “Can you invite Louis over so we can play Monster Alliance?”

Clem snorts. “He can still hear you, A.J.”

“Please, Clem!” A.J begs.

“I’ll come over soon, little guy, I promise,” Louis says, his face still blocked under A.J’s hand.

A.J removes his hand to show his sudden grin. “Okay!”

“A.J!” Lee’s deep voice travels from downstairs. “Come here!”

Clem and A.J glance at each other in question. He hands the phone to Clem as he says, “I have to go! Bye!”

“Alright! See you, buddy!” is Louis’ farewell. A.J is gone in a second, leaving Clem in her room by herself.

“I’m so sorry,” Clem says, situating herself against her pillows. “How was A.J’s lesson?”

Louis seems to have his phone propped on something because both of his hands are free as they drag down his face. “My head hurts.”

Clem laughs. She knows that feeling.