I arrived at home to see my mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table. Mom had the crossword in front of her, and Dad was still in his work clothes. My little brother Allistar sat on the floor, playing with his toy cars. "Afternoon, Malcolm," Dad said. "Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom." "Hey, Mal," Allistar said. "Hey, Allie." "How was your day?" Mom asked. I shrugged. "Eh. It was a day." Dad laughed. "I'm going upstairs, ok?" "Ok. We'll call you down for dinner." "Ok." I barged up the stairs and went into my room. It was painted a soft purple. I played back on my bed and took out my phone. I had given Malakai my number at lunch that day, and, I suppose it was wishful thinking, but I just kept hoping he had texted me. "You're not obsessing, Malcolm, you're just checking," I whispered to myself. And, sure enough, there was nothing. I sighed and plugged my earphones in. I left one out so I could hear if Mom called. I spent a couple hours listening to music, then ate dinner and went to bed.