Bold text represents Devon, Regular text represents Charlize

October 11

10:13 P.M.

"Hey, cupcake."

"Told you not to call me that."

"I know, but it seems so dumb calling you everyday without knowing your real name."

"Yeah, so you came up with cupcake?"

"Actually, come to think of it, that's actually a horrible nickname for you. Cupcakes are sweet, while you're sort of the opposite."

"Rude."

"In fact, you remind me more of a hot pepper than a cupcake. Seems innocent at first, but has a kick."

"You're stupid."

"Hot pepper it is. So how's your day going, hot pepper?"

"..."

"I can literally hear you rolling your eyes. Well, I have something that will make you even happier."

"Really? I don't know, it's pretty hard to top that."

"You loved the book I got you last time, so I got you an even better one! It's outside your door right now. At least, Tommy promised he would leave it there."

"Yay! What did you choose this time? Is it a Pulitzer Prize novel? Or maybe the author is a Nobel Prize winner?"

"Just look and find out. It's better than all of those."

"..."

"Did you like it?"

"You got me 'The Jokelopedia: 1000 Practical Jokes Guaranteed to Get You Expelled'"

"Don't you love it? My literary tastes are very diverse."

"Well, to be honest, it's not really my cup of tea."

"Trust me, you'll love it. It will help you loosen up a bit and abandon that seriousness. I would say that right now, you're about as serious as a jalapeno pepper; you're fiery and intense. This book will help take that down to black pepper; you'll be milder and more exciting."

"You think you're real funny, don't you?"

"Come on, that comparison was pretty genius."

Dial Tone