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The first call was from an old man who asked him if he knows that he has vandalized the side of the bridge. Stiles had to listen to the ‘when I was your age’ monolog for a good fifteen minutes. It’s not like he didn’t expected such call, it was already on his chart to begin with but it was kind of disappointing.
The second was from a man curious if he wants a hook up or it was somebody else who decorated the bathroom wall with his number. Stiles thanked for the offer, and yeah the stranger’s voice was kind of nice but still he was a stranger, and Stiles explained that he is doing a school project and he will be adding the topic to the chart. The guy was worried there for a minute but after Stiles explained that, no, he doesn’t have to give a name or anything he calmed down and hung up.
The third was from an old lady who wanted to know if he’s okay, because he found the card on the bus and was worried. Stiles reassured he is doing great, but the lady insisted that he had to have done that because he wanted to talk to people and so… she talked and Stiles listened. He found her to be a very charming and lovely person. She shared a few cake recipes and stories about her puppy, who was actually an eleven years old dog and promised to call again before they hung up.
Stiles decided that he will add the length of the calls to the chart as well when another call ran in. This time it was a man a few years older than Stiles, hardly talking into the phone. The man was very depressed and Stiles talked to him all night in hopes that he will soon feel better. As he went to sleep he wondered if he has just unwantedly became a suicide hotline.
The two am call from another man huffing into the phone asking him what is he wearing made him kind of regret the whole project.
The next day youngsters played pranks on him until a group of graffiti artists called asking if it’s fine if they ruin his phone number because they want to paint stuff on the side of the bridge. Stiles was surprised. It was such a nice gesture from them to ask.
Eventually the old lady with the dog called Stiles again and they had a lovely conversation. She even asked if he is taken because her grandchild should really get a boyfriend. Stiles declined the offer with a smile.
This went on for a whole week, Stiles counted together eighty one calls, six from depressed people whom just wanted to talk to someone without a face, seven from the old lady with the dog, thirty two invitations for a hook up and sex, one from a child at three am who wanted him to read her a fairy tale because she had a nightmare (her window looks to the bridge that’s how she saw the phone number), eighteen prank calls (one of them even used the running refrigerator, but a few of them were kind of creative), three from the old man who told him never to vandalize, one from the graffiti artists, eleven salesman, and two that never talked just instantly hung up.
It was Saturday and Stiles was relieved. He told everyone he had talked with that he is doing this as a school project so he will not be available after Friday midnight and since the morning there had been no calls. He left the phone on, in case one of the depressed people need a chat but nobody called.
Stiles stopped in the bus stop and eyed the amazing graffiti on the side of the bridge where his number once was. A colorful tiger was swimming underwater between fish and a few Mermaids. It looked really awesome.
Stiles listened to some old lady talking to her dog about some knitting technique, and wow that dog is really old and she sounds just like… Stiles eyed the lady sitting on the bench and knitting while her eleven years old dog lay lazily at her feet. She looked just like how Stiles imagined.
There were a few kids running shouting at each other and Stiles recognized the pun they threw at each other. He smirked as he eyed his refrigerator callers. They were hardly ten.
Getting on the bus Stiles stood looking out the window until he caught the conversation of two girls. One of them was telling a story how she tried to sell the product of the company she works at, which both girls nodded at how useless it actually was, and she tried the number she found on the bus, and how it was actually a university student doing some project.
Stiles laughed so hard he forgot to get off at his stop.
He laughed at how small Beacon Hills is and how he recognizes all these people. It was so strange but it made Stiles happy, so happy, he was still smiling when he got to the other bust stop that would take him back. There was a woman standing there constantly bragging on her phone, a child holding her hand but not getting much attention.
Stiles’ phone buzzed, not his project phone as he called it but his personal, cos yeah he should be home by now and Scott is probably sitting in front of the tv with the movie in the player.
"Dude where are you? The popcorn is going cold!"
"I’ll be there just ten minutes okay?" Stiles spoke with a grin.
When he hung up he felt being watched. The woman still babbled into her smarthphone but he little girl was looking at Stiles with big round eyes. Then she silently mouthed a ‘Peter Pan’ at him and gosh that was the little girl with the nightmare who’s window looks to the bridge.
Stiles nodded with a grin. Beacon Hills was indeed very, very small.