is a very short story that I wrote to capture how technology in our society can bring upon social dysfunction. People today often spend most of their time on their smart phones and computers communicating with people over the internet, instead of communicating with people in the outside world.
Joseph is a freshman boy in high school who relies on technology way too much. He walks everywhere with his head down focusing on the screen of his smart phone and barely notices the outside world. He lacks adequate social ability and because of his reliance on communication over the internet he's developed a stutter when talking to people he doesn't know, which is almost everyone.
Josette is a girl who Joseph admires greatly. She is beautiful and sweet and notices Joseph's lack in social ability. She tries her best to befriend Joseph and eventually causes him to reduce his stuttering when talking to her.
Joseph, throughout the story, is afraid to befriend people in his school because he thinks the worst of them, but once Josette shows up things start to change.
Joseph and Josette
By: Cody Papka
“WAKE UP!”
“WAKE UP!”
I open my eyes and see my projection clock reading 6:00AM, illuminating the ceiling as well as my whole room. I look over at my laptop and see my mom glaring at me through the screen.
“Wake up!” she said in her attempt at a stern voice. “Don’t make me come up there and drag your scrawny ass out of bed.” She always acted like she was a strict mother, but with every order she gave a little smirk formed in the side of her mouth as if to say, “I love you sweetheart.”
“Mom, you have to stop waking me up like this,” I grumbled in my raspy morning voice. “What if I was naked or…”
“Oh shush! It’s not like I haven’t seen your little weenie before,” she interrupted. “And don’t think I don’t notice how many times you go to the bathroom. I don’t even want to know what you’re doing in there. Come on get down here, I made you some pancakes.” She always made pancakes.
“Eww Mom, don’t tell me that! I’ll be down in a sec.” I shut my lap top screen and put it in my bag, grabbed my phone and headed down.
I took one step down the stairs and the warm smell of maple syrup wafted into my nose. God could she make pancakes. The sizzle of the griddle sounded through the whole house and made my mouth water uncontrollably. I sat down at the table, piled eight high on my plate and drowned them in syrup. My mom yapped at me in the background, something about her new phone or something; the pancakes were by far enough for my attention. I quickly finished, grabbed my phone and bag, and headed for the door. My mom stopped me in my tracks.
“Hey! Hey!” she exclaimed pausing waiting for my full attention. “I love you.”
I sighed, “I love you too,” and slipped out the door.
The bus stop was nine blocks away, but it wasn’t too bad. I walked, head down, looking up about every seven steps, completely fixated on my phone and whoever I was chatting with and today was no different. I walked and walked concentrating on my convo with DeMoNsLaYeR666. I talked to him just about every morning and he always had the same things to say to me. He never understood why I even went to school. He always said there’s no use reading and just memorizing what the teachers want you to and how it’s just pointless knowledge and how, “the world has so much more to offer than teachers can even fathom.” I would always tell him that I liked school and that it was fun and that I loved spending time with my friends, but frankly I don’t know why I go to school either. I don’t learn anything. The only class I like is my computer design class. And honestly, I didn’t have friends at school. The guys at my school were immature and didn’t care about anything except being “cool”. There was no individuality; everyone seemed like the same spoiled, snobby rich kid you see on TV and I couldn’t stand them. Online I can be myself without anyone judging me, and without criticism. At school I can hardly say anything without people chuckling or making jokes about me.
I finally reached the bus stop and took a seat next to Josette Johnson. I sat next to her at the bus stop every day and it was without question the best part of my day. Her wavy, blonde hair looked especially nice today under her purple knitted hat and her intoxicating perfume was pungent as ever. I never said a word to her and she of course never said a word to me. I just admired her beauty in silence focusing on my conversation with DeMoNsLaYeR. Her just sitting next to me was almost enough to make my heart explode; I couldn’t imagine what I would even say to her if a conversation started. Then, at the drop of a dime, my heart fell into my gut.
“You’re Joseph right?” she asked in the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. I glanced up at her and before I could respond she continued, “That’s so cool, you’re name’s like mine. I’m Josette.” She stuck her hand straight out to mine and smiled showing her freshly braced mouth the same color purple as her hat.
As I reached and grabbed her hand she asked me something, but I couldn’t understand a word she said with the pounding of my heart drowning out every sound around me. My face was hot and I knew I was blushing. I could only imagine how red it was.
“Wh wh what?” I mustered up nervously.
“Don’t you think I’m pretty?” she asked making sure to look into my eyes. “I mean, there has to be some reason why you never talk to me or never even look at me. You like my new hat don’t you? My mom just finished making it for me. It matches my braces see!” She smiled wide again, proud of her metal mouth.
“I th think you are vvvery pretty. I jjjjust don’t ta talk mmmuch.” I quickly hid back into my phone embarrassed and sure she would laugh at my stutter.
“Awe, that’s sweet of you!” I glanced up a little bit. “How come you talk like that?” she asked condescendingly. I looked back down and twisted my body away from her.
“No! No! I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just curious… I think you’re cute.” She smiled, leaned over and kissed me softly on the cheek.
I looked back up and a smile somehow eked out no matter how hard I tried to hold back. “R r really?” I asked completely astonished.
“Well of course!” she shot back quickly. “You could talk a little more… but you always smell like fresh pancakes and you do have a nice smile you know. It’s very sweet. You should smile more often. I think that was the first time I’ve ever seen a smile from you.”
My face was as red as a tomato by now. “W w well I n n never h have anyth thing to to smile about.”
“What do you mean!? There’s plenty to smile about. See that squirrel over there… next to that plum tree?” I nodded wondering what the heck she was getting at. “How can you not smile at him? He’s so fluffy and cute, and oh look! He has a friend.” Another squirrel jumped out of the plum tree and started chasing the other around. “How can you not smile at that?”
She was right; how could I not smile at that? Actually, how do I not notice things like this on a regular basis? I sit at the same bus stop every day and don’t remember ever noticing the plum tree across the street.
I looked back at her, smiled, and put my phone in my pocket.
“What do you do on that thing all the time anyways?” Josette asked aggressively. “I never see you look away from it. You walk through the halls with your eyes glued to that tiny little screen and I swear your thumbs go a million miles an hour typing on that all the time.”
I couldn’t help myself but to laugh a little. “I ddo everything on my ph phone. T talk to mmy friends, check email, ppplay ggames…”
“Talk to your friends?” she interrupted.
“Yeah.”
“You never talk to anyone any one at school. I didn’t think you had any friends.” I could tell she felt a little guilty for pointing that out, but I didn’t mind. I was starting to warm up to her.
“Wwell they’re mmmy online friends. You don’t evvver talk to ppeople online?”
“Well of course I do, but with people I know. Do you know any of the people you talk to online? And what do you even talk about?”
“Yes I knknow them. We talk about everything. I can be whoever I want to be with people online and they don’t care one bit. If I talk to people in person, I can barely get a word out because of mmy stupid stutter and people laugh and judge me because of it.”
“I don’t judge you do I? And I bet you didn’t even notice that you only stuttered twice that whole time. You just have to try and talk to people more. I bet they’ll surprise you and I bet you’ll surprise yourself.”
“It’s harder than yyou think… Online I can say whatever I want, whenever I want.” She looked at me with a very discerning look. “You wouldn’t understand… you can talk to anybody. I never know what to say to people in real life and if I do have something to say people don’t listen or even care… It’s like talking to the wind.”
“You just have to give people a chance,” she replied trying to console me a little bit. “We’ve been talking for what ten minutes? And you’re already comfortable enough with me that you don’t stutter anymore. There are tons of nice people in the world who I guarantee would love to hear what you have to say. Come on I’ll show you.”
The bus pulled up with a screech. We walked on the bus and she grabbed my hand pulling me to the back of the bus by her friends. She was right. Right when I sat with her and her friends, they all introduced themselves to me with contagious smiles which caused me to do the same. It was hard to talk at first, but whenever I started to stutter I would just look at Josette and she’d smile and reassure me that it was ok. I met Jean, Jared, and Jordan. All were girls except Jared and they were all so curious about why I spend so much time on my phone and computer. Was it really that noticeable? Did it really take up my whole life like that?
When we got to school I walked with them to homeroom. While walking I grabbed my phone out of my pocket to check on my recent conversations. Josette quickly recognized it and smiled and put my hand in hers. I turned off my phone and put it back in my pocket. My heart was pounding again and my hands were starting to get clammy, but it was a great feeling to know someone cared about me and was interested in me.
When we finally got to homeroom Josette opened the door for me; starting another new day and possibly a new me.
