Nike Backpack

Shit, Luisa thought to herself, I didn’t just lose my backpack. Because this isn’t mine.

She grabbed the backpack that looked identical to hers and screamed into her pillow. The black Nike bag sat on her bed, as if it was taunting her. She went back to rummaging in the bag, looking for a phone, nametag, or something that could lead her back to its owner.

“Aha,” She smiled to herself and pulled out a blue cased iPhone. “Let’s see if you have a password.”

Much to her surprise it didn’t, and she quickly texted her number.

Hey, we seemed to have mixed up our bags. I’m Luisa, and I can get you yours back whenever you are ready. I go to St. Joseph’s school for girls.

She waited an hour and had no response. Maybe she was foolish for thinking whoever it was would give her back her things. Except, her whole life was in there and there was no way for her to live without it.

She resolved to call her phone to see if someone would pick up. On the third ring, someone did.

“Hello?” A deep voice said through the other end of the phone.

“Hi, its me, Luisa.” She said nervously.

“Yeah, I was going to text you back but your phone is locked,” He laughed. “I’m Michael.”

She didn’t say anything, she wasn’t ready to give up her password to a stranger.

“How old are you?” She asked, prepared to hang up if he was over eighteen.

“I’m seventeen, you?”

“Same. What do you look like?” She asked.

“I could send you a picture, just let me in your phone. I promise I won’t look at all the dirty secrets you keep.” He laughed again, and Luisa found out that she liked his raspy laugh.

“Fine, the password is one-five-zero-seven.” She sighed.

She listened to him breathe on the other end and soon she had a picture.

“You aren’t ugly.” She commented to herself, but he heard.

“Thanks, I think. Now it’s your turn.”

Luisa turned towards her mirror and shook her brown hair out. She took in her tanned skin, and the way she knew he would find out shes Latina.

Michael let out a low whistle when he saw the picture of her, and Luisa blushed. “I may have to keep a hold of your bag for a bit longer:”

“No! I need it for school, it has my whole life in it.” She was practically hysterical.

When she got no response she realized she was talking to a dead line. She threw his phone into the bag and fell onto her bed. If he wasn’t going to her, she would go to him.

She quickly pulled up his Life360 and watched until she found something she was looking for, his mother. She knew right away that it was his house, so she threw on a sweater to brace the cold Connecticut fall and off she was.

She stood in front of the huge Tudor style house and almost lost all of her nerve. When she finally knocked on the door she was met with a six foot giant.

“Hi, I believe you have something of mine.” She said looking up at Michael.

“Who are you?” He asked, an amused look on his face.

Luisa scoffed and let out a string of Spanish curses.

“Chill,” He said, putting his giant hand in front of her face. “I told you I wasn’t giving it back, but I’ll give you some homework.”

She watched him pull out her bag and rummage through it. He handed her all of her homework, but the bag was still overflowing with her things.

“I bet you expect something, too?” She asked, her head cocked to the side.

He shrugged and turned to close the door, but her foot blocked it.

“Look, if we have each other’s things we might as well get this over with. Give me my shit, and you get yours. It’s a win win.”

“Not for me, Luisa Armes.” And with that he closed the door.

She swore and stomped to her beat up station wagon. She grabbed Michaels phone and started going through everything.

“Two can play this game, Michael Gambola.” She said, a wicked grin on her face as she sped down the street.

As soon as she got home she started going through all of his things, she was so engrossed in it she couldn’t smell her mother making her favorite food, tamales.

“Mija,” Her mother said. “Are you okay, you hardly said a word. I know school is tough, but you can talk to me.”

“I’m fine, madre, really.” She gave her mother a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Well, dinner is done.” She took her daughter’s hand and led her to the table.

“Where is Maria?” Luisa asked her mother.

“Maria is out with her friends.” Valentina said patiently. “She will be back around eight.”

Luisa nodded and inhaled her fair share of tamales. As soon as she was finished she rushed back to Michael’s things.

“Gracias.” She called back to her mother.

She grabbed his phone and texted him.

I found a little black book, what am I going to see in it? Girls you wanna screw?

As if on cue the phone in her hands started to ring.

“Hell-”

“Don’t you dare read that book, Luisa. That’s not me anymore. I need to get rid of it, and I don’t want you to see me like that.” His voice was panicked and she almost felt bad for him, almost.

“Fine, then tell me who you really are, Michael.”

She heard him breathe on the other end, and she almost hung up.

“I’m Michael Gambola, most of my friends call me Mikey. I’m seventeen and I go to East High. I had a lot of girlfriends, but now I’m just focusing on wrestling and soccer. My parents are divorced, and my dog died last month. I don’t like to talk about my life, so never make me do this again.” He gave a sad laugh.

Luisa didn’t say anything, her fingers were tracing circles around the book in her lap.

“You there?”

“Yeah sorry.” She sighed. “It sucks you went through all of that.” She dropped the book and went back to focusing on Michael.

Except something was nagging at her, why keep the book if he changed?

“I gotta go,” She said abruptly. “Tomorrow, I want the rest of my things.”