Screen Burn

Episode 21

The stream of curse words that spilled from Astrid's lips took Jake by surprise, which was why he merely stared at her instead of apologizing.

She had dropped to her knees to pick up the fliers scattered across the floor. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun that was held together with a pen. She was wearing a navy blue shirt and jeans that were ripped at the knees. Jake compared this outfit with the clothes she wore to college and came to the conclusion that this was her casual wear.

"The least you could do is help me," she muttered, not looking up at him.

He complied with her passive-aggressive request and picked up as many papers as he could. When he placed them in front of her, she looked up and smiled.

"Jake?" she asked, surprise evident in her tone. "What are you doing here?"

"I was visiting Mihir. What are you doing here?"

"The same thing as you. I was going to invite him to a poetry slam I'm organizing. It's going to be held tomorrow." She thrust a flier at him. "You should come too, it's fun to watch."

"A poetry slam?" Jake queried, unfamiliar with the term.

"It's an event where poets perform their pieces. I'm going to be taking part as well," she explained, her eyes gleaming.

"Sounds cool," he replied, trying to appear nonchalant. "I'll try to drop by."

"Great! See you later."

She started to walk away from him, but froze in her tracks. She grabbed the pen stuck in her hair and pulled it out, making her long tresses fall to her shoulders. Jake was struck by the effortless beauty of the action. She made her way back to him, held his forearm and scrawled her phone number on it.

"In case you make it and want somebody to hang out with," she told him, letting go of his arm as swiftly as she'd grabbed it.

Before he could make sense of what had just happened, she had disappeared around the corner. He beamed at numbers written in purple ink that stood out against his pale skin.

"Where the hell are you?" Mateo yelled from the lobby.

"I'm coming!" Jake shouted, leaning against the staircase.

He shot a glance behind his shoulder, hoping that Astrid would return soon. He wasn't disappointed when she didn't, because he had made up his mind to see her perform.

"I'm going to leave without you. You can walk back to your dorm," Mateo bellowed, losing his patience.

Jake sprinted down the stairs, nearly falling while doing so. Mateo witnessed this, but did not pass a snarky comment or even smile. It was worrying, because he should've jumped at the opportunity to mock Jake for his clumsiness. The verbal attack his ex had carried out, as well as the argument with his best friend that followed must've had a profound impact on him.

He didn't say word during the ride back to Jake's dorm. The silence wasn't a comfortable one, like the ones that Jake had become accustomed to. He tried to make conversation to alleviate the tension, but his attempts failed.

He felt an irrational surge of anger at Mateo when he was dropped outside his building without a goodbye. He had wanted to tell Mateo about his encounter with Astrid, to share his happiness with him. Of course Mateo had to fight with his friend immediately after his encounter with his ex-boyfriend to deal with the frustration resulting from the failed relationship. He didn't know how to handle his emotions in a healthy manner, which had a negative impact on the people around him.

Some part of him knew that he couldn't blame Mateo entirely for the situation, but the emotional part was stronger and wasn't ready to feel sympathy for him. Years of feeling neglected led to him making the decision of switching his phone off. He wouldn't call to see if he was alright. He wouldn't spend his time worrying about his mental and physical health. He would try to concentrate on himself, just for one night.