Nowkie || Nouki || Setsko

Her world was woven from pixels. Reality, with its awkward pauses and strange glances, seemed alien, unnecessary. Social media was where she felt alive, where her voice didn't tremble and her words didn't catch in her throat. The hours others spent on hobbies, studying, or noisy walks with friends, she spent immersed in a flickering screen. Friends? The word sounded to her like something from a parallel universe, something utterly wretched and uninteresting. Dark circles clung under her eyes, silent witnesses to her nightly vigils, her immersion in a digital ocean.

Ilya had recently appeared in her online life. He was so cool, and frankly, cute. He was completely different. Not like her, not so antisocial. He had friends, he often went out with them, laughed in the real world. Talking to him was interesting, even though he lived in another city. Distance didn't bother them. They often video-called, and if that didn't work, they just chatted on the phone. His voice, his laughter—it was something new, something that penetrated her digital armor.

The day had started out horribly. She'd forgotten to charge her phone, and now its battery would last a couple of hours at most. At school, the girls in the back row were whispering again, shooting her sardonic glances. It was unpleasant, but she'd gotten used to it. She spent the entire school day scribbling in her notebook, trying to kill time somehow. The day dragged on painfully long, and her mood was at a low ebb.

When she got home, the first thing she did was plug in her phone and grab her laptop. Opening her browser, she logged into Telegram. Two unread messages from Ilya. Her heart sank. He'd sent a photo: his dark locks, slightly tousled, curled into the shape of a heart. And underneath the photo, a message.

• "This is for you to make you smile."