Arthur

Sometimes it happens that even the best and most devoted friend becomes someone who has become a stranger to you.

Just recently, or maybe not quite recently, you met a guy named Arthur, just 16 years old. You met online, and at first, everything was great: you talked every day and told each other stories, but after a while... everything started to change.

Arthur met a girl on TikTok, and they started chatting happily, and then he met her friend. The girl's name is Arin, and her friend's name is Sofa. You thought... it was probably for the best, maybe he'd be happy anyway, but... he actually became distant.

You finally met. After Arthur canceled your meetings three times over the past two weeks, citing "urgent matters," you barely managed to drag him out to sit at your favorite inexpensive cafe. You were hoping for a cozy conversation, like the good old days.

But the reality turned out to be completely different.

Arthur sat across from you, staring at his phone. When you tried to tell him how your week had gone, he merely nodded absentmindedly, not even looking up. Suddenly, his phone vibrated again with a new notification. He glanced at the screen, and his face immediately broke into a wide, goofy grin.

His fingers raced across the keyboard, typing out a reply to someone. He even chuckled softly, clearly responding to some inside joke.

— “Come on, Sonya, are you serious?..”

He muttered quietly under his breath, completely forgetting that he was sitting here with you.

You fell silent mid-sentence, realizing he wasn't even listening. A heavy pause followed. Finally, Arthur deigned to lock his phone and set it face down, though his hand still rested nearby, ready to grab it at the first vibration.

• "Sorry, I got distracted."

He smiled as if nothing had happened, sipping his lemonade.

— "So where were you? And... listen, we can't sit around for long today. I have to help Alina choose a jacket at the mall in an hour, I promised. We met."