From the phone came a distant but enthusiastic “Good night!”
        He removed the phone from the side of his head, glancing down and pressing the small black button.
        “Wai -”
        The voice cut off abruptly as the line disconnected. He paused, wondering whether he should call her back, but decided against it. It was midnight, the start of a new day; besides, she needed her sleep. Anything she wanted to tell him could wait another day.
         Reaching over, he placed the phone on the small mahogany table beside his bed. It hit the surface with a soft thud and the the screen dimmed as the phone went into power save mode. Or was it depression?
         “I know the feeling, little guy.” He leaned back onto his bed, sliding under the warmth of his covers. “Brighten up, yea?”
         There was a moment of silence as he closed his eyes, reveling in the warmth.
         Beep
         His computer monitor came to life and illuminated the room, forcing his eyes open.
         Beep
         Lifting his head off the pillow, he blinked at the bright little square mounted on his wall. The computer beeped again. Pulling himself out of bed, he collapsed onto his chair and shook the mouse, bringing him to a black wallpaper. A bright yellow enveloped flashed in a corner. Puzzled, he opened his inbox only to find a single new message.
    

    “I guess we didn’t get to finish our convo, eh? Could you please not hang up on me next time? You know, you’re not supposed to hang up first! That’s for the girl to do! *pouty face* Anyways, I just wanted to give tell you that it was nice hearing your voice again. I know we talk at school and that I sit across from you in English, but I still miss hearing your voice. Aha xP I’m probably being silly here. xP
 
       I know you’re sleeping, but we still had so much to talk about! Did you hear about how Julian asked Mary to Winter Ball? OMG! :3 Too cute Too Cute! x3 Now I want to go too! *hint hint* Just playing! But, you know, I wouldn’t mind. It’d be a fresh experience, this being our first year in high school and all. But yea, I’m probably ranting now so I’ll let you go sleep. Nights! <3333

        He blinked again and scratched his head. It was a bittersweet message; here was a girl who completely adored him, but something felt off.
        Mary.
        His heart sunk. Right. There was a history behind that name, a old road paved with embers.  He scoffed. That was in the past, long gone and buried – buried under the ashes of charred memories and broken hearts.
        He leaned down and hit the power switch on the back of his computer, cutting its lifeline immediately and killing the only source of light in the room. Again he was lost in the dark.
       Shambling back to bed, he pulled the comforters over his head, an attempt to wrap himself in a blanket of warmth. Apparently, Comforters don’t live up to their name.