Soft music reverberates within cool blue walls along with the sound of a repeated caress against a smooth surface. Jude's eyes concentrate on the dark colors on his computer screen as he works on his next digital piece.

The boy's eyes are squinted, lips slightly parted as he gets lost in his work. The light beeping of a text notification goes unnoticed. He wrinkles his nose as he presses his stylus harder than necessary on his tablet and a white splatter appears on his computer screen. With an annoyed click of his tongue, he moves the mouse over the undo button. Before he can tap the screen, however, an image of a dark, curly-haired girl appears on his screen and is accompanied by Skype's ringtone.

The male stares at the icon and debates his choices, teeth grazing over the tip of his tongue as he makes a quick list of pros and cons. Even as the cons outweigh the pros, he finds himself tapping the green option to accept the call.

"You bet-"

A high-pitched screech interrupts the girl as both teens wince in pain. Reaching for his left ear, Jude lowers the volume of his hearing aid before taking it off. He rubs at the back of his ear with an irritated expression and moves his jaw around.

Once again he hears the Skype tone come back on, but much more muffled this time around. He answers his cousin's call once more, watching as her glaring live image replaces his artwork.

He returns her glare with one of his own, 'Not my fault you decided to yell as a greeting, Auri.' He signs fluently to her.

'Not my fault your new hearing aids don't fit.' Auri signs back.

The teen rolls his eyes and greets his cousin, 'What's up?'

The girl had her curls up in a pineapple bun and what seemed to be a loose bandana over them to keep them in place. As odd as it seemed, he didn't find the look surprising since she was always going on about protecting them. It was something she kept berating when it came to his own dark curls. He also didn't find her next words surprising.

'Why are you home?'

Jude made a glance for the time at the sight of her sign. It was ten before ten at night, and the boy was in his pajamas, his toes comfortably playing with the fur of a settling pup underneath his desk — one whom he walked early at the regular and proper time.

'I live here.' He settled for as an answer, and as he stared at his cousin, he could tell the girl wanted to strangle him. He shrugged as a sheepish smile came to his lips.

'Don't give me that, Cabrera! Why are you ditching the guy?'

Jude was baffled by the comment. 'Why wouldn't I? I've only seen him once,' his hands moved rapidly, 'I don't even know what he looks like.'

'And so what?' She responded, leaving the male at a loss for words.

He leaned in his chair and let his brain digest the fact his cousin wasn't joking. He brought his hands together in front of him before pointing them at her, "You're crazy."

Now it was Auri's turn to roll her eyes, 'Come on Jude, live a little, how long are you going to hide in your room?'

'Forever.' He responded with no shame and a proud smile, even having the gall to sit up straight as he said it.

The boy hated going out; when he did go out, it was with close friends or for a lonesome adventure with his dog. He was the type of guy not afraid to say he was going to die alone with Aludra as his companion curled up on the other half of his bed. He didn't understand why people were so bothered by that. Some humans like the company and others just prefer to have it at a minimum. He was the latter and didn't think that was bad; to each his own.

'Not funny.'

Jude sighed, thinking about the stranger whose name he had actually already forgotten. He had tried recalling it for the longest time that day, telling himself it was easy to remember, and that when he did remember he was going to feel like an idiot. He had even used the name of some character from his early high school days to not forget it.

'Okay, fine. Let's pretend I do go outside and greet him. What then?' Jude sees Auri move her hands, about to interrupt, but he holds up a finger to make her stop, 'Sit with him and seriously teach him the constellations?'

'Yes.' She replies.

'No!' He signs the word in Japanese sign language, BSL, and speaks the word out.

The girl laughs, 'Jude, not every stranger out there is bad. How are you going to ever socialize?'

'No need.'

Skype began to ring again, showing an incoming call. The icon of yet another curly haired woman appears except this one was older.

'Who is it?'

'Your blood aunt. Can I call you ba–'

"Make a three-way!"

Jude was glad he was hard of hearing because he swore that, because it was easier for him to decipher the words as Aludra jolted underneath his desk, she must've blown his speakers. He answers the call and makes the three-way call.

'Hey, Baby.' His mother signs. She squints and seems to bring her device closer to her face, 'Auri? How are you, sweetie?' She smiles upon recognizing her niece.

'Hi, Titi Judith! Good, how's Puerto Rico?'

'It's good but hot. We still don't have electricity due to the hurricane, and I can't find a generator that's worth less than a car.'

'Wow.' The two cousins sign simultaneously.

'How are you, Jude?' The woman turns her attention to her son, and he can sense her worry before she can even start the array of questions, 'Did you eat dinner?'

'Yeah, just art-ing now, and talking to Auri.'

'And your appointment?'

'Good, but the hearing aids don't fit. It was the other doc who gave them to me, and he didn't believe me when I said they didn't fit.'

She scowls and shakes her head in disbelief, and the teen waves it off and signs he was fine before she could go off on a tangent. 'I'm gonna see my doctor tomorrow to get a different set.'

Auri waves at the screen, 'I'm gonna let you guys talk as I make dinner.'

Jude nods at the screen and continues the conversation with his mother, 'Shouldn't you be preserving battery?'

'I charged the phone with the car, and earlier I charged it at my friend's house.'

'Oh, I see.'

'Has your mom called?'

'Yeah I spoke with her in the afternoon, she said she'd be coming home for a few days, before going back on another trip.'

His mom pouts, 'I miss her,' she slowed down her signs as she began to whine. 'I only spoke to her once today.'

Jude laughed at his mom's childishness. 'You'll be back with your wife soon, Mom.'

'It feels like I won't. When you talk to her, tell her I love her.'

'So you didn't speak to her?' He signed, confused.

'Yeah, we talked before I called you.'

The boy stayed motionless and just stared, 'Really? You're joking.'

'I miss her Jude, sue me.'

Jude rolled his eyes, and his mother laughed. As much as he loved being alone, he had to admit he missed his moms.

The woman's laugh diminished to a smile, and she looked at her son with a concerned look in her eyes, 'You seem like something is on your mind.'

'Something is.'

'What?'

He debated telling the older woman. She was someone who worried way too much about the teen's well being, as a much a mother should, but a bit over what should be considered healthy for a person. She was always panicking at the slightest of things. Jude was wondering if that's where he got his anxiety. To calm her nerves, he decided to share part of the truth.

'I met a guy, and he asked me to hang out.'

She seemed to fall for the half lie and smiled, 'And?

'He was left waiting at the meet-up spot.' Or so he decided to assume, for all he knew the stranger was probably high or drunk and never meant anything he had said. The thought continued to puzzle Jude.

His mom's eyes widened, 'Jude!'

The boy shrugged.

'That's so rude; I taught you better.'

He only felt partly guilty since it was a partial lie, and therefore, he believed he had done nothing wrong when it came to standing up a stranger whose face he hadn't even fully seen. 'Pretty sure he won't miss me.'

The woman stopped with a frown. 'Baby, you gotta live a little.'

He arched a brow at the idiom his cousin had used earlier, 'I must be the only one in the family who doesn't use that idiom.'

'I'm serious. Baby, as long as you're cautious and as long as you see what the guy is like, you shouldn't be worried about getting to know someone. It's just hanging out, not a date right?'

'Yeah.'

'Then just get to know him, you could use a friend. With such a short life you wanna live it to its fullest.'

Jude tried not to roll his eyes, and his gaze went to the time. He was starting to dislike sharing this story with others; he didn't have to anyways; he had made his choice.

No talking to weird strangers in the dark.

The woman's chest rose and settled in a sigh, 'I gotta go now Baby but keep what I said in mind. Live a little,'

'Alright Mom, bendicion.'

She mouthed out, "Dios te bendiga, Bebe." and ended the call.

Auri appeared on the singular screen slurping noodles with chopsticks. Placing her chopsticks in her mouth, she signed something with a single hand, but Jude didn't even bother catching it.

Why did he feel like an ass?