Public Entertainment

3

I would be lying if I said I remembered him all that well. Although I would've expected us to be friends with the fact we'd known each other since nursery, his reputation in secondary school was enough to keep me away, and I assume my lack of one had the same effect for him. Given that, I didn't know why I felt a little upset when his reaction didn't mirror my own, and he continued as if I were just another customer to serve.

"Ah...sorry about that," I think I tried to say with a forced smile and an attempted fake confidence.

To my own disappointment (at myself), I instantly regretted moving my arm to try to put my phone in his hand, only to be stopped by the same fingers pushing the phone back, and an awkward (or was it more...sassy?) look from the movie theatre's new employee.

"Don't worry ma'am, you hold your phone out and I'll have it scanned for you."

My old classmate (surprisingly aggressively) guided my hand to push it away from him, pinching one of my fingers underneath the phone I'd been holding out, and moving my arm back as if I were a puppet. All of this he did with his head looking down at my phone or anywhere else but me. And it was more or less unfortunate. Because I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious to properly see the face of the guy I'd never taken a close look at before.

"Oh yes, of course...right," I said with the same half assed acting skills from before.

The boy remained blunt, "No worries ma'am, I just need the QR code."

But I'd forgotten how to function as a person anymore. So I froze for only a moment.

The faint brightness of my phone flashed upon unlocking it, and the sparkle from the rings he wore that caught the light had gotten my attention: two silver, stunningly intricate bands of metal circled his fingers, clunking together with short and quiet twangs as he fiddled with the scanning device in his hand. What had brought me to wonder about the jewellery he wore, like an uncomfortably tight collar, was the much smaller, seemingly older ring that seemed too painful to wear not to question. But more than that I had asked myself why it exactly mirrored the same silver that had been hugging my own finger. Instinctively, I began twirling it with my thumb.

"- yeah, I think you might have to put the brightness up," He seemed to suggest (although it was more of an impatient demand), waving the machine above my phone, and I was glad I could briefly hear what he'd said despite my daze, "So the scanner can pick up the code..."

Without saying anything more than a simple "ah, alright", I clumsily rotated my phone in one hand as my other clutched the little handbag that had broken only earlier today, forcing me to hold it closed as if its contents could jump out at any second. The slowness of my actions caused a tolerable amount of anxiety, as I imagined the frustration I would've felt if it were me in the new worker's place. However, it was what followed that truly made me get the 'please can I just die right here' feeling.

As I attempted to slide up on my screen the very fastest I possibly could - to make up for the time I'd been wasting (?) - the ring on my thumb had found itself hooked onto the bottom of my phone.

All in one giant, and terribly unfortunate mess, my phone had flung itself full force into the guy's stomach like some kind of fish out of water, and, as if time had slowed, it slid and cascaded down his body to rest at his feet.

He then blinked. Very slowly.