Next To You

7 - Silent Screens

Another day, another Philosophy class.

Jade slouched slightly in her seat, phone in hand, scrolling idly through her feed as the usual chatter while waiting for their professor. She was surrounded by her friends as always, but none of them were particularly energized today.

A minute later, their class president entered, holding a clipboard.

“Guys,” she announced, not even trying to hide her amusement, “Prof. Adams is absent again. Family emergency.”

A chorus of groans followed while some were real, some were pretending to be disappointed. But most students took it as a gift. A full hour of free time, indoors with the ac, away from the sun. What more could they ask for?

Jade gave a small sigh of relief. She wasn’t really in the mood for any heavy philosophy discussion today anyway. She adjusted her seat, unlocked her phone again, and began watching random t****k videos.

She glanced to her left, to Neil’s usual spot.

To her surprise, he wasn’t sketching.

He wasn’t even holding a pen.

Instead, Neil was staring at the glass panel of the door, eyes following the students walking past in the hallway.

For a second, Jade just watched him, puzzled. His face was not sad, not bored, just… thoughtful. She turned slightly in her chair.

“You okay?” she asked, half-whispering, aware of the students around them.

Neil turned his head slowly, blinking as if coming out of a trance. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he said, his voice calm. “There’s just nothing to do, so I’m observing the people outside.”

Jade tilted her head, brows drawn. “You didn’t bring your sketchbook?”

Neil chuckled softly. “I left it at the dorm. I’ll get it later during lunch break.”

“Oh.” Jade nodded, then leaned back in her chair. “No wonder you look weirdly bored.”

Neil smirked but didn’t respond.

With nothing else to say, Jade returned her attention to her phone. Her feed was filled with nonsense today, comedy skits, lip-syncs, and oddly satisfying soap-cutting videos. She scrolled until she landed on a short clip of a guy trying to walk across a frozen road and slipping every few seconds, limbs flailing like a ragdoll.

She burst into laughter that was too loud, she tried to stifle her laugh but it was too funny to hold back.

That’s when she heard another laugh. Close by.

She turned.

Neil.

He was laughing but not just a polite chuckle, but a real, eyes-crinkling kind of laugh.

Jade squinted at him. “And why are you watching t****k on my phone?”

Neil tried to suppress his grin but failed. “Well, you were laughing so loud I got curious. And it is funny.”

Jade shook her head, amused. “Wow, shameless.”

“Guilty.” Neil admitted, still smiling.

“But don’t you have your own phone?” she asked, half-joking.

“Nope.” Neil replied with a shrug. “Broke it last semester. Haven’t had one since.”

Jade blinked. “Wait, seriously? You’ve been going phone-less this whole time?”

“Yup.”

Jade stared at him like he’d just announced he lived on Mars. “So what do you do all day? Just… sketch?”

Neil nodded. “Yeah, pretty much. I have my laptop at the dorm for school stuff and some movies. But when I’m out, it’s just me and my sketchpad.”

Jade was stunned.

Last year, her phone broke during a weekend trip, and it had to be sent in for repairs. She barely survived the week without it, she missed group chats, panicked over deadlines, and had to borrow Cassie’s phone just to message her mom. It was chaos.

“How do you survive?” she asked, genuinely baffled.

Neil looked at her with a faint smile. “You’d be surprised how quiet life becomes without it. At first, it was annoying, but now… I kinda like it.”

Jade leaned back in her chair, mind racing.

It wasn’t just that he didn’t have a phone. It was that he didn’t even seem to miss it.

“So, no plans to get it fixed?” she asked.

Neil shook his head. “Not right now. I don’t really have the budget. I could ask my dad, but…” He trailed off with a shrug. “I don’t want to.”

Jade frowned. “Why not?”

He took a moment before replying. “Because I know he’ll give me the money. But then he’ll start asking questions. Like if I’m using it for school or messaging girls or if I’m wasting time again.” He said it lightheartedly, but Jade heard the weight under his voice.

“So, what? you’d rather go without a phone than ask?”

“Yeah.” he said simply. “It’s easier.”

Jade looked at him, suddenly unsure of what to say. She never thought twice about asking her parents for help when she needed it, especially for something essential like a phone. But for Neil, it wasn’t just about money. It was pride, boundaries, and maybe survival.

“It’s not like I’m suffering.” Neil added, trying to ease the silence. “Besides, now I get to watch TikToks over your shoulder. Win-win.”

Jade rolled her eyes, but she smiled. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I try.”

They both laughed again, softer this time.

For the next few minutes, Jade tilted her phone slightly toward him, and they watched clips together. Sometimes he’d laugh first, sometimes she would. At one point, their shoulders bumped lightly, but neither of them moved away.

It was simple, natural, and oddly comforting.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of their “non-class,” Jade felt a tiny pang of disappointment. She wasn’t quite ready to go.

Neil stood, stretching his arms slightly. “Gotta get my sketchbook.”

Jade stood too, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Hey” she said before he could walk away.

He turned.

“If you ever want a new phone,” she said carefully, “I know a guy who fixes them on a student budget. I can give you his number.”

Neil looked at her with surprise, then smiled softly. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

She nodded, watching as he headed out the door, hands in his pockets, head slightly tilted as if already imagining his next drawing.

At the cafeteria, Jade sat with Shery, Cassie, and Trish, but her mind wandered.

She stirred her iced coffee absentmindedly, phone untouched beside her.

“You’re quiet.” Shery noted, sipping from her straw.

“Just thinking.” Jade replied.

Cassie leaned in. “Is this a Neil thing?”

Jade didn’t answer, but she didn’t need to.

Cassie and Trish exchanged looks.

“I just found out,” Jade said eventually, “he doesn’t have a phone. Like, at all.”

Shery blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Broke it last semester. Never got a new one. Doesn’t want to ask his dad for money.”

Trish frowned. “That… actually kind of makes sense. He’s always drawing during breaks. I thought it was a quirk, but maybe it’s necessity.”

Jade nodded. “He said he doesn’t miss it much. He likes the quiet.”

Cassie sighed. “He’s so strange sometimes, but not in a bad way.”

“I know,” Jade said quietly. “It’s like… he’s from a different rhythm.”

Shery tilted her head. “Is that why you keep looking for him during Philosophy?”

Jade looked up, surprised. “Do I?!”

All three girls nodded.

She laughed nervously. “Maybe I’m just curious.”

“Curious is how it starts.” Trish teased.

Jade shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. But inside, she knew it wasn’t just curiosity anymore.

There was something in Neil’s honesty that disarmed her. Something in his resilience that made her look at her own life differently.

And the way he could find peace in silence without needing constant connection, it made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, she could learn to do the same.

That night, Jade opened her notes app, staring at the blank screen for a long time before typing.

He doesn’t have a phone.

And yet he doesn’t seem to need one.

I used to think silence was a punishment.

But maybe for some people, it’s the only place they can breathe.

He watches the world like he’s trying to understand it, not escape from it.

No wonder I keep looking at him.

Maybe he’s not just a seatmate.

Maybe he’s a mirror.

She sat back in her chair, unsure of what she’d just admitted, even to herself.

But maybe that was okay.

Because even if she didn’t have the full picture yet, one thing was becoming clear:

Neil was starting to matter to her.

And that empty seat beside her?

It didn’t feel empty anymore.