As part of their program, the theater students had to be involved in at least one theatrical production a year. Their course load was designed to accommodate this, and nearly every one of them flocked to the community theater production of Noises Off. Those who didn’t get a role on stage still loved the behind the scenes jobs.

Which is why Jake was waiting outside the theater, pretending to read an email on his phone. Nobody who came out and saw him would think anything of his presence, since this wouldn’t be the first time he waited for Luna after rehearsal. Only, this time, he had an ulterior motive.

The girl he was actually waiting for might not even be there, or he might not recognize her if he did see her, but he was going to try anyway.

He had given a lot of thought to how he might recognize the girl whose voice was still echoing in his ears. He didn’t have many clues, but he was sure that he already possessed a very important one. The fact that he had to go searching told him a lot.

Someone who didn’t want their name on something that anyone else should be proud to lay claim to must be trying to fly under the radar. That meant she was probably shy, or insecure. She probably stuck to herself if she didn’t have to be interacting with others, and so would be alone when leaving the theater.

Jake smiled to himself, glad that his psychology classes had put him in the mind set to logically come to this conclusion.

Movement caught his attention, but it wasn’t from the theater. A few doors down the street from the theater was a convenience store. Someone had opened the door and was walking out.

Jake paid it no mind until the person faltered, stopped, and turned around. That prompted him to turn his head to look, wondering what had happened.

The retreating figure looked familiar.

“Ryan?” He called, stepping away from the bike stand he had been leaning against. When the figure stopped, he closed the distance between them. “It’s Ryan, right? Luna’s brother?”

A nervous face he recognized from the bus station turned to look at him. Then he nodded.

“Are you not going to wait for her?” Jake jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the theater. “Her rehearsal should be finished soon.”

Ryan shook his head quickly. He shifted the plastic bag he was carrying so that it was hanging from his wrist. Then he pulled out a phone and started tapping away madly at it. Jake thought that was kind of rude until Ryan held the phone out to show him the screen.

He had written ‘Perishables’ in a notepad app.

Jake was a little surprised. When Luna said Ryan didn’t talk, he had assumed she meant he didn’t voice his thoughts. Now he understood that what she really meant was that Ryan couldn’t talk.

Then he thought about how his first assumption might not have been entirely wrong. If Ryan had to use a phone to type out everything he wanted to say, how many conversations had moved on before he could contribute? From class, Jake knew how not being able to communicate could be very isolating. And that wasn’t good for a person’s mental health.

Ryan put his phone away and turned to leave.

Jake felt compelled to keep him there. He didn’t want their interaction to end on the knowledge that he was mute. Ryan might think he was bothered by the fact.

“What kind of perishables?” He blurted.

The phone came out again and Ryan typed one word. ‘Milk’.

Jake grabbed the phone when it was held out. He felt a pang of guilt when he saw the fear flash on Ryan’s face and his mouth fall open, as if to voice a protest. He worked quickly, hoping that Ryan would understand that he had no intention of keeping the phone.

He added his number to Ryan’s contacts, trying to ignore the fact that the only other contacts were ‘Luna’, ‘Mom’, and ‘Dad’. Then he texted himself and returned the phone.

Ryan took the phone and held it tightly to his chest as if it was the only thing keeping him alive.

“Jake?”

Jake turned around and saw Luna standing on the sidewalk. Behind her, people were streaming out of the theatre. It looked like he had missed his chance to people watch today.

Luna came toward them. She stopped, staring past Jake for a moment. Then her gaze darted up to him, and it was not her usual friendly gaze either. “What’s going on?” She asked tightly.

“We were just chatting.” Jake assured her. “While waiting for you.”

“Uh, huh.” Luna didn’t sound convinced. She walked past him and put an arm around Ryan’s shoulders. “Let’s get home.”

Jake watched as they walked away. He wondered if he had done something to make Luna mad at him. Was he not allowed to talk to her brother?

His phone buzzed and he looked at it. He had two texts from an unknown number.

When he unlocked the phone, he smiled. It was Ryan’s number, made evident by the first text being just his name that Jake had sent himself.

The second read ‘The last person who told her we were just chatting got a tooth knocked out. You’re still good.’