Mango's name lights the screen and you just look at it. Your thumb hovers, close enough to open it, but something holds you back. You already think you know what it says, and none of the versions end well. You'll read it in a minute, you tell yourself. The truth is simpler: you don't want to see it yet. The screen dims, then goes dark. You let it. Time passes without meaning much. The phone rings, and this time you don't need to check the name. "Why aren't you responding?" Dane's voice is flat, controlled in the way that tells you everything before he says it. "I saw it. I just haven't opened it." A short, deliberate pause. "Mango reached out twice. You didn't answer." "I was going to…" "They've ended it," he cuts in. "Contract's done. You're out." A beat. "You went quiet at the worst possible time. That doesn't help your case." The line dies. The unread message is still there, unchanged. This time you don't reach for it. It no longer matters. [[The Aftermath|See the aftermath]]