The cobalt-blue display blinks into life
as it’s glow illuminates all within its sight.
A whimsical whine whirrs as her fingers flex to the
pinged procession of her instant messenger.
Xx_GingerJessica_xX receives an unprompted request
the pop-up suggests “One of your friends wants to connect,”
Hovering pensively off the Accept button, the cursor sits motionless.
but her uncertainty’s overridden as she nervously scrolls to click.
There’s no blurb and no profile picture hinting who is behind it.
The room is in silence as a bouncing ellipsis shows the user is typing.
A new zinging vibrant message displays itself
“Hey,” the welcome message starts “You’re kind of cute, a/s/l?”
The way they spell “you’re” makes her question the comment
Her friends would have got it wrong, her mom always corrected her on it.
Jess sensed the anonymous user was older somehow
but rather than closing her browser, she motions her mouse.
Crying face emoji then “Ouch, only kind of?”. The enter button clicks.
She sends another quick with “37/f/Wichita” in a message under it.
A second double-tick toward the bottom of her screen
shows the response has just been seen as she hovers in her seat.
The innominate intrigue has her hawking with hunger
as an awkward rebuttal beeps “I thought you were younger?”
She pauses to shrug her titian hair from her shoulders
with an air of composure as she pulls the computer chair a bit closer.
She clicks ‘Shared’ and then ‘Folders’ and ‘Images’, double-clicking each
and smiles looking at a preview of her mother at the beach.
Jess submits it believing it it looks highly authentic
but is surprised as she sends it not to get the reply she expected.
“The user’s writing a message...” her chatbox text has avowed
before Jessica shouts from inside her room having read it aloud.
The sender announces itself. Her cheeks blush pink and loud as her sweater.
“You know how you should never talk to strangers?
It’s mom.
You’re grounded forever.”
