19/02/2026
The rain was coming down in thick, grey sheets, drumming a steady rhythm against the corrugated metal of the bus stop.
Leo: "I just don’t get it. I did everything by the book, stayed late, even bought the coffee, and she still looked at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe."
Jax: "Maybe she’s just a girl who likes her shoes clean? Or maybe you're trying to win a game where the rules are rigged against you."
Leo: "I just want to be liked, you know? It feels like if I can't get everyone on board, I'm failing some kind of invisible test."
Jax: "Stop trying to be a universal remote. Most people aren't even your brand of TV. If the crowd doesn't clap, who cares? You only need the people who actually know the music to keep the beat with you."
Leo: "So I just let her think I'm a loser?"
Jax: "Let her think whatever helps her sleep. Let the wrong ones be disappointed; If the wrong people don't like you, you're probably doing something right. Just make sure the ones who actually know your name never have a reason to stop respecting it."