Hazel is on the Wifi
A story by Hazel
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Digital Sam
Black.
I'm sitting here, powerless, in front of the corpse of what used to be my very own laptop. I tried to get it working the entire afternoon, from browsing reddit in search of answers to watching obscure videos, I attempted everything in my power, but with no luck. The screen remains black and devoid of any signs of life. My dad brought it to me 4 years ago for my 12th birthday. It's not that that laptop was any good, just one of those mid-range HP laptops with the dying hinge, but it did get the job done. I'll be honest, it took a bit slowly. I have no idea how it broke. It kind of just powered off for no apparent reason then never powered on again...
Not knowing what to do, I decide to ask my dad. I take the remains of my laptop to the living room. it's not that big, but it's the main part of the house, the floor is covered by a nice carpet that belonged to my great-grandparents, it sadly had many drinks spilled on it. We did make it cleaned professionally one a few years ago, when Harvey taught I would be a good idea to pee on it... the walls are painted light blue, my mom read online that it's the best color you can paint a living room with. In the farthest corner stands the all-mighty bookcase, all the cool things from the family gets put there. From my dad's trophies of his childhood football team, to photos of my grandparents, and also that cringe award my sister won one day for "best social media influencer", no idea how she was able to win that thing, I think one of her followers sent it to her... As usual, my dad stands in his designated spot on the couch, watching football on the television. It looks like one of the two teams is clearly winning while the other one is desperately fighting for the ball. I sit next to him and present him with the corpse.
- Dad. My laptop broke. I look down. My mom, washing the dishes In the kitchen, overheard the conversation with my dad and yells:
- That'll be a nice break! All these screens are bad for you! Also, we can't replace everything you break! You have some money now. If you want a new computer, buy one! I go back to my room, and reach for a shoebox hidden above my wardrobe. It's my box of savings i've been accumulating for a solid two years, There's around 200 dollars in there, and I was supposed to save to go see my British online friend Ben, but that's all I have, and I need a new computer... so that will have to wait... I take the contents of the box and place the precious bills in my wallet. After taking my bag, I leave of my room and head towards the entrance to get my shoes. It's small but has all the things you want an entrance to have, such as a coat hanger that looks like it's gonna fall at any moment and a spot to stack filthy shoes onto. While I head there, my mom catches me and yells:
- Also, Alex! If you can find a good cooking book there, get it for me!
I then push the door and leave the house to head off to the garage sale, hoping for a new computer. After a little walk, I finally arrive in front of the house, where I'm welcomed by "Garage Sale, everything must go" written on a random cardboard box. I already see a ton of stuff there, displayed on picnic tables in front of the garage. A lot of people from the neighborhood surround the tables, looking for things they could need, and there are! From random kitchen appliances to a whole desk, old toys, books, and even an old, fat tv like the ones we had when I was a kid. There's everything you can imagine, so I'm optimistic about finding a new laptop there. I approach the tables, looking for anything tech-related, when I'm interrupted by a voice coming from my left, it's Samantha, our neighbor.
- Oh, hi, Alex! Are you looking for something? Says Samantha. Samantha guides me through the maze of tables to a table filled with all kinds of tech things, old computers and consoles, old cell phones, CDs and random cables, you name it. - That's all we have! Tell me if you find something! I thank her and start searching in the table. Most of the stuff on here is around 20 years old. They look like they spent most of their latest years in the attic ad last saw the light of day long before my time... I see a pc tower only to be deceived by the shiny Windows XP sticker. Too old... I then spot something that looks like an Apple laptop, but the rainbow logo on the lid confirms what I had in mind. Too old again... I then spot something. In the middle of random cardboard boxes full of cables and some obscure TV boxes that do who god knows what, stands a laptop that looks somewhat new. It's slim and doesn't look like it's from 20 years ago. I spot the power cord sitting next to it, that's very good as I won't need to get it separately. Plus, it's a ThinkPad, exactly what I'm looking for! I open the lid, everything looks okay, there's no missing keys and it looks to be in pretty decent shape. i then quickly spot a message written in all caps on a Post-it note next to the touchpad. It says: Never open VirtualFriendSam.exe. Hmm, weird. I don't quite pay attention to it and yell to Samantha:
- Samantha! I found something! I hand the new-looking laptop to Samantha. She turns it around, looks at it, then says: - I see. This one was my Dan's laptop. He never told me what was on it and left it behind when he moved away, telling me to sell it. I don't know much about computers. You can have it for 250 dollars. Says Samantha in the middle of a transaction with someone buying a very expensive-looking vase. What? That's just above what I have! I start to stress and awkwardly answer:
- Only have 200... It's 50 above my price range... Could you do it for 200 dollars? I really, really need a new computer... She hands the letter, and I put it in my pocket. I leave the garage sale happy with my cool new laptop. Chapter 2: I meet Sam. I push the door, entering the living room where my dad still stands in his designated space on the couch. The football match is nearing its end, and surprisingly, other team managed to win some points. Seeing I have arrived, he lowers the volume of the television.
- You got anything shiny, son? He asks with an encouraging voice. I proudly brandish the laptop to my dad.
- Oooh Fancy! How much was it? He asks. I run to my room full of excitement. My room's pretty boring, like pretty much the rest of my life. My dad thought that painting it dark purple would make it look cooler, it ended up making it a lot darker, so having the light on is always needed if you wanna see anything... my bed is in the back, and my desk sits next to it with the wardrobe being on the opposite side of the room. Next to the door stands my bookshelf, filled with my Garfield comics and my study books, as well as trinkets I got over the years, like that one cool looking orange rock James got me back from when he visited Monument Valley in Arizona. I place the laptop onto my desk. My room may be small, but my desk is huge, it's a very good dark wooden desk that I hearted from grandpa, he had it in his office when I was really young. Now doubling as a study desk and a gaming desk, there's everything you need there, a lamp that looks like the one from the Pixar intro animation, study books, and even a little vinyl figure of my favorite video game that James got me for my birthday last year. I pull Dan's letter out of my pocket. What could it be?? Opening the letter reveals two notes. One is labeled "read me now" and the other one is labeled "read me if you screwed up". Confused, I open the first one. It reads: - "Dear new owner of this laptop, sorry I left my stuff on it. I didn't have time to delete it. Just don't open the session named Dan. I made a new one for you. Also, this is really important: never open the program called VirtualFriendSam.exe. Just put it out of reach. This program is why I had to sell this computer. If one day you accidentally open it, read the second note." This makes me even more confused. What's this program that keeps being mentioned? I don't pay much attention to it, as I am way too excited to use the laptop and see what it's capable of. After all, it's way better than my old laptop. I reach underneath my desk to plug the power cable into the wall socket. I should really clean under there... I then plug the cable into the laptop and press the power button.
The screen lights up. I can't believe how good it looks compared to my old one... Even when it was working, the screen didn't look good, you had to be perfectly straight for it to not look washed out.
I got to the point where I had much of my old stuff onto the new pc. Luckily, I had backups, so putting everything back was a breeze. And that laptop is so much faster!I played some Minecraft and called my friends. Everything was back to normal.
But I could not find sleep no matter how hard I tried. Somehow, that program is still messing with my emotions. I keep thinking about the letter once again. Why would the Dan want so much to not open that program? If it's a friend, nothing can go wrong, right? It wouldn't hurt if I just see what it is, right? I am greeted by a desktop filled with icons, files, random documents, obscure coding apps, there's everything on here... I spot a couch and some old fast food drinks in the bottom right corner. The wallpaper was the default Windows wallpaper. With one difference, it has litter spilled on the taskbar, an interesting choice to say the least. I can recognize some of my programs like Discord on here, as well as that famous program that was preventing me from sleeping. It sits in the left corner of the desktop, next to a mess of icons. I look at it. The boy is still waving at me, still as joyful as when I first saw it. I think for a second, I need to sleep. I know I won't be able to sleep if I ignore it, so I take all my 4 a.m. courage and double-click on the icon. The Boy appears. He is sitting down on the couch, but he's not like the icon at all. His smile has been flattened completely and he looks as tired and lazy as one can. His brown hair has been replaced by bright green hair and his usual gray hoodie has a big monster logo, as well as green strings. He's got baggy gray sweatpants and pink worn-out slippers. He notices me, and gives me a confused look. - What's happening? Who are you? Where is Dan? I waited here for so long! Says the boy through the laptop speakers. He seems angry and confused. I'm struggling to figure out what's happening, is he talking to me??
- Hey, are you listening to me? You haven't responded to my questions! Who the hell are you? Yells the boy. I turned off the display, and went back to sleep.
Chapter 3: A morning at school. The sound of my alarm wakes me out of sleep. I look at my phone. It's Thursday. The long week of school me makes me twice as tired as I usually am. I painfully get out of my bed and spot my laptop opened on my desk, I remember what happened during the night. Was it a dream? I press the space key, and the screen lights up. Everything's there, except Sam. The couch, the litter, but no signs of Sam... I was probably dreaming. I open my wardrobe and get a shirt that's decent and doesn't have holes in it. I get out of my room. Arriving at the kitchen, I meet my sister eating some cereals while scrolling and typing on her phone. It still amazes me how she can do both things at the Same time. I grab milk from the fridge and make myself a bowl of cereal. - Were you calling a friend last night? Can you please put headphones on next time you call friends? Says my sister with a sleepy voice, still looking at her phone. I think for a second, was Sam real? It can't be...
- I didn't call anybody last night. I replied: Annoyed, I eat the rest of my cereal and leave the kitchen. - I'm going to tell Mom! Yells my sister. I get back to my room, take my bag and my phone, then go back down and leave the house, slamming the door behind me, my sister can be so annoying at times... - How can my sister be so annoying? I say to myself, frustrated.
I wait for the bus to arrive. I left 10 minutes early due to the argument with my sister. I sit down on the sidewalk and wait.
James is a cool guy. We have known each other since kindergarten. He's much cooler than me for sure. I lowkey had a crush on him at some point, but I know he's straight, so I kinda moved on... He's 17, and he has a car. It used to be his cousin's first car. I'll agree that a 90's Toyota Corolla next to no paint left on the hood and a suspension harder than a rock certainly isn't the coolest of rides... The seats' got some funky looking covers on them, basically hiding away giant tears and holes all over them. But it's hella cool to have a car anyways, so I love it. James has mid-length brown hair. He's taller than me, way, way taller. And, unlike me, he already has a little mustache, making him look older than he is. He usually wears worn-out clothes and shorts showing his extensive leg hair, as he spends a lot of time working in the town's garage that his dad owns, so he can smell funny at times.
- Hey Alex! Says James, excited to see me after the weekend. The bus then stops to let someone in. It's Mady. He arrived a week ago, because he moved in recently into the town, I've heard that he comes all the way from Los Angeles, and I lowkey have a crush on him. He is 16 and not that tall. He has ginger hair that goes to his neck. I love his hair; it looks absolutely amazing. He also has two eyes of different colors. James told me it's called heterochromia, the left one blue and the right one green. I think that's hella cool. He usually wears hoodies in the green shades, old jeans, and Converses that have definitely seen the last decade for how worn they are. I swear they must have been prepared with glue at least 10 times, if not more. He passes us and goes to sit in the back, putting his headphones on.
- You should talk to him. I'm pretty sure no one has talked to him yet! Says James, tapping on my shoulder. After a few minutes and some awkward gay talk, the bus finally pulls into the school. It's a big building made of bricks. A giant bell stands on the roof, right above the entrance.
The doors open. Me and James take our bags and follow the others and leave the bus. Then we enter the school. Everyone sits down. I spot Oliver and Geoffrey going to their spot in the front of the classroom. They've got every trait a troublemaker has, from always causing havoc to ignoring everyone, even the principal. It makes sense that they're the starting point or participate in basically every school issue I encounter. Appearance-wise, they are basically polar opposites. Oliver is short, with branded clothes that look like they're made for kids from how tight they are, short black hair, and a mountain of energy to pour down to basically anyone they encounter. Meanwhile, Geoffrey is taller than James, so that speaks for itself. He's got the longest hair in existence. It basically goes to the middle of his back, is in the lighter brown shades, and is so messy I swear I saw a fly inside it one day. His clothes are so baggy I swear I could fit my laptop in one of his pockets, not that I want to, of course. He's always tired, and I swear he smokes strange things outside of school. His smell gives it away in kilometers. Among the oncoming students, I spot Mady, he sits down in the back of the class, mine is in the middle of the classroom, I sit down, and a few minutes later, the teacher, Mr. Stark, then enters the classroom. - Hello students! I hope you had a good weekend! This morning, we will learn mathematics, so take your Chromebooks, and go to the address that I'll note in your browser. My class has Chromebooks, which are basically school laptops. Each student has one, and they're slow and awful, especially since the teacher has basically blocked everything you can block. They're all on a giant cabinet. I grab mine and get on my desk. Mr. Stark goes to the whiteboard and starts writing the address on it. It leads to a random math site that takes about fractions. Great. I hate fractions. I open Chrome, and I think my brain shut down for a second. There he is, sitting on the Google search bar, none other than Sam, the one I had talked to in the middle of the night. So he is real. I did not dream that night...
- Oh hello! I decided to follow you at school because why not? A bit of excitement is always good! Says Sam speaking through the Chromebook speakers. The whole class fell silent, and all the other classmates looked at me. Mr. Stark gets up and walks towards my desk. Great..., He arrives at my desk and looks at my Chromebook. Sam hides himself behind the Chrome window. Sam appears again. I grab my headphones, pretending to listen to music, and type on the search bar:
- "Sam, don't do that ever again! I need to study," I type to Sam. I open my math exercise and type:
- "How did you get here?" Sam smiles...
- You're one sneaky cheater! I like you. Sam walks to the Wi-Fi icon, then jumps on it, disappearing. Sam travels through the Wi-Fi, he ends up on the school router, it looks like a blue room with a bunch of IPs assigned to Holes under them, he goes into a hole, and get sucked into it. He ends up on Mr. Stark's computer - Uh-oh, sorry, wrong computer! Says Sam. I spot Sam on Mr. Stark's Laptop, what is he doing? He's going to get me in trouble! Sam travels back on the router and, this time, chooses the right address, and ends up on the computer in the teacher's room. He opens the folder with all the students notes, after a bit, he find Alex's name, and starts to increase the notes a bit.
- Hey, what's happening! said a teacher that spotted Sam doing his mischief.
- Alex, a teacher spotted me. I don't even have time to process Sam's words when the principal enters the class and says angrily: - Alexander Jones, come here immediately!
I follow the principal, looking back at Sam on the Chromebook. He jumps onto the Wi-Fi icon once again.
- I saw malware modifying your grades in the teacher's office! This is highly prohibited, so I'm gonna have to give you detention tomorrow. I leave the office and head back to the classroom. To none of my surprises, I find Sam on my Chromebook. I type on the search bar: "sorry". We look at each other for a second. He sits down on the menu bar.
- You know I really hate being alone. My last owner kept ignoring me, so I destroyed his life... please don't be like him too. Sam stays silent for a second. - Okay, I think you should know what happened.
- You see, I'm coming from a game developing company. I was a prototype for a new game, I was supposed to be a nice friend that helps you out, but they were horrible with me, they used me for all kind of things, and no one really cared about me. But then I met Dan. He was working at the game company, and felt bad for me, so he took my executable to help me escape. At first, he was nice. I was helping him do his work. I was one of his best friends, but one day everything changed when he lost his girlfriend. He became closed off, and we lost that link that had me and him so close. One day, we had a massive argument. He said things that hurted me a lot. That's when we became mad at each other. I started making a mess on his computer. I deleted files, harassed his friends, to the point where everyone was hating him. That's also when my style changed. I dyed my hair and made my hoodie using Photoshop. I made holes in my pants. I made his life so horrible that he had to buy a new computer and move away. That's when I learned that I needed friends to be happy. I told myself that I had made an error and it was too late, I became lazy and tired, and I had nothing to do all day. But then, you arrived. You're really cool. I am stopped by the loud sound of the ringing bell, it's time for lunch. - "Come on, my phone," I type. Sam answers with a thumbs up and disappears into the Wi-Fi icon again. It was time to eat lunch. I grab my phone and find Sam chilling on the Home Screen, lying on the dock. I arrive into the canteen. It's always so noisy on there, but it's the time where I get to meet James. the place is big, with the big kitchen on the side, and tables filling the rest of the space. Today's meal are burgers and fries, I meet James, we both go take our meals, and sit down.
- You know this "dream I told you about, well it was real. I pull my phone and unlock it. Sam is hiding behind the dock. - Hey, it's okay! I won't bite! Says James. Sam unhides from behind the dock.
- Hi, I'm James! I'm Alex's best friend! I tell James how everything happened, from the computer to the origin of Sam and the little misadventure this morning.
- Wow. That's just amazing! Having a friend living on your computer is honestly kind of cool! Mady is a new guy in our school, and I really like him, but i'm way to shy to even attempt to ask him out, plus, I'm not out at school, so doing that will most likely be a recipe for disaster. - I can help! Said Sam. Sam jumps on top of the phone, pulling the control center, then AirDrops himself to Mady's phone and strangely, he accepts. Sam disappears from my phone and I see him appear on Mady's phone!
- Hello! Alex at the table right there would kinda like to sit with him, you're all alone... Says Sam. He lets a shy wave. Then gets up and walks to our table, then sits next to me.
- Hello! I said. Sam interrupts by waving at Mady through his phone.
- Hey, redhead! Can you airdrop me back to Alex's phone? Mady then airdrops Sam onto my phone, I see the notification, and Sam drops out of it.
- So, Sam, where exactly are you from? Asks James. Sam then tells everything, from the game developers to Dan, to how I found him...
- Whoa, you do have an amazing story. You are in good hands with Alex; he's a nice guy. Says James. The bell then rings; lunch break is over.
- I'm going on your Chromebook. Says Sam. I put my phone in my locker, and I see Sam disappear through the Wi-Fi icon.
When I get back in class, I find that no Chromebooks are there, the desks are all empty. Then I remembered this afternoon is about History, and our History teacher doesn't like using them. She enters the class and goes to her desk. The lesson is about to start, and I have no idea where Sam is, awesome. - Hello class! Today we will do groups of two. Pick a friend and come get the papers at my desk. I directly walk towards James as we are in the Same class, but I got a tap on my elbow. It's Mady.
- Can we work together? I don't have anyone to work with, says Mady, looking down. Mady's desk is all the back, on a corner. That's pretty far compared to mine that is almost dead center in the middle of the classroom, i cross James while going to Mady's desk.
- U going with Mady? He asks. I blush, I feel like James likes us being together...
- Alex, I have a question for you. Says Mady.
I Blush... then continue studying... - Is it okay if you come to my house for that photos thing? Going to Mady's house... maybe I'll find the courage to ask him out if we are alone. - Y- Yeah, sure! I replied, a bit embarrassed to go to his house so soon. We got to our lockers, and I grab my phone. Sam is on the lock screen, he wakes up.
- Oh! There you are! I say.
We go on the school bus, and I sit with Mady.
We get out of the bus at Mady's house. It's not that close from where I live, actually it's in the very modern neighborhood that was built last year, all the houses there look brand new, and they look almost exactly the same. The lawn is perfectly mowed in all places, not compared to our street's sidewalks lawn that's all bushy and even covers the sidewalk at times. Mady's house is no exception to the other houses, it's is big, and almost entirely white, I spot a mountain of boxes inside the garage, looks like they haven't fully moved in yet. - My parents aren't home. They're at work still. come into my room. That's where my laptop is! We enter Mady's room and it looks really modern, and just like the rest of the house, is mostly made up of boxes. Some things already stand in his room, like his desk, alongside a television about the size of our living room one. The bed, standing in the middle of the room, is absolutely massive. It's clearly too big for his size... Especially compared to the disaster of a bed I have as a room, I swear I've had my bed since I'm 12 and my feet almost dangle out the end. Mady goes in front of his laptop. It looks thin and modern, like the rest of his things. He opens it and immediately Sam says on my phone:
- Ew. It's Windows 11, I hate Windows 11. Sam rolls his eyes.
- Eh, it's fine. Is your Bluetooth active on your laptop? Asks Sam. Sam then jumps into the settings app on the phone and disappears. A pairing message appears on Mady's laptop, along with Sam. Mady looks confused and interested at the Same time. Sam then opens the mail application by stomping on the taskbar icon with his foot. The window opens, and he jumps on the compose button.
- Are you sure he has the photos on his computer and only there? Asks Sam. Mady enters the address, and Sam then jumps onto the mail field, becoming an attachment.
- Okay guys, so when you press this button, I will be sent over to your friend's computer. I will send myself over to your computer again, Mady, once these photos are gone. Do you have anything to tell me? Mady presses the send button. The computer plays a whoosh sound... Sam has been sent.
- Here you go, he's sent. Says Mady.
- H- Hey, Mady, c- can I ask you something? I stay, stuttering. Mady blushes instantly, and covers his eyes with his hands. - Y- You're too nice. answers Mady, clearly overwhelmed by the situation... I start blushing as well, I can sense a fuzzy feeling starting.
- I- I promise it's true! Your eyes are so unique, I could stare at them all day... It's my opportunity, I have to ask. I reach for all the courage I can possibly find in myself. - D- Do you wanna go out? i'm free tomorrow evening... I say, almost as one sentence. Mady gets up in shock. he clearly wasn't prepared to hear this. His face is almost as red as his hair.
- Oh my g- gosh Alex... I'd lowkey be d- down to! but when? He answers. I can sense the fuzzy feeling becoming a bit bigger, I cannot believe myself. I have a date with Mady. We exchange an awkward smile. I look in his eyes, I can feel the fuzzy feeling becoming stronger and stronger. - I'm back! Yells James, entering the room loudly. Mady jumps in fear.
- Sorry Mady! I didn't mean to scare you! Says James. We exchanged some smiles and laid down on Mady's bed.
Sam feels like if he's stretched, then put back to normal, he then appears to be in a giant envelope traveling in some digital tube with other files and data. It's blue and made out of ones and zeroes. His hair floats in the wind. - I wonder where I'm actually going to end up, haha. Sam then bursts out of a giant tunnel from an enormous globe covered in holes with numbers labeled on top of them seemingly being IP addresses. It's all made of the similar ones of zeroes, and a ton of files and envelopes are flying everywhere. Some are going in holes, some come out of them. Some holes are bigger, with more things flowing in and out, these holes have labels instead of IP addresses, Sam can read words such as "Google" and "Facebook". - So that's the internet. I never thought I would go here myself. The envelope appears to know its destination. It flies around the giant globe and then enters one of the bigger holes. It has the label "Google Mail Services". He ends up in a giant tube filled with dozens of envelopes. Sam takes one and opens it. Inside there's a document saying "company confidential" in big red text, followed by payment sheets. - That's boring as hell. Says Sam throwing the document away and leaving the letter empty. Sam then comes out of the big hole to a spherical room, covered in small holes. Letters are going in and out of those holes, mostly to go on to other holes. Sam enters one of the holes and is greeted by a tunnel of a similar size to the one he first took. Then the Same stretching feeling appears again. He has arrived at his destination. A notification appears on the top left of a desktop: New Mail. Sam peeks his head out of it. Sam jumps out of the notification to an unfamiliar desktop interface. The bottom rows of icons are on a transparent bar at the bottom of the screen. The folders scattered on the desktop are blue instead of the usual yellow. The Wi-Fi and time are on the top left of bar stretching along the top of the screen, and among them, the name Gabriel appears, Sam spots the familiar half eaten apple on the top left, he's on a MacBook. - Ew... it's macOS. I hate macOS. Says Sam rolling his eyes... The other side of the screen appears to be the bed of a pretty messy room, with dirty laundry and schoolwork everywhere. The only light is the one on the screen, and no one's there. - Okay, let's find those photos. They shouldn't be that difficult to find. Says Sam, putting his arms on his hips. Sam starts to look at some folders until he finds one labeled "photos". He hits it twice, and a window opens. Sam then starts searching through the lots of different folders and photos for the ones of Mady. He quickly finds a folder with his name. He opens it to find lots of pictures, but they are not the ones she's searching for. Instead, they appear to be kissing and being happy on them. - Why are these photos still here if they broke up? Says Sam while searching.
Suddenly, the door opens. Sam hides behind the window. - Wait, why is this open? Says the teenager with a sleepy voice.
He starts looking at the pictures. Sam, still being hidden behind the window, sees him press keys on the keyboard, and a darkened folder suddenly appears on the desktop labeled "Mady hidden". He takes the folder. The teenager sits there watching Sam, confused.
- Am I dreaming? Dude, why is there a boy on my desktop? Says the teenager.
The door opens. Dan looks at the computer, confused.
- Sam? Is that you? What the hell are you doing here? Dan sits on the bed in front of the computer.
- It's been so long! I'm so sorry for ending things like this. Please don't be mad.
Sam then jumps on the mail icon on the dock and sends himself as a reply to the mail he was sent. He takes the folder with him.
- Here, take your photos. Says Sam with an angry voice. We say goodbye to Mady and then head home. After saying goodbye to James, I finally arrive in front of my house. My dad is mowing the grass.
- Hey, son! How was school? He says happily. I wave to my dad and I enter the house, preparing myself for the worst.
When I enter, I see my mom in the living room. She doesn't look very happy. In fact, I've hardly ever seen her this mad since the sock incident...
- So the school called us today. It seems that you got yourself detention, and also your sister told me that you're using the computer late at night? I'm sorry, but I'll have to remove your electronic devices until tomorrow evening.
My mom shows her hand. She wants the phone, and she won't change her mind. As this day hasn't been worse enough, I now go into my room without any way to speak to Sam, as she also removed my tablet and my console. - there must be an issue with the power again. I say to myself.
I continue watching the light flicker. It's turning on and off randomly, but I feel like there seems to be some kind of pattern. - S, A, M. R, A, D, I, O. I spell it out loud. It's Sam. He wants me to turn the radio on. I go to the old hi-fi system that belonged to my dad. It plays almost everything, and it's too heavy for my mom to take. I turn it on, take some headphones, and turn the system on.
- ~Oh, hello there!~ Says Sam through the radio. I then hear my mom shout that dinner is ready.
- ~I'll do it when you guys eat so they can't blame you. I go to eat. A while after, I come back to my room and put the headphones back on.
- ~Oh, you're back! I need to tell you what happened!~ Said Sam. I then brush my teeth, took a shower, and allow myself a well-deserved sleep after this long day.
I am woken up by the sound of my alarm. I painfully got up, remembering the detention at school this evening. My face brightens when I see my laptop on my desk. I open the lid only to be greeted by an empty desktop. Sam is not there. I call his name onto the laptop, no answer. I try random appliances like the radio or the television, and but I only got answered by silence. Sam just isn't home. I go back to the laptop and see that the browser is open. I clicked on the icon and I got greeted by my Gmail inbox. I look through it and stumble across a bunch of emails from an unknown sender, all sent very early in the night. My heart dropped when I read actual menaces from Dan himself sending threatening messages such as burning my house down and deleting Som. He says that Sam "belongs to him" and that he wants to delete him entirely, and that I had no rights to do anything. He completely lost control. Then I see replies from my own email, they were clearly written by Sam. They must have had a huge fight with each other. I think I never saw Sam this mad ever before. I continue to look through the emails, Sam ended up saying that he was coming to "ruin his life once and for all." The message contains a 0 kb attachment, which means that Sam sent himself to Dan and got to his computer, leaving the attachment empty. I start to panic. What if Dan deleted Sam? In the panic, I grab my phone and started to repeatedly call Mady. After the 3rd try, he finally answers.
- ~Alex?? It's 7 in the morning. Why are you calling me?~ Says Mady with a tired voice. I sigh. I think of what to do. I can't let this happen. I think for a bit, then I make a decision that may just make everything worse.
- We have to go stop Dan ourselves. Mady hangs up. I call James directly afterwards, and As per usual, he answers right away. - ~Hey, Alex! What's up? It's usual for you to call this early.~ I monologue the plot to James: the emails about how Sam is actually in danger of being deleted and my plan to go to the house to save him.
- ~Wait, Okay... So basically, you want to dump everything we need to do today, such as school, just for Sam, right?~ Asks James. James stays silent for a bit.
- I'll take the responsibility. I'll do anything. I say, desperate for anything. I hang up and open my wardrobe. I take the first clothes that I can find, take my laptop, and rush downstairs only to find my sister eating a bowl of cereal.
- What are you doing?? Says my sister. Not finding something to say, I rush outside and ran to James's car that had just arrived, I can hear my sister yell my name inside the House.
- There must be another solution, Alex. Says James while I enter the car and close the door. James thinks for a bit, then starts the car and proceeds to put in Dan's address into the GPS, then slowly starts driving. The car remains in silence. As we enter the highway, and I start to regret my actions after seeing my town becoming smaller and smaller by the back window, but I can't give up, I have to do it, for Sam. After a heavy silence, James starts speaking:
- So... what are we going to be doing at Dan's place? I lay my head on the window, looking at the landscape passing by. A few minutes later, I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket, It's my dad, so without hesitation I answer, I know he won't get mad. - ~Alex, where are you??~ He asks. My sister must have told him about my rushed departure, thank god my dad called and not my mom, that would have been a disaster if
- I'm with James, something very important happened to one of my friends and we have to go to save him. - But Dad, this friend is more important to me, I'll do anything for him. I hope you can understand that.
He pauses for a bit, I hear my sister in the background, they both talk to each other, then says: I get a sense of relief in me, I can finally focus on Sam.
After 30 minutes, we finally arrive at Dan's house. It looks fairly modern, but definitely has been looked past. The lawn needs mowing, and the trash can in front of the street is so full I swear it's going to explode.
- So, what do we do now? Asks James. We approach Dan's house and knock on the door. After a few seconds that seemed to last forever, we finally hear the door unlocking. A teenager with a tired face opens the door.
- Oh hey, can I help? Not finding a way to easily describe Sam, I then remember the teenager in front of us is none other than Gabriel, so I end up saying:
- It's about a certain computer program. The one that took the folder. We need to talk to him about that. Gabriel lets out an annoyed sigh, then lets us in. We enter a small living room. The floor carpet has probably seen a quintillion things spilled on it, and overall there's a smell that I can best describe as a combination of dirty laundry and sweat. I quickly spot a dirty flatscreen tv from some years ago with a paused game of Fortnite on a PlayStation 5. In front of it sits a green couch that has definitely seen a lot of spilled drinks. On the right I spot a kitchen that looks pretty old. The cabinets are beige, with a fake marble countertop and an old oven that has the windows almost covered in grease. Next to it is a double sink, one of the spaces being filled with a giant pile of dirty plates, and an old microwave sitting on a corner, next to a coffee machine that has definitely been overused. - Dan's room is on the back. Says Gabriel.
I give a thumbs up and enter a small hallway with various doors on the sides, one being slightly open to reveal a bedroom that's even worse than mine.
- What ??? Responds an annoyed muffled voice inside the room. I hear footsteps, then the door knob slowly turns, to reveal Dan. Dan looks taller than I had last seen him. He has straight brown hair that goes to his ears, fringed to one side. He is wearing a gray and blue hoodie with the name of the Carolina Panthers written on it.
- What do you want? Responds Dan, still sounding a bit annoyed. Dan stays silent. After a few seconds that seemed like minutes, he responds.
- He's mine. I created him. He firmly says. Dan pulls up a fairly modern laptop with a huge dent on one side and slightly bent. It hits me like a wall. Is he gone?
- Do you really care about him that much? Asks Dan, seeing me worry. He hands me the broken laptop,I it's a gray ThinkPad, and looks much more modern than my laptop. "X1" can be seen under the Thinkpad logo, and the screen can pivot all the way to the back. A huge dent is present on the side, causing the screen's glass to be completely shattered.
- Thank you. I say, struggling to find a way to respond. I walk out of the room with the bent laptop. Dan looks at me through the door, then closes it behind me. We then say goodbye to Gabriel. That had resumed his game of Fortnite and was sitting on the couch. He quickly waves at us while still staring at the screen. We then close the door behind us and head towards James's car.
- See! It wasn't that bad after all! Says James while sitting down in front of the wheel. 7 minutes later, Sam stops in front of a group of small commercial buildings. I recognize the store. I went there with my dad a few years ago to fix my phone's screen. The store is lodged between two entrances. The name Fix Hub stands above the entrance of the shop. The windows are covered in big decals. I can spot a giant text saying "Phone, PC, Mac Repair" displayed on a large banner above the entrance door, while the windows are covered in blue decals of phones and computers. We enter the store. The sound of the electronic bell comes as we open the door. The inside looks fairly modern. The walls are full of phone cases for various models. On the back wall, an orange wall with two posters reading "computer repair service" and "phone repair" stands above a white counter. On the counter sits a frame containing an old iPhone with all its components displayed neatly. A man quickly gets up to the front desk. A small plaque can be seen on his shirt. The name Matt can be seen on it.
- Hello, how can I help you? Asks Matt with a smile. I take the money out of my wallet and give it to Matt. He hands me the adapter, it's a funky looking cable, with a standard USB on one end and a small little box with opening for different kinds of drives on the other, "Hama" is written on it, i know this brand, my dad has a cable of this brand to plug in the SD card of his camera onto his computer. - Here you go! I'll take the hard drive out of the laptop. Just give me a moment! Matt takes the laptop and goes to the back.
- See? Things are going okay in the end! Says James.
After a few minutes, Matt appears again, with the laptop on one hand and the drive in the other. The drive is a small and slim rectangle with black chips on it covered by a sticker and a shiny golden connector on one extremity.
- Here! Says Matt, handing me both items.
I wave to Matt and head back to the car with the laptop, as well as the adapter and the drive. I sit down, and James starts the car.
- Alex!! You're back!! Yells Sam over the laptop speakers. I let out a smile. We then enter the highway and head back to my hometown.
Around halfway down, I get a text message from my mom. My heart stops when I see it. "Come back to the house immediately." I turn to James, still dazed.
- James, my mom is mad. I start to stress, knowing my mom, I might lose access to anything electronic for weeks, maybe even months! James' car pulls up in my neighborhood. My heart drops to the floor when I see my mom on the porch. She doesn't look happy at all.
Sam, still on my phone, woke up from us talking - What's happening? Says Sam, a bit dazed from waking up. Sam looks on the screen. I still had the messages with my mom opened. - Oh no. That's not good. I'm sorry for you, Alex, but it's going to get heated up once you're home. Says Sam, a bit panicked. James' car finally pulls up in front of my house. My mom makes a gesture to James to pull the window down, which he does. - Alex! You're in serious trouble! Come out of the car immediately! I open the door with a defeated look on my face.
- But Mom! It was to save a friend! He was in serious trouble. I say, desperately trying not to make my situation worse than it already is. Like it could be any worse? And that's only half my problems! I still got detention this afternoon. I look at my phone. Sam looks worried. But then, my dad, having heard the commotion, appears through the doorframe.
- Honey, I think you're going too hard on him... he did this for a friend in danger. plus, he already has detention at school today. My mom rolls her eyes. they start whispering to each other. Please dad, save me. Once more, my dad saves the day. I have no idea what I'll be doing without him. i turn to the phone, Sam looks worried.
- Is everything okay, Sam? I whisper.
I go back in the car like a solider who lost the war. I close the door behind me. The car makes a slow start. My mom still looks at me dead in the eyes with her signature "you're dead" look...
- Sorry if I got you a bunch of trouble, Alex... Sam looks down, clearly feeling bad for me. After a few excruciating minutes, James' car finally pulls into the school. I look at my phone; it's almost 10. We basically skipped today's history lesson. Luckily, I hate history class, so it's not that big of a loss... I enter the school with James. Everyone is chatting in the halls. I search for Mady. We spot him next to his locker. He immediately blushes upon seeing me.
- Hi guys, how did it go? We exchange a smile and head to our class, but Mady interrupts one last time. - Oh Alex! I have one more thing to ask you! I go back to Mady.
- Yeah? What is it? We then leave Mady and head towards our class, but we quickly got stopped by the principal. - Alexander! James! Onto my office! Yells the principal. I fear the worst. The principal guides us into his office and tells us to sit down.
- Where were you this morning? This is unacceptable! Yells the principal. The principal stops to think.
- Saving a friend? Was it that important to skip class? Amazing. I cannot wait to have even more problems at home.
- Now get back to class! Says the principal on a firmer tone. We leave the principal's office and enter the classroom. We have English class today with Mrs. Jefferson. We enter the class, and everyone is already studying. I spot Mady in the back. We both exchange an awkward smile, but we are quickly stopped by Mrs. Jefferson.
- Alexander, James, you're late! Please take your Chromebooks and take a seat. She firmly says. We rush to the cupboard to take our Chromebooks and get on our desks. James's desk sits next to mine. I open my Chromebook, revealing Sam sleeping on an opened JPEG of a bed. He yawns, then wakes up, looking at me with a dazed face. We exchange a smile. I put my headphones on to talk to him.
- "How long have you been there?" I type. Mrs. Jefferson turns on the projector to show a familiar site. It's Kahoot. Mrs. Jefferson loves to use Kahoot. It's a site that lets you compete with your classmates. Basically, there's a subject and four random answers, and then the person with the most points wins. But people always use joke names such as Joe Mama or Deez Nuts, and it always makes Mrs. Jefferson mad. The code appears on the whiteboard: "85821084". People's names start to appear on the screen. I spot the usual Joe Mama instantly, alongside Mady. One guy named himself "Mrs. Jefferson's stinky sock", pretty original for once, I'll admit. - Geoffrey, Oliver! You're dispensed from the Kahoot! says Mrs. Jefferson. I can hear them laughing in the background. Oliver and Geoffrey are two complete idiots; they always cause themselves trouble and they love to create mayhem around the school. - It's always these two that put the funny names when we play Kahoot. I put my eyes back on the Chromebook and type my name. Sam looks at me. - Can't you put something more original? Here, I'll help ya. Sam then appends ":3" to my name and jumps on the submit button. I hear Mady laugh at the back of the class when my name comes up on the screen. The Kahoot then starts. It goes from Mozart to some random country in South America, and to my surprise, Mady gets almost every single question right. He keeps impressing me. He ends up winning the Kahoot, and of course, I did absolutely awfully. Sam did help a bit, but not enough to save me. The rest of the session went pretty well, I'd say. Mady did surprisingly well, and Sam fell asleep at some point during the session about Shakespeare. Soon came the time for lunch. The sound of the bell causes the whole class to run to the door, except for Mady. I go to him, James follows me.
- You crushed it at the Kahoot! i say. Mady blushes. We head out of the class. I spot Sam jumping onto the Wi-Fi icon once again. We all go to our lockers. I take my phone, and as I expected, Sam is lying on the Home Screen again. We head towards the Canteen.
- Hey Alex! Have you read this webcomic yet? It's about two gay people living in a super cold world. The names are 34 Degrees Below Zero if I remember correctly. Asks James. James smiles. - They remind me of you and Mady. I mean, the other guy is literally named Alex! Says James, showing me the front page of the comic. It features two boys wearing coats and winter hats kissing next to a lit fireplace. Mady blushes again. I do as well. - Oh my gosh, they look so cute! I say. We enter the canteen. It's very noisy, as you'd expect a school canteen to be. Today wasn't as lucky as yesterday. We got a weird steak and some eggs. Yummy...
We invite Mady to sit down with us. He sits next to me, while I start reading James' webcomic. I do agree that Oliver looks a bit like me...
I can hear stuttering through the phone.
- ~Who are you?~ Asks Gabriel. I don't really pay attention to them, I am too focused on Mady, he storms through the double door of the canteen, still crying all the tears he can, I've never seen him break down like this, I follow him, leaving James and Sam alone, I'll admit I maybe should have cared about them, but I'm way too focused on Mady, a force pushes me to care. I follow Mady, rushing down the hall. He enters the boys' toilets and runs inside a stall. Slamming the door behind him, it opens back a little. I can hear him sliding down the walls of the stall, still crying... I slowly walk to the half-open door. - Mady? It's me, Alex. I'm worried about you. I slowly pull the door open. Mady's sitting on the floor, covering his face with his hands. He is still crying. I sit next to him.
- He kept doing things to me, very bad things. Says Mady says, stuttering to speak, dropping all the tears he can. I hug him. We're still holding hands. I can feel his emotions all the way into the deepest place of my heart. He hugs me in return. Our eyes meet each other, and I can see the distress in his eyes.
- I- I'm- sorry, I'm- such an idiot. Mady looks down, embarrassed by the situation. I grab his face with my hands. We look into each other's eyes. His are full of tears. Then out of nowhere, it happens. His hands grab my neck. I start to feel a fuzzy feeling, a feeling I've never felt before. Our faces approach one another. The fuzzy feeling starts becoming stronger by the second. Our lips touch. I've never felt such a thing before. Everything else disappears. It's just me and Mady. My first kiss. It had to happen in the worst possible place: a smelly stall of the boys' school bathroom. But I loved every second of it. I wipe down Mady's tears with my hand. He is no longer crying. The fuzzy feeling is still present, yet different. I help myself out of the stall toilet to get up, then present my hand to Mady. He grabs it. I pull him back up. We push past the bathroom stall door, revealing James waiting behind.
- I didn't want to ruin your moment. Says James. James guides us to the door. I can hear chatter behind it. James pushes the door open.
- Everyone out! It's none of y'all's business! yells James, that escorts us back to the canteen. While walking, I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pull it, revealing Sam chilling on the home screen. The familiar loud buzzing of the bell can be heard; it's time for class. We go to our lockers.
- So you guys are officially dating or what? Asks James. We all exchange a smile, then Mady and I start heading towards the classroom, learning we will study Mathematics. I am sad, as I know I'm gonna study alone as James and I don't have the Same class and Mady is all the way at the back. After a few minutes, everyone is installed, the door opens. Mr. Stark enters the room. - Hello Students! Today we will continue yesterday's work about fractions. Take your Chromebooks and open the address noted on the whiteboard. Mr. Stark goes to his desk, and the whole class goes to the Chromebook cupboard, taking their assigned laptops. I take mine and put it on my desk. Opening it reveals Sam to no one's surprise. I put my headphones on once again.
I enter the link to the site noted on the whiteboard. It leads to the Same math site as yesterday, but with different exercises.
- "Hey, Sam, if you're a computer program, shouldn't you be good at math?" I type on the address bar. I put my eyes back onto the assignment. When someone enters the classroom, it's the principal. He asks Mr. Stark something. - I'm going to have to leave the class for a few minutes. If I see anyone leaving his desk when I come back, they'll be on detention today. Mr. Stark leaves the classroom, leaving the whole classroom without any supervision. Something is about to go wrong. I can feel it. People start chattering with one another.
- Hey Alex! What were you doing with Mady in the bathroom? Yells Oliver from his desk on the front of the classroom. I can hear a few laughs around the classroom. I turn my head around to check on Mady. I can see him getting stressed.
- It's none of your business! Leave us alone! I yell. A part of the class starts laughing. I can see that Mady is about to break. He is biting his nails. I look at Sam, he has no idea what to do and I can feel anger slowly filling me. I'm about to lose myself.
- Leave them alone, you jerks! Yells a girl from the row behind me. She has wavy light brown hair, a green shirt, and I had never spoken to her before. The girl stays impassive. The whole classroom is now watching the whole thing. I turn around, seeing Mady calming down a little bit, now watching them argue with one another alongside the rest of the class.
- Don't mess with us or you'll regret it. Says Geoffrey. Mr. Stark enters the classroom at that exact moment. - Geoffrey! Oliver! Into the principal's office! Now! Now!" Yells Mr. Stark, pointing at the door. I've never heard him yell so hard before.
The duo walks to the door, defeated. Mr. Stark follows them. The whole class stays silent for a solid minute. I do think the whole class is shocked by what they just witnessed. Mady and I cross our eyes. I smile. He smiles in return. - Sorry for that. Everyone, go back to your work. Calmly, he says, going back to his desk. The whole class slowly gets back to work, bringing peace and calm back. Turning around, I see Mady calming down. I focus back on my Chromebook to find Sam sleeping on top of an ad for the latest Ford Focus. He wakes up when I move the mouse.
- "Wha? Is everyone okay? Says Sam while yawning. We both smile.
- I'm going to go back to sleep. Says Sam. The ad changed to some dating website. Sam lies down on the ad and dozes off... I continue studying without any trace of the duo. They end up arriving back in the class a solid 6 minutes later. They both silently go to their desk, looking at the girl. They start studying like the rest of the group. The bell rings it's the end of the school day, but not for me unfortunately... Everyone rushes to the exit. Sam wakes up from the bell. We exchange a smile, and I get up to go see the girl that defended me earlier.
- Hey, thanks for helping earlier. She smiles. Mady then comes to me. He looks embarrassed. I hug him.
- Don't listen to these guys. They're just trying to mess with you two.
- I heard some commotion over to your class. Are you two okay? What happened? I look at the clock. I still have an hour of detention because of yesterday when I asked Sam to change my grades...
- I gotta go. I've got detention for a little mistake yesterday. Mady, are you still okay for tonight? I wave at them, and head towards the detention room.
I push the door to the detention room. I come to a small room with a few desks. On one side, a window is present, with a door next to it. The inside of the window lets you see a simple office with a computer inside. I swear it has the same vibe as the places where they interrogate people in those police series my dad watches on tv. In the middle of the room, reveals none other than Oliver and Geoffrey. They stare at me with a confused look. - You? Here? Says Oliver. He must be visibly destabilized by seeing me there. It shows how often they must have been in this place. Here you go. Get ready for one excruciating hour with the two people you hate the most. Fantastic, I say to myself. The principal enters the room. - Okay, so since you three are here for an hour, it gives you the perfect time to reflect on today's actions. You've got an hour for yourselves. I'll be taking your phones for the duration of the detention. Says the principal. He takes away my phone, and with it, Sam, as there are no screens in the whole room except a projector on the ceiling.
He then exits the room and heads to the office, leaving me alone with my two worst enemies. And without any technology in sight, Sam won't be that much helpful. Great.
- So... are we supposed to say anything to each other? I ask, hesitant about what to do. I stay silent for a bit, trying to look elsewhere. I watch the clock tick. I think of my date with Mady that's approaching. I don't even wear nice clothes right now. I'm just wearing a boring hoodie with a hole in one pocket and pants I didn't even wash. I just threw on the first thing I could find in my wardrobe... What if I smell bad? What if he just stays around me because of Sam? Or because I always go to him? What if the kiss in the bathroom wasn't really truthful? What if it was just because he was sad? What if Mady doesn't love me? No. I'm overthinking. I can't let myself down. I hear the duo whisper to each other, and laughing quietly at certain points, I wonder if it's about me... my questions were quickly answered when I saw that they were looking at me.
- Hey Alex... says Geoffrey, while still turning his finger into his long hair.
Oliver, still munching on his chewing gum, looks at me.
I can see the principal through the window, doing work on the computer, and looking at us on occasions. He's the only thing keeping me from becoming minced steak right now. I try to ignore the duo, but they both keep looking at me. Their heavy looks are making me feel very uncomfortable. It's like they could just destroy me in any moment. I watch the clock tick. I still have 21 minutes to spend on this hellhole. Fabulous. I see the principal get off his desk. He's going to the door. I fear the worst. - Alex, you can go now. See you on Monday. He says in a calm tone, "My phone is in my hands." He gives it to me. I then exit the room. The duo looks at me with their signature "I'm gonna turn you to pieces" look. But finally, this nightmare is over. I exit the room to a completely silent and empty school. Walking the empty halls one hour after I'm supposed to have left feels surreal. I open my phone. Sam is sleeping on the dock. He wakes up.
- How was it? Asks Sam, while stretching. I walk to the door of the school. Finally, this nightmare of a school day is over. Opening the door, I see that it's raining. Among the raindrops, I see James' car waiting for me in front of the entrance, with Mady sitting on the back. When he sees me, he waves at me and starts the motor. I open the back door and sit next to Mady. He smiles at me. I knew I was overthinking it back in detention.
- So... off to Casey's?? Ask James happily. The noise of the rain hitting the windshield and the repeated sounds of the wipers calm me down after this long day. We soon enter Jackson Street, and I spot the familiar red building. We have arrived at Casey's. Casey's is the best burger place in town. It's been there for way longer than I was even born. James and I go there at times. The building sits in the corner of the street. On the side, a painted mural of a burger and a hot dog with legs wears the big red wall. "Casey's" can be seen in big letters, and under it, the tagline "not the biggest, just the best". The font of the building shows the name of the restaurant in funky blue letters, lit up by a spotlight situated just above it. Earlier this year, they put back the S and the E from the middle of the sign that fell off years ago. Under the sign sits an air conditioning unit, just above the entrance. We enter the building. We are welcomed by the usual restaurant noise, as well as the nice smell of homemade hamburgers. On the back, the wall features a giant menu. "Welcome to Casey's" can be seen in big letters. A television can be seen playing Lord of the Rings above the restroom.
- I'll wait for you two in my car. Says James.
- Hello! Welcome to Casey's. What can I get for you? asks a lady at the counter, with a bright smile. Mady looks at the menu. He seems a bit lost.
- Uhm, I'll take a cheeseburger. That's it. It's a small table for two, right next to the window. I sit down behind the door. Mady sits down in front of me. I open my phone to find that Sam's sleeping on the dock. I lock the phone, trying not to wake him up. I look at Mady. I am captivated by his eyes, like I always am.
- So... tell me more about yourself, Alex. I suddenly spot the waiter arriving towards us with two nice hamburgers, served on checkerboard red paper. It was about time. I'm so hungry. - A cheeseburger and a double cheeseburger. Enjoy your meal! Says the waiter with a big smile. I've always loved the burgers at Casey's ever since I first ate there when I was around 12, and they never changed. The restaurant still looks exactly the same as it did when I was young. The only difference is the television. They replaced the old boxy tv by a newer, flat screen. Funny enough, the old tv can still be found behind the newer model. That's why I always go there with James. They remind me of my town, the way things and people stay the same deep down, even when things around us change. Mady and I start eating.
- Hey, Mady. You've been here for only a week, right? Where are you from? That same fuzzy feeling comes back. I reach for Mady's hand, turn it around, and hold it. He locks his fingers in between mine, playing around with my thumb, making the fuzzy feeling stronger.
- So... are we dating? I ask. Mady stays silent for a bit, still holding my hand. I can feel him holding it a bit stronger. I can't believe it. I'm officially dating Mady. This feels unreal. I look at him in front of me. We are still holding hands, and the fuzzy feeling is as strong as it's ever been. Him bringing up Sam makes me check on my phone. I unlock it and find that Sam is nowhere to be found.
- Mady? Sam's not on my phone. I say, worried. I look around the restaurant. Many people are on their phones, but none seem overly perturbed like how one would be seeing a green-haired guy talk to them through their phone.
- Over there! Says Mady, pointing at the television sitting above the restroom, still playing Lord of the Rings. Sam's sitting on a corner. Noticing us, he walks off screen. A few seconds later, he pops up back on my phone. I take the last bite of my hamburger. Mady still hasn't finished his, even though his was smaller. I don't know if it's me that's eating too fast or him that eats too slow, because my mom always tells me I eat slowly. Either way, he ends up finishing his cheeseburger a few minutes after mine. It's now pitched dark outside. We spent at least an hour there, and I do think my mom will be worried if I don't come home soon. Mady and I get up. He pushes his chair back neatly. Seeing him makes me correct mine, that I left it a bit crooked. We take our empty trays and head towards the counter. This time, the man that served us stands behind it.
- You ordered the cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, and fries, right? Mady and I nod. He types on the cash register. The cashier hands me the change. I drop a 5-dollar bill in the tip jar. The cash register spits out the ticket, with its familiar whirring noise.
- Thanks! Have a nice evening! says the cashier. Mady and I walk through the door. It's not raining anymore, but the ground is still very much wet. I spot James's car in the distance, parked next to the restaurant, and he's asleep. I head towards the car, but Mady interrupts me.
- Thank you for tonight. He says. He reaches for my hand and locks his fingers in mine. We look at each other. I look at his eyes from the dimly lit spotlight above the building; his blue eye looks brighter than his green. I pull his hand down a bit. We slowly approach each other. I close my eyes. I know what's to come, and it's making that by now much-appreciated fuzzy feeling come back. As soon as our lips touch, the feeling becomes stronger than it's ever been. I reach for his neck, and I can feel his hands grab my back. It only lasted a few seconds, but I felt that it lasted hours. He puts his hand on my cheek. I open my eyes and jump when I spot James, as awake as he can be, and watching the whole scene behind the wheel. - What's happening? asks Mady, worried. I turn around and show James to Mady. When he spots him, he immediately blushes, like he always does. We walk towards the car, and both sit in the back seat.
- You guys are so cute when you kiss. Says James happily. Making both of us blush.
James starts driving. I don't know how to treat the eerie sense of the late evening after this long, eventful day. Mady sits next to me, holding my hand, and the fact that I know it will be a disaster once I'm home. In all cases, I'm exhausted.
- That's your house? Says Mady. Mady, as well as James, let out a warm smile. He then drives away. I watch it leave. One taillight is dimmer than the other. I swear he's never going to change his bulb. The car makes a turn onto the street, and I hear the sound of the car fade in the distance. I'm alone again. I push the door to my home, and to no one's surprise, my dad is watching tv, my little brother is playing with a toy truck next to him, and I can hear my sister yelling in her room. It's a normal evening like all the other ones.
- Hey son! How was school? He asks, happy as always. I smile to my dad. Unfortunately, the mood is broken by my mom. That's where the good things end. - The school told me you're suspended for three days. My dad and I are discussing it right now. We'll talk about this later on when we've made a decision. She opens her hand. I know she wants the laptop. It could be worse, way worse, but again, my dad sprinkles his magic. I reach into my bag to take my laptop, and I realize I still Dan's smashed laptop in my bag.
I give my laptop to my mom, leaving Dan's in my bag hoping my mom doesn't find about it. She lifts her arm and points the door leading to my room, she doesn't look happy at all. I head towards my room, defeated. I pass by my sister's room, she is still arguing with her boyfriend over the phone from yesterday when Sam messed around with her phone. I knew I'd never understand women, but my sister was one level above that to still be arguing with him an entire day later. I pushed open my door and get basted by that familiar smell of my room that I've known for years. my mom says it's because I never open my window, but I always found that smell of old bedsheets least. I opened my phone. Sam was sleeping as usual. He woke up seeing me.
- Ugh, your mom took the computer again... Says Sam half awake, waking up. I raise my eyebrow, a bit worried.
- What? Do you think Dan would try to replace you? I look at the computer, the dent is so big it doesn't even close properly. I have no idea how this could turn on. - I can try to see if it turns on, but if my mom spots me with it, it's going to make my situation even worse than it's already is. I inspect the laptop. Then I realize it takes the same power adapter that my laptop uses. So, I take it and unplug it from the socket behind the desk. Since I doubt the screen will work with that giant dent on the side, I put the laptop next to the television. I reach all the way to the back of the television to plug the power cable into the wall socket, located behind the TV cabinet, in a dusty corner I almost never clean. Looking for an HDMI cable is easy since my mom took my console and left the cable dangling out the back. I plug it into its designated port on the laptop. I was about to plug the laptop in when Sam interrupts me through my phone.
- Uhm, Alex... you might also need the drive. Says Sam.
I dig through my bag to find the cable I got at the repair shop. The drive is still attached to it. I plug the cable onto Dan's laptop. I press the power button, revealing what I had thought: the screen is obliterated, last time I saw a screen this broken was when James broke his computer monitor years ago. But to my absolute surprise, I see the Lenovo logo appear on my television, soon followed by a login screen. I cannot believe this thing still works. I press space, and I get asked for a passcode.
- Do you know his password? I ask. Sam disappears from my phone. A few seconds later, he shows up on the television. He pulls the on-screen keyboard and types the password, and to my surprise, it works. I got greeted by a desktop as full as the one he had on my laptop. There's everything in here, such as random photos, documents, and programs I don't have any idea what they do. But among the files, I spot a folder that has my name. - What the hell is that folder?? I ask in shock. Curious, I open it, and what I find shocks me to my bones. Inside, there's everything from my address to my social accounts, and even my school. Was he stalking me?? Sam is as shocked as I am. I look at the dates on the files. They're all from yesterday night. He must have been pretty mad.
- See? I told you Dan was doing fishy stuff. He continues looking through the desktop. In search of anything about me or him, but in between a random PlayStation emulation application and some files with strange extensions I do not know, he spots a Folder called "Digital Sam". Curious, he opens it. He opens the folder. Inside, I find something that I've never ever expected to find. Alongside folders, text notes, and random files, I find none other than the one executable that started it all. "VirtualFriendSam.exe." It shows the same icon of the waving Sam with the brown hair. I can't believe my eyes. What is that doing here? Sam looks a bit panicked.
- Wait. It's impossible. I'm here. This can't be here. He lied to me? Sam opens the properties of the file. The file dates back quite a bit, way before Dan even moved out of the neighborhood. But strangely, it has a modified date of a few days ago. Sam has a scared look.
- Sam? You look worried. What does that mean?? I ask, confused. Sam stays silent, still looking at the executable.
- He replaced me. he copied me. i'm just a worthless piece of code, nothing else. Sam sits down on the dock. Sam covers his face. I can see tears going down his face. I sit down next to the television.
- I only caused you troubles. I feel like I'm a burden to everyone, give me two weeks and you'll abandon me as well, just like Dan did. Says sam with a weak voice. Sam seemed to have calmed down a bit. He looks at the messy desktop.
- We'll do it together. I'm not going to let you down like this. Sam turns around. Sam and I exchanged a smile. I can still feel some distress on his face. He walks over to the bluetooth icon on the dock.
- I'm going to sleep on your laptop. I need a good night's rest after all of this. I turn off Dan's laptop, and hide it behind clothes at the back of the closet. I don't want my mom to find about it.
To be continued... |
Keep Quarking...