"You need to get popular. Here is a popular girl who likes you. You need to go where she leads." My Squip instructed. I looked at Hope, finally realizing that my tears had stopped. She smiled again, leading me out of the hallway, out the front doors, and behind the school. We walked through a small forest path for a bit before reaching a lake. I remembered coming out here for my Biology class in my sophomore year, and I inhaled the crisp fall air. Hope giggled softly.
"This is my favorite place behind the school," She said, then took my hands in hers. They were nice and warm compared to my corpse-like coldness. "Being here with you right now...Our future is so clear. Our union is so near!" She chirped. I couldn't help but blush as red as the leaves on the trees. "Being here with you right now, I'll tenderly guide you-!" I noticed that both Hope and my Squip were speaking. Suddenly, Hope stopped, but my Squip kept going, leaning in behind me to whisper in my ear.
"Just take me inside you forever~"
I had to stop myself from letting out an audible sound, choosing to scream internally. Holy shit, what was I getting myself into?! He chuckled lowly, moving out to take Hope's place in front of me. "Your life was so pitiful before. Now it's time to go all the way and more. You gotta' get an upgrade." He said. I looked confused.
"Upgrade?" I repeated. He nodded.
"Upgrade," He then took my hands in a similar way Hope did before. "You gotta' get an upgrade." He sounded like he was pleading with me. I shook my head, pulling away.
"Upgrade..." I said softly, looking down. I wanted to ask what the upgrade was, but a part of me was saying to just leave it be and see where things go. He snapped his fingers, and I straightened up.
"Don't worry about the guilt you feel. Just take a breath and seal the deal," He said, grabbing my hand, spinning me around, and dipping me like we were a married couple. I let out a squeak of surprise. He grinned down at me. "Damn! Gotta' get an upgrade! You gotta' get an upgrade!" He said, almost tossing me into Hope's arms.
She caught me, but he must've thrown me with a lot more force than expected, because the two of us tumbled down head over heels, landing a few feet away from each other. I burst out laughing, Hope almost immediately following my lead.
[Christine's POV]
Could this day get any worse? First, I get targeted by the popular girls because I just happen to like the ex-boyfriend of one of them, then I end up indirectly making that situation worse, and finally, my closest theater friend just straight up leaves rehearsal. What's next? I wake up to realize that my life's a dream and I've been living in the Matrix for my whole life? I sighed softly, sitting on the bench outside the school and staring up at the flagpole. The American flag waved proudly in the wind, and the sun shined down on me. The sun turned to shade after a moment, mostly because someone was standing in front of me.
"Hey," I recognized the soft voice as Jade's, and I immediately turned away from him and busied myself with my backpack. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "What, you're not even gonna say hi?" He asked. I turned to look at him.
"I was. At rehearsal." I replied coldly. He sighed, sitting next to me.
"I wanted to be there...but, it's the same time as archery..." He sounded genuinely saddened.
"It's okay, really-" I started to speak, but he cut me off.
"Which is why I had to tell the coach I quit." He finished. I looked at him, shocked.
"What?" He gave me a smile.
"I don't wanna do every extracurricular at school. I just wanna do yours," He said. "I was never the sort of guy to feel all the feels. But since I met you, I've been high-key tryna change what's in my psyche. Tryna be a better man, and that's for reals. I'm sick of playing the role I'm s'posed to play..." He took my hands in his, making me blush slightly.
"Christine, don't you ever feel that way?" He asked.
"I-I..." I couldn't form any words. He pulled me up so that we were standing, holding me in a graceful, dancer-esque pose.
"Never hung with a girl like you before, and I don't know if you know it, but I am sure that, for me, you are an upgrade!" He said excitedly. I blushed, smiling at him.
"Upgrade?" I said. He nodded.
"Upgrade! Let's be each other's upgrade!" He's...really cute when he's excited.
"Oh wow!" I giggled softly, relishing in the smile on his face.
"You're my upgrade." He said simply.
"Well, I'm flattered. This is new," I said, then looked down at my feet. "Still, I'm not sure what I should do..." Almost as if he could hear the apprehension in my voice, he took my hands in his and gave them a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
"You gotta' take the upgrade." He said. I smiled, both of us speaking in unison.
"Gotta' take the upgrade!" Jade spun me around and smiled brightly at me.
"Hey, you should come over! I've got a big house and it gets kinda lonely without my parents." He said. I laughed a bit.
"Aww..."
He raised an eyebrow, looking defensive. "Hey, that's funny?" He asked. I shook my head and quickly backtracked.
"No, no. I-I'm sorry, it's just... the poor lonely rich boy routine kinda sounds like..." I trailed off.
"An act," he continued right where I left off, somehow guessing my train of thought. "I guess you'd know about that, Juliet." I flushed redder than before.
"Wha-?" I tried to speak, but he cut me off.
"When's the last time you tried something new? Not on a stage?" He asked, then held me close.
"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am." His voice was a whisper. I nodded slightly and closed my eyes, relaxing into his arms.
"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am..." I whispered.
[Falner's POV]
Hope and I snuggled closer to each other, sitting on the leafy forest floor. My Squip was leaning against a tree, his eyes showing pride and jealousy. Hope giggled softly as she played with a few loose strands of my hair.
"Hey, can I tell you something?" She asked. I nodded, floating in bliss. She bit her lip and moved to sit in my lap, much to my surprise.
"When I'm with Tempest, people always look at her first. But at the mall?" She giggled, and it sounded shyer than before. "You looked at me." She cupped my face in her hands, and for a moment, I thought she was going to kiss me. She let out a soft sigh. "It's like, Tempest's my best friend, but sometimes I'm tired of always being her..."
"Player two..." I said softly, finishing her thought with my own.
Player two.
Player two.
Who was my player two?
Who was my...
Who...
"I just want someone to see me first." Hope sighed. I nodded slowly and held her close.
"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am," I whispered. She nodded slightly and repeated my words.
"I'm tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am."
After a few solid minutes, she stood up, but not before kissing me gently.
"I have to go. Thanks for listening to me, Falner," she said softly. "You're something special, y'know?" I gave her a smile as she walked out of the forest, and I simply stared at my Squip, who watched her leave before turning back to me.
"You've done well," he commented. "You deserve a break. I'll get out of your head for a bit so you can collect your thoughts." And just like that, he was gone, leaving me alone. I stood up, brushed myself off, and hurried into the school building, almost slamming into someone.
"Shit, I'm so sor..." The words died on my lips as the person turned around. Dark, brownish-black hair. Blue eyes that were red and puffy, a sign that he had been crying. I couldn't believe it.
"E-Eli?!" I asked in surprise. He gave me a rather icy glare, turning around and starting to walk away. "Oh my God, I'm so glad to see you!" I said. He turned to look back at me.
"Really? So you haven't been avoiding me all day?" He asked. I was surprised by the venom in his voice.
"What are you talking about? I haven't seen you since...since..." I could almost physically feel the realization hit me, and I felt my face turn about five shades redder. "Reactivate," I whispered, my Squip appearing in an instant.
"It's called optic nerve blocking." He said. I glared at him.
"Why haven't I seen Eli all da- wait, what?!" I said, my voice turning surprised by the end. He floated behind Eli and placed his hands on his shoulders. I felt my body stiffen, wanting to jump over and just protect my friend from all of the shit that was going on at the moment.
"I have access to your optic nerves. I have been blocking Eli from your field of vision." He reached up and combed a few loose strands of Eli's hair out of his face. Eli jumped in surprise and looked around, trying to find what just touched him. I flushed, then noticed that Eli had stopped looking for my Squip, and his expression had gone from angry to concerned.
"Falner? Why're you standing there all...creepy and stuff?" He asked softly. I couldn't bear to speak, choosing to helplessly look up at my Squip, who moved to stand between Eli and me after a moment.
"Eli is a link to Falner 1.0. To upgrade...you have to be willing to make sacrifices." He said, his voice low and coaxing. Eli walked through him, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Seriously, what's up with you? You've been acting shady ever since...since..." He trailed off, looking into my eyes. "It worked, didn't it?" I looked down, then nodded slightly. He let out a light laugh, pulling me into a hug.
"Falner! That's amazing! We gotta test it out! No, we gotta celebrate, we gotta-!" His voice sounded more and more excited with every word. "We gotta get a sugar high in your basement!" He chirped. Before I could open my mouth and take his offer, my Squip suddenly appeared between us.
"You know what you have to do. Sever your ties. Otherwise, you both drown." He whispered.