Chapter Seven

The next school day was uneventful. Nicole saw Roxie was back first thing in the morning. As Nicole had figured, Roxie didn't look the least bit traumatized. She was laughing and chatting with her friends like it was any other day. Their paths rarely crossed except for at lunchtime, so it was hard to tell if Roxie was trying to avoid her or not.

But on their walk home, it was clear Roxie was keeping a good distance away.

Nicole thought of Mrs. Manyan and how she didn't seem to remember looking at the app. Maybe Roxie doesn't remember anything either.

"Hey, Roxie!" Nicole turned around to shout. "Where've you been?"

"Sick. Why?"

"No reason. Just thought I saw you playing ping pong with an elephant." Roxie would either understand the statement, or think Nicole was just being stupid.

Roxie stopped walking. "So it was real?"

"Real."

"My parents are convinced I was in bed sick the whole time."

Nicole didn't resume walking until Roxie caught up to her. The two girls walked in silence for a block, until Roxie sniffed and said, "Well? Aren't you going to apologize?"

"Me? To you? Walk me through this."

"You sucked me into your phone and beat me with a shoe."

Nicole sighed and looked up at the open sky. She couldn't deny doing those things. After everything that happened, Nicole was in the same place she had been before: left with the blame and Roxie getting away. Nothing had changed.

But how was it possible for nothing to change after such a strange encounter?

"Roxie, do you have anything to apologize to me for?"

"I didn't do anything. I was the victim."

"Well, I apologize for the shoe. I really didn't know it was going to do that."

And Nicole was struck by a sudden thought. She hadn't known; and once she realized what had happened, she turned it off. After all the daydreams she had of torturing Roxie, Nicole didn't live them out. But what did it mean? What did it matter without a reward?

"And?" Roxie was waiting for the second half of the apology.

Am I sorry that this happened? It must have meant something. It must have.

"No. I'm not sorry that happened," Nicole said after a pause. "I just don't understand what it means yet."

A quick shove and Nicole was on the ground. The girl laughed in the dirt; she remembered only a few days ago how angry this would have made her. But Nicole felt no anger today. She had no visions of torturing her assailant. Despite being dirty and grass-stained, Nicole felt lighter than ever. Roxie was staring down at her; angry scowl across her face and hands balled into fists.

"Careful, Roxie." Nicole grinned. "I wasn't the first to get that app. Probably won't be the last. And you'll just have to hope the next person who gets it doesn't put you back inside."

Roxie paled a little and her eyes darted around to see if anyone was running towards her with a phone. Then she was running herself back to the safety of her house.

Was Roxie punished after all? Nicole thought as she got up. To forever live in fear of being sucked inside a phone app? No. I'm sure she'll get over it soon enough.

On the last block before her right turn into her subdivision, Nicole noticed a few stray pieces of litter that didn't make it into the trashcan right next to it. The young girl stared at the scene a lot longer than she should have.

All it would have taken was one more step. Some people. Nicole sighed. Looks like there aren't enough magic apps to keep all the bad people inside. Guess that means there's a lot of bad ones running around.

That may be true, she answered herself as she began to pick up the litter. But I refuse to be one of them.

The End