OG Short Stories (BL/H/GL) & Food 4 Thought [ONGOING]

4 Walls For Lies

"Bye mom, bye dad!" They left with smiles on their faces, happy to go on their get together. They deserved this time alone; it's been a while since they were actually able to relax. Ever since my older brother got into college, things have only recently been able to calm and settle down. God the war they went through with him about his studies and his grades

I laughed to myself.

I rushed upstairs, making it to my room. I locked the door, hopping on a discord call with my friends. "Hey Ruth! How have you been?" I smiled hearing Jason's voice. Everyone, I mean everyone knew I had a crush on him, but I could never just tell him. He was literally my childhood best friend, and I didn't want to ruin everything I built with him over the years. "Hi Jason." I said, my voice sounding a bit more unstable. "Heyo Ruth!" Aisha was here too. She was so supportive, the kind of friend you'd expect to only see in movies as the side character. Yet here she was, the one that always picked me up when I tripped. I sighed a bit, realizing how much I missed her. "Hey Aisha, been a while."

"We should get together soon girl."

"I know, but you know how it is, I'm really busy these days. School has its ways of eating you on the inside sometimes."

"Yeah, we all know" Jason chided in, interrupted by another voice. "All about that school stuff again huh?"

"Dillion" we all said in unison, sighing and slumping, but still smiling. Dillion was a bit of a social outcast, but he was a really good guy once you got to know him. Some of his ideas and thoughts were a bit... out there... but he made a good friend, always giving you a swift kick in the ass when necessary. "Oh, you're one to talk." Aisha made a light sarcastic comment. "Aren't you the one that should be actually studying instead of chatting with us? Aren't you the one with too many F's to count?"

"Oh, give me a break woman, I could make a comment about you calling me instead of being in the kitchen, but I won't"

"You're a real ass sometimes." Jason put a hand over his mouth, stifling a laugh. I did the same. Only Aisha was not laughing. She turned off her camera and muted her mic. "Oh, c'mon! He didn't mean to make you mad." I said, attempting to comfort her. "Actually, I d-" I gave him a death stare through my camera. "N-No, I didn't mean to... I'm sorry Aisha." She turned her camera back on. Though something felt off about her.

She was looking off to the side, mouthing words to someone sitting next to her. Her mic was still off. She looked very angry and anxious at the same time. Then her face snapped forwards to look at me, her eyes piercing me. She looked lost, yet infuriated. "Y-o-u s-h-o-u-l-d w-a-k-e u-p"

"Wha..." my voice trailed off in confusion, I forced a laugh. "Damn, you've gotten good at scaring m-"

"R-u-t-h w-h-e-n w-i-l-l y-o-u b-e-h-a-v-e-?" they all now said in unison. Their voices sounded massive, surrounding me, words bouncing off the walls, landing into my mind like rushing planes. My ears began to ring, just like those screeching brakes of the planes. I covered my head with my hands, curling up in a ball, tossing off my headphones. Why were they so loud? Why were they torturing me? These are my friends, I made them possible. I got mad at myself, knowing that I was overreacting, and my brain was amplifying my fears.

The voices of my friends seemed to be shifting as if they were different sound frequencies in the wind, getting louder and then softer. Everyone wanted my attention, they wanted an answer, a submission from me. I know they wanted me to surrender. I worked so hard for them to be here with me, I was not going to let that go.

I forced my brain to go silent, hearing one voice come through the headphones. It was normal, not glitched. "Hello? Hello? Ruth, are you ok? Wha-what's going on?"

"I-... I'm fine... say.. uh-Jason..."

"What... what's going on?" He sounded so genuine and his tone was so real to my heart. "H-how long was I out for?"

"About... give or take... 10 minutes? Ruth, I'm worried for you." He stroked back his hair, looking at me with his signature big green eyes that were filled with concern. "I-It's fine... it's not the first time this happened... say where is Dillion and Aisha?"

"W-who? Who are you talking about?"

"Quit playing with me, where are they?"

"Ruth... I think..." his voice trailed off. I was startled out of my thoughts by a white blinding light.

𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

"Ok Ruth, I think that's enough for today. You still can't decipher between the small differences of this world and the virtual one." Mr Foreword unplugged the headset from the old computer I was locked in with. I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay. "Why are you doing this to me... and... and what do you mean that I can't decipher between worlds, I play along with every scenario you give me... I just-" He put a hand up to stop me from saying anything more. He spoke while beginning to wrap the wire around the headset, putting away other equipment. "Thing is, you get TOO enthralled within the worlds that are created to test you. And to answer your first question, both of us know that you wouldn't be safe in the real world. Your old parents couldn't afford to take care of you, so they sent you here."

"But Mr-!"

"Ruth... I don't want this anymore than you do. You're a special kid, your brain is more complex than most of the other kids held here. Some are getting stuck and not getting out, letting their brain jumble until it can't function anymore... then you know what happens."

"I-I don't want that! I just want to be let go! Can't a girl just live normally?"

"NO!" he yelled. "I mean... no, you can't, at least, not anymore. If we set you out, you'd get lost, and we can't be liable for such a death. You're helping us advance in technology: you help us find out what makes a consumer interested, hooked... and what makes them crack or not believe."

"There has to be a more humane way to do it though!" I screamed through my tears. "Then go find one!" he screamed back, whipping his eyes from under his glasses. I stared at my computer, hugging my knees to my chest. I wept like a puppy, just crying because it hurt and because I wasn't understood. Mr. Foreword wasn't a bad person, he was just following the rules, I would've done the same. The corporates... I don't even want to mention them. I felt bad for him, but I also felt bad for myself, letting them continue this on me for over 14 years now.

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts, as I watched a plate of food and water slide under my door. "At least the food here was nice." I didn't rush to grab it.

Once in a while, I was allowed to ask for a special item. I asked for colored pencils and many pieces of white paper. From all my torn thoughts, I drew a house... or what I thought a house should look like. I had hung it in the center of the room, looking at it every night before I went to bed, to have at least something good to dream about. The house reminded me of the time I was put into a simulator where I lived as an adult with my husband. We had been so happy, he always took care of my small mishaps and issues.

Just one thing... he felt... too real. I always know that everyone here is fake, but, no... he was real. He touched me, his hands were warm. He hugged me, his heart beat fast, but not too fast. He kissed me, his lips were chapped yet soft. We had sex, he made me feel amazing, lifting me up into the skies of paradise.

The program glitched one day... and... he... he tried to warn me about something. I couldn't hear him through the static. When Mr Foreword took my headset off, I had the worst meltdown of my life.

Because

𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭.

I stared at my house one more time, before grabbing my cooled food, waiting for my next test.

~<***>~

HI AUTHOR HERE <3

should i make a possible part 2? or we satisfied with an open ending?