GAME OVER: a Be More Chill fic

Level 10

That night was the best sleep Jeremy had in a long time. He wasn't sure why he felt so light and worry-free, but he enjoyed every second of the refreshing rest and sweet dreams.

He woke up in a great mood. There was no unrecognizable burden weighing on his mind like there usually was, no butterflies in his stomach at the thought of going to school and seeing -- who? It seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite place it. Still, better to be blissfully unaware than knowingly anxious, he supposed.

"Morning, slugger," the Squip greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually!" Jeremy beamed. He stretched, threw on his old Eminem shirt and some jeans, and got ready for the day, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was forgetting something.

The feeling only grew stronger throughout the day, but Jeremy worked past it. He was completely unaware of how hard the Squip was working to block Michael from his vision and keep any of his texts from coming through. Jeremy also didn't know that the Squip replied to these texts with increasingly cryptic messages starting with "Sorry, can't talk right now" and most recently, a simple "Stop."

After Day 1 of the Squip's plan, Michael caught on. He realized pretty quickly that something was up, and he wanted to confront Jeremy about it, but he was worried about upsetting him even more. He wracked his brain trying to think of why Jeremy was avoiding him so pointedly. It hurt, not seeing his best friend all day, but nevertheless, Michael accepted his fate and ate lunch alone.

The same thing happened the next day, and the next, and the next... This went on for almost two weeks. It was the same every day -- Jeremy was content (if a bit confused), the Squip was working hard, and Michael was left in the dust.

The illusion was finally shattered the following week during a conversation with Brooke. Jeremy came up to her and Christine in the hallway and said hello, although he felt a bit uneasy about it. He couldn't remember why -- was he angry at Brooke? It didn't matter, because she was already saying hi, and pulling him into a hug, and then she was talking excitedly.

"Ohmygod, Jeremy, you will not believe what I just heard!" Brooke gripped his wrist intently. "Listen, I know this is probably the last thing you wanna talk about, but remember the Squip?"

Jeremy, a deer in the headlights, managed to nod. Does she know?

"Well, they came out with a new one. Five-point-o," Brooke beamed. "And it's not to make you cool or anything, it's actually supposed to be really helpful. Like, for people who have mental, uh, problems and stuff."

"Mental illness?" suggested Jeremy.

"Yeah! Like anxiety or depression. Bipolar disorder. Stuff like that," Christine explained. "The S-Squip..." She shuddered and tried again. "The Squip regulates your hormones to keep your dopamine levels up and stuff like that. It's really cool."

Jeremy nodded, intrigued, and relieved. They don't know about the Squip.

"You have nothing to worry about," said the Squip. "There's no possible way for them to find out. Listen to Brooke, now."

Brooke spoke up. "Yeah, my cousin Evan has, like, really bad social anxiety, but his therapist just told him about it and she's gonna get him one and see if it helps."

"Well, the FDA hasn't approved anything yet, but as soon as they do it'll make life easier for a lot of people," said Christine excitedly.

Jeremy was incredulous. "Really?"

Brooke and Christine practically talked over each other to answer him, but he only listened to the Squip.

"Yes, it's true. And as for the FDA there's a very high probability that they approve it before the beginning of next year."