INSTALOVE

Chapter 13: Hazardous Terrain

Chapter 13: Hazardous Terrain

E L L I E

Reese comes round the corner. I release a long slow breath when I see that she's alone.

An InstaLove notification flashes on my screen as Reese's avatar approaches. I expect an interaction prompt like the ones at the party last night. Instead her avi disappears before my eyes, replaced by a box of blue text.

User Reese has signed off.
Look for Reese now in Missed Connections.  [GO]

Confused, I lift my visor and glance forward from beneath the frames. The real Reese stands before me with her own glasses dangling from her hand. "There you are," she says. "I had to activate the GPS tracking to find you."

Tracking? I remove my visor to examine it. I suppose it makes sense to have some way of tracking down a piece of equipment this expensive. I've got a Find My Phone app on my cell. It just feels a little intrusive, knowing Reese can follow my movements everywhere I go. And if Reese has access, no doubt Eleanor does as well...

I feel a little queasy. "Why? Did you need me for something?"

"No, but I need to check those again. Make sure there's no residual water damage." She gestures for my visor. I pull the cord from around my neck and hand it over.

"They seem like they're working fine," I offer, but she doesn't take my word for it. I stand awkwardly, knitting my fingers together, as she holds my glasses to her eyes. Long moments tick by before she finally removes them.

"Well?" I reach to take the glasses back, but she withholds them, just outside my reach. I meet her eyes, expecting to see her domineering coldness. But her expression isn't quite so easy to read today. There's something else in her eyes. Something almost... scared? Or maybe vaguely guilty?

"What is it?" I ask, inching closer to her. "They're not broken are they?"

She shakes her head, seeming to snap out of whatever had been bothering her. "No, they're fine." She hands the visor back. "Listen. I had to change your username."

"What?"

"Your avatar can't be called Ellie. It's just... not a good idea." She bites her lip. "I changed it to Lowercase."

"Are you serious?"

She shrugs, and I see that tinge of sheepishness on her face again. It's weird how much more human she seems today. Way less "mean girl" without an audience. She moves toward the stone bench and sits down, gesturing for me to sit beside her.

I hesitate for a moment, and then I take a seat. My laptop is still open where I left it, but I ease it closed and hug it against my thighs. Reese stretches her legs in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. She leans back for a moment and looks upward, addressing her words to the leafy canopy of tree limbs overhead.

"Can I give you some advice?"

I expect her to issue some warning about Eleanor—how I had the gall to steal her best friend's name... As if two girls with the same name have never attended the same school before. I look down at the silver case of my laptop, labeled with my name in bold black lettering.

Property of Ellie Sandberg

They'll probably want me to change that next. Scribble over it and write "Property of Lowercase."  Or better yet, "Property of Nobody At All."

But Reese surprises me when she continues. For once, her chosen topic has nothing to do with Eleanor or the rightful owner of said first name. She sits up straighter and turns to face me. "You shouldn't hide back here," she says. "Everyone's in the library or the dining hall. You should... you know..."