My Friend, Mal0

1

Staring at these four walls again, bored and alone. Everything was the same every day, so much so that his concept of time itself was starting to slip away. For someone like Halley, what else was there really for him to do? He didn't have anywhere important to be, like a job or college. He was a "NEET" which meant he wasn't in school, employed, or doing something like vocational training. He was a shut-in.

Aside from lying in bed all day, he'd on occasion look out the window and just watch people go by. Sometimes a group would pass, all talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves. It was a good thing nobody ever seemed to notice him as his stare was often tense and unblinking. Behind that cold stare resided feelings of envy and longing. He envied those who "had it in them" to be around and get close to other people and longed to be able to do the same. He had that at some point though after dropping out, he became distant from the people he used to call his friends.
He couldn't bring himself to reconnect with those people or go out and meet new ones. Being indoors for so long had further stunted his already questionable social skills, making him a great deal more self-conscious about he conducted himself around others. Can't risk saying something stupid to anyone if you didn't have the chance to say anything to anyone, right? That's how Halley saw it.

So this was how he lived. Cooped up indoors and always without company, just quietly wasting away. He had no one.

It was just another day when the thought crossed Halley's mind. He was once again lying in bed, scrolling endlessly on his phone. If he didn't want to just go out back into the world and meet people, maybe he could do it over the internet. It'd be a lot easier then since his conversational skills face-to-face wouldn't matter through message. Maybe he'd find someone else to get close to, someone he could comfortably share his sorrows with, someone who could help him out of this rut. With that in mind, he popped into the appstore and searched. He keyed in the word "make friends" and just like that, billions of results popped up. One particular app caught his attention though, as it stood out greatly amongst the others. The app had no icon and there was no developer listed. He clicked it and read the description. 

MalO
ver1.O.O

FREE!

Reviews (O)

Never settle for those awkward feelings of being alone ever again. MalO is an exciting and interactive experience that will keep you engaged and intrigued. The anxiety of social situations can be nerve-racking, but after just a few hours of MalO you will soon forget all about those painful emotions of disappointment. Be part of the new craze that is quickly becoming the next social substitute. Remember, the more you participate, the more MalO will engage you. Your experience is completely up to you. Absolutely NO ADS. Enjoy!

It didn't appear to be what he was looking for as by its description it seemed like more of a virtual buddy than a real friend. 

Guess this wouldn't hurt, He thought to himself, If your AI is smart enough then I could practice having conversations with you..or maybe..no..no cop-outs..

With that, he installed the app and then went back to looking for ones that provided a way to talk to real people. Seeing how populated the apps seemed to be with the number of downloads and the number of reviews they all had was a bit nerve recking, but he ignored the uneasiness welling within himself and pushed on. Once he had a couple downloaded he went back to his home screen to start using some.

As he scanned his downloaded apps, he realized that one of them was missing. He checked his notification center and looked for a notification saying that it'd installed and much to his surprise, despite not being present with the other apps, it said that it had indeed installed. He scanned all the pages of his home screen and the app drawer and still, nothing. He let out a loud groan and facepalmed.

"Did I just install malware or something?" He asked himself out loud. "Guess it's bout time I replace this piece of junk anyway. Ugh." Demotivated from his new endeavor, he tossed his phone back onto his bedside table and went back under his blankets. 

I'll deal with that tomorrow. 

As he drifted off to sleep, he started having the unshakable feeling that someone, or something, was watching him. He didn't think about it much as it wasn't long before the darkness of slumber had fully embraced him.