Aileen
Exhausted, Aileen slumps on her bed, clutching a fluffy, heart-shaped pink pillow to her chest before using it as a headrest. She's still dressed in her good clothes, but she doesn't care. Instead of trying to take her mind off things, she pulls out her phone and opens the dating app. Ignoring the cringe-worthy catchphrase, as always—Find the spark you need to light you up!—she finds their chat.
She hasn't sent Jenna a message since bailing on her—but she hasn't received one either. I bet she's upset. Knowing it would be too awkward to send her a message now, she waits to see if Jenna will message instead...
'Jenna, you will always be one hundred per cent worth waiting for,' she whispers, a single tear slipping from her eye onto the phone screen. She tries to wipe it away with her thumb but the keyboard glitches and, in only a split second, a series of random characters appear and are sent to Jenna!
***220Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Pm9XybSXx
220Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsm5lKsqHT
Startacular: WASKFGHILTOP220Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMEiXoGJ0a
<Simplicity is typing...>
Simplicity: Did you accidentally text me?
Startacular: Jenna, listen
Simplicity: How do you know who I am???!!!
***
220Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCsUM4tihC
Before Aileen has a chance to type anything else, the chat box turns grey, and a message pops up on the screen:220Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPO85Y50O52
You have been blocked from this chat by Simplicity.
Seeing those words on the screen sends a shard of ice into Aileen's fractured heart; instinctively, she screams and hurls the phone across the room. It hits the wall; she hears an unmistakable crack. When she gathers up the courage to retrieve it, she sees that the screen is shattered.
The phone refuses to light up when she clicks the power button. Frustrated and suddenly deeply exhausted, Aileen sinks back onto her bed. 'J-Jenna,' she sobs.
Suddenly, someone knocks on Aileen's door—but they enter without her having a chance to give them permission. She sees a tall figure with a slicked back white hair. 'Zachary?' Aileen looks up through her tears, surprised that one of her friends are here. His the leader of the friendship group, Aileen belongs too. 'What are you doing here?'
'Hey, Aileen! Your mum and dad let me in,' Zachary answers her, despite looking like his not really present in the moment so to speak. His looking around, seemingly confused.
'Are you okay?' Aileen questions. 'Uh, yeah. I'm fine, bestie.' Zachary responds a moment later, having pulled himself back to earth. 'Have you re-decorated your room?'
'No. Are you on something?'
'No.'
'Okay... If you say so, Zac.'
'If I had anything to deal, I'd let you know, alright?'
'Zachary.' Aileen tells him sternly. 'You know I'm not into drugs unlike other people we know.'
He glares at her, then expression softens and notices Aileen's slightly messy bed, his friends teary face and her smashed phone. 'I-I hope it's alright I'm here...' His voice falters a little, wondering what his just walked into. Aileen looks up at him and nods through her tears. Zachary closes her door and rushes over from the doorway to pull her up into a sitting position.
'What's happened here? You're normally neater than this. Did you have a meltdown or something?' His tone of voice is rude and condescending to Aileen's annoyance. His one to talk about meltdowns. When he has them, he scares her and he scares a lot of other people too. He looks around her messy room.
'Your phone's broken!' He exclaims, taking it from her hands. He tries to turn it on; then, his eyes widen as he sees that Aileen's index finger is bleeding heavily—a shard of glass from the screen has cut her deeply.
'Really? Hadn't noticed anything.' Aileen snaps sarcastically, her bad mood showing.
'I'll get a bandaid!' He says hurriedly, racing into her ensuite to find one.
Aileen doesn't even have time to respond before he returns. Zachary gently removes the shard with tweezers and cleans it up nicely. 'Thank you,' she whispers.
'There, is that OK?' He glances around Aileen's bedroom again. 'I've been trying to call you all afternoon, you know? Heaps of times! It's unlike you not to be glued to your phone, miss social butterfly.' He laughs. 'Cooper, Saki, Nadia and I were waiting for you—we all agreed about a week ago we were going to head up to that new hotel that opened up in the mountains, remember? It borders on the edge of the pine forest that surrounds their small outback town. Luckily, it's semi-forest as opposed to a proper dusty outback, in-land town, but it still doesn't mean it's not miles from the nearest city.
I can't believe we had to wait so long to get a reservation there. But it is five-star, Hotel Slice, so it makes sense why. It took them forever to build it, then get themselves up and running. Finally, we have somewhere for people like us to go in this crappy town.' Of the group, Zachary is perhaps the most money-obsessed, even more so than Aileen herself seems to be. He's always talking about how dingy and cramped their town is and how he can't wait to move away. The others, particularly Saki and Nadia, generally follow whatever grand plans he presents to them.
'I have homework to do,' Aileen mumbles. 'I don't think I can make it.'
'Come on, don't give me that bullshit! You promised us you'd be there... You can't back out now!' Zachary argues with her, pulling Aileen to her feet. 'What have you been doing all day that made you too busy to answer your now broken phone?' She gives a non-committal shrug, not wanting to look him in the eye. 'Right...' He's unconvinced and raises an eyebrow. 'Well, bring your homework if you have to, but you're definitely coming with us! Have you packed your suitcase yet! If not, start now, hurry. Chop chop, Aileen, you're better than this.
I'll be waiting outside with my driver.'
As quick as he came, his now vanished from her bedroom. Aileen sighs before kneeling on her fluffy white carpet and pulling a hot pink suitcase out from under her bed. 'Alright!' She yells after him. 'Packing!'
Jenna
Jenna slumps over her desk, sobbing. She hears a knock on her bedroom door. 'Go away! I'm not in the mood.'
'Jenna?' She hears a familiar voice call out. Her friend Daniel gently opens the door, peering in cautiously. Jenna squints at him disapprovingly through the matted strands of hair that have been glued to her face by tears.
'Why are you here?' She asks, bluntly. His green eyes widen, and he shuffles his feet, not expecting such a harsh welcome.
'Well... I thought I should come by and check on you,' he says nervously. Noticing Jenna's surprise, he explains: 'I was giving Mathaniel his evening walk and, I saw you run out of Maniac's in a panic—a place I never thought you'd go, ever!'
'Oh.' She frowns and lifts her head from her desk. 'But, how did you get into my house, if my parents aren't home?'
'Secret!' He smirks, holding a finger to his lips. The mood momentarily lifts, both giggling as Daniel flashes the hidden backdoor key.
'You better put it back later exactly where it belongs!' She tells him sternly, trying to stifle her laughter.
'Don't worry, I will. Now tell me. Did something happen?' He glances at Jenna's phone with a questioning look. She hands it to him with the dating app still open.
'Here you go, it's all yours. Judge away!'
Daniel scrolls through her chat with Startacular. 'Oh Jenna...' He sighs sadly.
'I know, I bailed. I was so scared to go and then I just couldn't go through with it anyway.' Jenna turns to Daniel, looking scared. 'I honestly don't know how she knows who I am! I put such little info online...'
'Wow, that is kind of creepy.' Daniel's brows furrow. 'Actually, I think you should be a little more than worried about this, to be honest.' He hugs Jenna, attempting to comfort her, as he stands in a slightly awkward position above her. Daniel isn't super comfortable with physical touch, but he cares about Jenna a lot. 'Maybe you should completely close your account? The less information online that's linked to you right now, the better.'
Jenna looks at him for a moment before taking a deep but shaky breath. 'Yeah, I guess... but, can you do it for me?' It takes Daniel less than a minute to delete the account. When it's done, Jenna takes another, slower breath. It's over, it's actually over. What a waste of time... months of a relationship completely down the drain. Blocking Startacular is one thing, but deleting the whole account? That's definitely another... but she can't help agreeing with Daniel. Such little information online about her, yet someone deduced her entire identity. What is this? Some shady online organisation looking to kidnap teenagers or young adults?
She shakes this wild theory from her mind. She can't do this to herself, not now. No. Anxiety' the worst.
'Are you worried it could be a stalker? Maybe we should go to the police?'
'Oh no,' she reassures him, 'I'll be alright.'
'Alright, well, you know if something bad happens, or if you hear from this person again, you have to tell someone.' Daniel goes in for another hug despite the awkward position of their bodies. 'You know I'll support you, I've got your back,' he whispers softly.
'Thanks Danny, that means a lot.' Jenna untangles herself from their embrace to fetch a tissue.
She dries her eyes as Daniel rubs her back comfortingly. 'Why don't we do something fun to distract you?'
'No.' Jenna shakes her head. 'I have homework I should really make a start on.'
He looks at her, unconvinced; he knows Jenna uses schoolwork as a way to avoid her feelings. As if prompted by his look, Jenna's stomach growls right on cue, loudly. 'It sure sounds like you're hungry.' He smiles, cupping her shoulder. 'Let's go out—my treat!'
'What! No, you can't do that!'
'No arguments! Dinner is on me,' he insists. 'But we'll definitely have to pick up Mathaniel on the way—he always enjoys an adventure! Ooh, I know! We should go to the Lucky Kitty Cafe!'
Jenna squeals in delight. She loves Mathaniel—a beautiful black and white St Bernard—and she loves Lucky Kitty just as much as Daniel does. Daniel really knows how to cheer her up! The two leave Jenna's house, hiding the spare key before heading to pick up Mathaniel.220Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBxIgfxBnZ
