Chapter 8: Making a Splash

E L L I E

I stand transfixed as I watch the three of them make their grand entrance. Eleanor unlinks her elbow from Maddox and edges closer to Reese. The two girls wrap arms around each other's waists. They're obviously BFFs, judging from their body language, but they make an odd pair. Maybe not so much friends but frenemies?

It must be their outfits giving them that Katy Perry/Taylor Swift vibe. Reese looks edgy and dramatic, dressed all in black with a shock of bright blue hair. Eleanor, meanwhile, must have thought she was attending some swank red carpet movie premiere in that semi-formal cocktail dress. She smiles and waves to no one in particular as she makes her way to the middle of the stone patio.

It's weird how my eyes follow her, unable to tear my gaze away. After I spent all afternoon wondering about Maddox, Eleanor is the one who keeps me planted in place, following her graceful movements. I can sense I'm not the only one watching her as the whispers buzz around me.

InstaLove?... Here?... Now?... Did you bring your glasses?

My plans to leave the party evaporate, and my fingertips tingle with anticipation as I reach for the cord around my neck. For all my shyness, I won't pretend like I'm not dying to know what InstaLove looks like through these lenses.

The glasses themselves are easy enough to use. I fiddled around with them earlier in the privacy of my room. Reese set them up to auto-login to my InstaLove account, and I discovered a treasure trove of extra settings and configurations that didn't exist in the phone version of the app... like Advanced Avatar Customization, for example...

My lips quirk with a tiny smile. I might be stuck with my own ratty clothes in real life, but Ellie 2.0 can swap outfits with a few blinks of her eyes. I head for the menu option I need, using eye movements to make selections.

The app comes pre-loaded with a whole range of possibilities. I scroll through and settle on a sundress—navy blue with a bright yellow sunflower print. Not as elegant as Eleanor's shimmery cocktail dress, but way more appropriate than my jean shorts and T-shirt.

There. Much better.

With my InstaMakeover complete, I turn my back on the garden gate and square my shoulders. I cant leave now. I need to see this through. The time has come to introduce myself around.

I turn in a slow circle, scanning my lens-covered eyes around the party, and I feel a bit light-headed. Not exactly dizzy, but disconnected from the solid ground—floating above the grass instead of walking through it. My movements feel weightless and frictionless, full of graceful ease. I look down at my feet and do a twirl, my lungs filling with a gasp of pleasure at the way my virtual sundress swirls around my knees.

For the first time since I arrived at Winthrop, I'm glad to be here. I've never experienced anything quite this magical. The InstaLove phone app might be popular, but the VR version totally blows it away.

I lift my head, more steady on my feet now, and the hairs rise on the back of my neck. The level of detail is intense. Did high school students really create all this? Everywhere I look, I see a combination of real and "augmented"—not just the avatars but background scenery too. I recognize the flower beds and stone terraces lined with paper lanterns, but some invisible hand has painted in a screen of palm trees at the far edge of the lawn.

Those trees definitely weren't there before... but what did they replace? Weeping willows, maybe? I resist the urge to lift up my goggles and check, not wanting to break the spell that InstaLove has cast.

I can't resist the burst of curiosity, though. I glide a few paces toward the palm trees, and I can tell they aren't 100% authentic as I come closer. There's something slightly cartoonish about them. Too perfect. Too crisp. Too bright, like the background of a CGI animation film. I wonder what would happen if I tried to touch them. Could I walk right through those solid-looking tree trunks? Or would they recede further into the background before I got too close?

The palm fronds rustle as a cool breeze sweeps through the garden, raising goosebumps on my arms. It's after 8 o'clock now, and the weather has grown colder since the sun went down. I should have brought a sweater. Maybe I should give my avatar an augmented-reality cardigan to match my dress...

The thought makes me snicker under my breath. Obviously I'm not serious... but maybe I should be. I wonder if the the mere sight of sweater covering my arms would trick my brain into feeling a few degrees warmer.

I slow my pace, searching with my eyes for the outfit customization menu, when my path is blocked by another avatar.

She looks familiar... Is that the French-braid-girl who made such a point of ignoring me earlier? Her avi comes to a halt before me, with her skirt fluttering in the breeze. This time, she's looking right at me. I feel so happy, I almost miss the fact that her avatar is wearing an identical fake sundress to the one I picked out for myself.

The text bubble on my screen clues me in.

Really? Those are my only options? A nervous giggle escapes my lips. I'm not sure what the real Ellie would do in this situation—probably find some deep dark hole to hide inside—but luckily that's not a choice for Ellie 2.0. I roll my eyes upward to highlight choice "A" and blink once to select it.

Samantha's avatar breaks into a friendly smile. A text exchange pops up in the center of the screen.

Wait a sec... Did I just make my first InstaFriend? I eyeball the heart icon by way of response, and I can practically feel myself float off the ground at the newfound burst of confidence. I didn't even have to open my mouth once. The whole interaction played out like a pre-written script. I suddenly love this app, despite the rather limited clothing selection. So much easier than real small talk!

Samatha drifts away, and I follow the prompts to classify her. My view of the party is blocked temporarily by the old familiar InstaLove column display.

InstaFriends...
InstaCrushes...

This is where the VR mod integrates with the real app. The avatars look flat and lifeless by comparison to the VR renderings.

I slide Samantha's face into the empty friend column, and my IL score flashes in the corner of the screen: 46.

A positive number!

Now I just need to keep the momentum going. I turn and head for the thick of the party. A cluster of avatars mingle near the palm trees at the far edge of the lawn. I recognize Eleanor and Reese side by side. They're each talking to a different boy, but not the boy who spent all day lingering in the back of my mind.

Maddox... Where did he go?

At the thought of him, I feel a bit less cold. I swivel my head, searching, but I don't see his tall frame or perfectly disheveled hair. Probably for the best. I should practice a few more interactions before I run into him again. I lock eyes with a different avi—a boy who seems eager enough to talk to me. Then another girl after that.

By now I have three faces in my InstaFriend column, and my IL score keeps rising. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually having fun. Me. Ellie Sandberg. Queen of the wallflowers. Having fun at a party.

It's official.

I'm in love.

With an app.

I'm pretty sure I'm never taking these VR glasses off.

My gaze flickers across Reese and Eleanor again, and a grudging admiration washes through me. Reese must be an amazing coder to create all this. And Eleanor, with her mean-girl magnetism, inspired everyone at this party to play along. I could practically run over there and hug them both.

Instead, I allow my gaze to wander. The garden seems emptier than before. Some avatars are heading toward the gate in groups of two or three. There goes French Braid—I mean Samantha—holding hands with the girl I saw her wave to earlier tonight. They must be a couple... A few other kids follow at their heels. Are they all headed back to the dorms? Maybe I should try to tag along...

But I can't leave yet. I stand rooted to the spot. My eyes just landed on another face, and he's looking straight at me.

Maddox.

My stomach drops. My hand flies to my throat, checking to make sure my head is still fully attached to my body. I expect him to ignore me—wave to someone else standing behind me. But he doesn't wave. He looks straight at me as he weaves his way past the other avatars who stand between us.

For a moment, I close my eyes, gathering my nerve. It's no big deal. No different from all the other interactions I've had tonight. All I have to do is wait for the game to prompt me and pick the friendly choice. Then my avi will smile at him and say something non-humiliating--something halfway cute that I would never think to say in real life. And he'll have no idea about the way my thoughts are churning.

That, in a nutshell, is the brilliance behind this app. It doesn't change who you are, but it presents the world with a slightly enhanced version. Like makeup or well-cut clothes—only InstaLove covers up the embarrassing blemishes in your social skills.

My main task at the moment is to stay upright. I'm pretty sure even InstaLove can't salvage the situation if I pass out. My throat goes dry and my palms itch as he comes up before me. I wipe my hands against the gauzy fabric of my sundress, and I'm momentarily taken aback when they catch against the front pockets of my denim shorts instead.

A new text bubble appears, but I'm so jittery I can barely read the words.

I can't breathe.

That's my choice? Really? What the hell? All the other prompts were way more chill! It must be because I lumped his avatar in the InstaCrush column. What a mistake... He can't see where I classified him, can he?

I press my lips together and gulp down against the rising panic in my chest.

Ugh. I should have realized... The app's called InstaLove after all. Not InstaGirlTalk. Not InstaShoppingBuddies. InstaLove. Of course it's forcing me to flirt.

How do I get out of this? There must be some way to override the script. My eyes flick up and down, highlighting each choice, but I can't find a way to exit without making a selection. Maybe I should pick choice B and run away? At least it's better than standing here like an indecisive statue.

I highlight the second option, but I can't quite bring myself to blink. As I hesitate, Maddox's avatar changes mood. His smile widens, and I can swear I see those two tiny hearts flash in the pupils of his eyes.

The text message exchange opens, awaiting my response.

Wait.

Wait wait wait.

He blew me a kiss?

Does that mean—

But—

But—

No.

I slam my eyes shut, pure reflex taking over. I think I just picked choice B, but I don't even care. None of this feels like a game anymore. I turn and flee for real.

The fake palm trees loom before me, swaying in their slightly-too-realistic way. I stumble toward them, desperate to escape behind the curtain of leafy fronds. As I go, I turn my head to look back at Maddox over my shoulder.

He looks straight at me with a new expression—one I haven't seen before. Eyes wide. Mouth shaped like an 'O.' That isn't his avatar making that face though. Those are his real eyes meeting mine. He's shoved his glasses upward, propping them at his hairline.

A text bubble crashes onto my screen, highlighted on a bright red background.

How is Maddox sending me messages without his visor? I don't understand. But it doesn't matter anyway. To my relief, I reach the trees and pass through them unimpeded.

And then I realize...

I finally remember what really lay at the far edge of this lawn, before we all put on our glasses. Not palm trees. Not weeping willows. Not trees at all...

Water.

A glassy surface, gently rippling in the evening breeze, glistening in the dancing firelight of paper lanterns...

The ground beneath my feet ceases to exist. I'm falling. Sinking. I flail my arms and open my mouth, but my yelp is muffled by the splash. The icy water rushes all around me, filling my mouth and nose.

I'm fully submerged before my brain catches up with my senses, and I realize where I am.

I just walked straight into Dr. Carlyle's in-ground swimming pool.

Dear Readers:
If you're enjoying the story, please don't forget to COMMENT and VOTE! Thank you! ❤️