FEATURE - Virtual Lies

“You just can’t take their side and expect me to forgive you minutes later!” 

“Want me to tell you something, Ava? You always put yourself first, every time, and you never consider what anyone else needs or wants. It’s always you, and yourself. Ava, we are done.”

Masie’s words ring through my ears as my eyes begin to fill with salty tears. I furiously wipe away the tears forming in my eyes, not wanting to cry in front of Chrissy and her friends.

Masie doesn’t waste any more time waiting as she walks out of our dorm room. 

I turn around to spit back at Chrissy. “I hope you're happy. Now get out.” My words are harsh, but I couldn’t care less. She smirks. “So happy, can’t wait to see the next episode,” she says, queuing her friends to follow. 

“This isn’t one of your sick shows, it’s real,” I say, my voice cracking as I try to hold back tears. I watch her shrug and walk out. I close the door, wishing I could take back my words and choices. 

I log into Facebook, searching for ‘Jackson Gray,’ and click on the first profile. I quickly type ‘I am ready.’ 

He replies, ‘Sweet babe. Mind if I call you that?’ 

I hesitate but reply, ‘Sure,’ feeling exhilarated. My heart pounds. 

He texts, ‘You’re so gorgeous, Ava. Tell me about yourself, I love listening to you.’ 

I know I shouldn’t be writing this, but I feel I deserve happiness after everything. I type back, tears on my fingertips, feeling the words float and sink. 

My room is dark; the laptop’s glow illuminates it. Each message lifts and weighs me down. I know I should stop talking to him, but I keep replying late into the night. He fluffs me with compliments, but then detours into controlling talks, saying I shouldn’t waste time on school or friends. 

I start skipping classes, staying in my room chatting with someone I’ve never met but love. One day, after a weird text, our chat is normal until he sends a chilling message, accusing someone of leaving me and suffering alone — I read it repeatedly, puzzled. 

I turn off my phone, focusing on homework, but his messages keep coming. I check them, mostly sweet, and ask questions instead of replying. 

‘So, where do you live?’ 

He answers, ‘Close enough to never leave.’ 

I ask if he has siblings; he replies, ‘Not in a way that matters between us.’

I give up, shut off my phone, and say, ‘Night.’ 

I don’t get much sleep but when I do my dreams are haunted with his messages, so I wake up screaming, but I realise no one is there to help me, so get out of my bed and walk over my desk, finally feeling ready to tell him that we need to break up, but a new message pops up just as I enter his contact. 

‘You might need earplugs tonight, it’s said to rain, and you hate the sound of rain on your dorm window since it reminds you of Masie leaving.’ 

I freeze, my laptop sitting gently on my lap. I’ve never told him. Panic knots my stomach. I scroll up. Every word, every secret I thought was mine alone, he knows, and I don’t know how because I definitely didn’t tell him. 

I slam the laptop shut. This isn’t right. He mustn’t be real. Masie tried to warn me… but I was too naïve. I was hooked to a stupid AI bot.