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I immerse myself in video games—something I haven’t done in a while. It helps a bit. Beheading zombies isn’t as satisfying as scalping Britney would be, but at least it’s more socially acceptable.
Maybe this is what I should’ve done with my computer science degree: made games that let people forget the crap in their lives, at least for a while.
By midnight, any hope I had for a reply from Vlad is gone, so I stumble into bed and cry myself to sleep.
* * *
I wake up to the chime of a doorbell.
Leaping off the bed, I rush to the bathroom and make myself semi-presentable before sprinting for the door.
“Who is it?” I ask, then belatedly recall that I can now look at the video app on my phone.
“Ava.”
Crap. I’ve never been so disappointed to hear my friend’s voice.
I open the door.
She looks furious. “Who texts SOS and then ignores her friend’s calls?”
I blink at her. “I didn’t ignore you.”
She pushes her way in. “I texted and called a hundred times. Literally.”
“Hold up.” I stumble into the living room and pick up Precious. “Nothing from you.”
She scoffs. “I called and texted. Repeatedly.”
A sinking feeling builds in my stomach—but also a flutter of hope.
I check Precious more thoroughly.
Damn it. It’s not just the screen that’s cracked. When I dropped it, it also lost the ability to receive calls and messages.
Which means Vlad might not have ghosted me.
I was too out of it yesterday to realize that Ava had also disappeared on me. If I were in my right mind, that would’ve raised all sorts of red flags.
Ava puts her hands on her hips. “You need to spill whatever it is. Now.”
I make us two bowls of chocolatey cereal, and we gobble it down as I give her the whole awful story.
“I bet he thinks you ghosted him,” Ava says. “You stormed out and all that.”
I put down my spoon. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
She slurps the last of her milk. “So what now?”
“Give me your phone.”
She does. I pull up Vlad’s number on my mostly dead Precious and call Vlad from Ava’s phone.
He doesn’t answer.
Maybe he’s screening numbers he doesn’t know?
I look for my work phone but can’t find it.
