Page 11 of Beautiful, Violent

Slick.

I shoot the middle finger at his message then take a deep breath. This is why I’m here. To trap this son of a bitch into talking to me, lure him into my web of death. This could be Benjamin or it could be King. But my guess is that it’s the former. A thrill runs through me like electricity, zaps me into smiling, and I start composing a reply.

ty so much. What an honor 2 talk 2 the developer :))))))))

I sip my coffee and juggle marketing with waiting for his response.

BigDev::)))))))))

BigDev:I’m here if u need anything. Just reach out anytime.

I tap my fingers on the table, thinking of something that makes me sound … cute and fragile. I don’t need to overdo it because he’ll jump at any chance to meet me. Probably.

CuteNfragile:Ty so much. I’m here bc I get bullied at school, hope that doesn’t happen here :(

Three chat bubbles appear. He’s typing a reply but it takes him a hot minute. Long enough for me to finish one of my daily tasks for work. After a long pause I hear a faint giggle—the default notification letting me know I have a message.

BigDev:if it does, come straight to me. I’ll take care of it. We have zero tolerance for that sort of thing. U r safe here, sweetheart <3

CuteNfragile:ty <33333

And now for the real test …

CuteNfragile:and my mom is also super protective so I can let her know if anyone bothers me.

More chat bubbles.

BigDev:u can … or just let me know. wouldn’t want your mom to think this isn’t a safe space. Like I said, we take bullying quite serious.

I roll my eyes at that one. Nice touch, douchebag. But then a panic overcomes me. If this app can track location and he checks that, he’ll see I’m in a coffee shop. 12-year-olds are supposed to be in school right now, not sitting in coffee shops.

Damn.

Oh wait…

I check the date on my phone. Like a blessing from the gods, today is Veteran’s Day. School is out. Still, I need to cover my bases.

CuteNfragile:oh, ok good. I’d rather u deal with it. mom is strict enough as is.

CuteNfragile:today she’s dragged me to this stupid coffee shop while she hangs out with some rando guy.

CuteNfragile:she doesn’t know I use this app…

BigDev::))))))

That’s all he replies. Dumb smiley faces. I bet he really does like the fact that my mom is totes clueless about what I’m doing right now.

After taking care of a few work tasks I check the app, and he hasn’t said anything more. I decide that’s good enough for this morning. Actually, it’s a really good start. I’ll log in later, maybe from the downtown library this time. I’ll have to be vigilant with that sort of thing.

Or … I could turn off the location services in my tablet settings. That way I can talk to him from my condo. If the app stores my current location and he gets antsy to find out what city I live in, he can always check it down the road. If he hasn’t already done so. If I get enough interest from him, maybe he’ll eventually ask me where I live. And sooner rather than later.

My phone chimes. It’s a message from Rigger.

What ya doing? You get your altered pic?

Me:Hanging at Total Drip. You? And yeah, I got it. It was perfect. Thank you!

Rigger:No problem. I’m right around the corner. Probably pop in and say hi.

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