Page 828 of Deep Pockets

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.

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