"So, Oliver," Marilyn started, eating her cheeseburger while Oliver scrolled through his phone. 

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Who did you lose?"

 

He didn't look at her, distracted. "...huh? What are you talking about?"

 

"Didn't you say you felt like you lost her?" 

 

Oliver blushed, staring at his phone intensely. "Oh, um…no one." 

 

"Suuuuuure," she said back. "C'mon, you can tell me—I won't tell anyone. Besides, who would I tell? I don't have any other friends, remember?"

 

Birds chirped in the surrounding trees, which were casting shade across the bush they were seated behind. 

 

"It's no one… don't worry about it Marilyn." He continued scrolling on his phone. 

 

"Ahh! Come on Oliver, just tell me!"

 

"You don't need to worry about it—I already found her." 

 

"But who is she?"

 

"It doesn't matter, Marilyn!"

 

"But it does!"

 

"Why?!"

 

Because I need to know if she's right for you!"

 

"WHAT?!"

 

"What, all I said was—"

 

He looked at her, eyes wide. "Someone posted a video of you talking to a squirrel on the internet." 

 

"Huh?"

 

"And it's blowing up! Shit, it's already got almost 35,000 views!" He started panicking, watching the video to see how bad it was. 

 

"I think I remember talking to a squirrel… hey Oliver, what's a video?"

 

He stopped and looked at her. 

 

"How do you not know what a video is?"

 

"Um, I dunno." 

 

How does she not…? "Whatever," he said, "It's a recording. Like… a picture that can move." 

 

"Oh."

 

"It looks like this," he said, showing her the video. 

 

She gasped. "That's me!"

 

"Yeah, I know. And it's going viral. You've even got a hashtag?!" 

 

"What's a hashtag?"

 

He didn't hear her. "People are recreating your video… and dueting with it… and editing it…" 

 

"Why would they do that?"

 

Oliver looked at her. Her big golden eyes were wide in genuine naivity. She didn't realize thousands of people were making fun of her. 

 

"Maybe… they think you're… funny?" 

 

"How can I see those videos?"

 

"I mean, I watch them on my phone. Don't you have one?" 

 

"No. What's a phone?" 

 

"Marilyn, there is no way you don't know what a phone is. Everyone has one."

 

"I don't," she shrugged. 

 

"Do you have super strict parents or something?"

 

"What are parents?"

 

"What the HELL?! Please tell me you're joking." 

 

"Um… no, I'm not."

 

Oliver struggled, flustered. "They're your mom and dad!"

 

"My what?"

 

"Your mom and dad. Ma and pa. Mother and father. Mama and papa. C'mon, Marilyn! You have to have parents!"

 

"I've… never even heard those words in my life, Oliver."

 

Oliver was utterly dumbfounded for a second, before realizing what was going on. 

 

Ohhh… I see what she's doing. She's pretending not to get it so she can stay in character… it's part of her Main Character thing. I'll just play along then. Like a good friend. 

 

"Parents are the people that created you."

 

"The people that made you?" 

 

"Yeah."

 

"Oh…"

 

She looked like she might've said something else, but Oliver's phone started ringing. He picked it up.

 

"Hello? Hello?"

 

Marilyn looked at him, and looked around. No one else was there, and he couldn't be talking to her… 

 

There was no noise on the other line. Then the call ended. 

 

"Huh. Wrong number I guess." 

 

"What… happened?" Marilyn asked, still looking around. 

 

"I got a call." 

 

"No one was calling for you—there isn't even anyone here."

 

He smiled. "No, Marilyn, I got a call on my phone. Someone was trying to talk to me. Well, I don't know who this was, but—"

 

"Phones can do that?!" 

 

"Yeah, that's what they're for, mainly. Besides texting and games I guess. And social media… and videos… and the internet…" 

 

"I never knew a phone could do so many things!" 

 

"2 minutes ago you didn't even know phones existed."

 

"Where can I buy one?" She asked, eyeing Oliver's phone closely. 

 

"They sell them everywhere. The mall's a good place to start, I guess." 

 

"You go to the mall too??"

 

"Yeah. Who doesn’t?"

 

She shifted. "Can you, um… do me a favor, Oliver?"

 

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" 

 

"Can you… um…" she hesitated, thinking about when she asked Oliver for a favor earlier that day… and all the drama with his friends… 

 

"Come with me to get a phone? At the mall?" 

 

He laughed, smiling. "Sure. As a matter of fact, I don't have to work, so we can go today."

 

"Yayyy!" She grinned happily. 

 

"What time do you want to go?" He asked. 

 

"Uhh… how about 5:30, after school."

 

"Alright, I'll meet you at the mall then."

 

LATER

 

After school. Oliver went home to take a shower and get ready. 

 

As he was looking for a clean shirt, he thought about Marilyn’s phone.

 

I wonder if I should bring money…? 

 

He knew she must've had some money… but after wrestling with it internally for a while, he decided to go with his gut. 

 

His wallet had close to $2,000 cash, so he just picked it and pocketed it. 

 

…

 

When Oliver got to the mall, it was 5:28, and Marilyn was standing impatiently at the front. 

 

"There you are!" She exclaimed when she saw him, "what took you so long?"

 

"Took me so long? I'm early." 

 

"I've been waiting here for almost half an hour!"

 

"What— you said to meet me here at 5:30. If you were so excited, you should've told me you wanted to come earlier," he said.

 

"How would I have told you?"

 

"You—" the words died on his lips. 

 

"...good point."

 

"Well come on! Let's go already!" She hurried inside, and Oliver tried to take the lead. 

 

He took her to the nearest technology store. "Here it is," he said as she looked up at the sign. 

 

They walked in, and Marilyn looked at and touched everything while Oliver searched for the phones.

 

"Oliver, what's this?" She said, fingering something. 

 

"That's a phone charger." 

 

"Ohhh… what's this?"

 

"That's a laptop."

 

"Well what's thi—"

 

"Come on, Marilyn—put that down. We have to go get you a phone," he said, taking her hand and walking to the counter. 

 

As they made their way, Marilyn looked at her hand in subtle shock, blushing. Wh-why do I feel all… hot all the sudden…  

 

"Hi," Oliver said to the man at the counter. 

 

He snapped-to. "Hello sir! How can I help you today?"

 

"We're looking for a smartphone for her," he said, pointing to Marilyn with his thumb. 

 

She would've waved if she wasn't busy rubbing her hands in each other. 

 

"Alrighty. What kind of smartphone are you looking for?"

 

"Oh, um… hey Marilyn, what kind of phone do you want?"

 

"Huh? Oh…" He might've as well had asked her what her favorite type of NASA spacecraft was. "Um, just whichever one you have is fine." 

 

"Okay, she'll have the Orchid X." 

 

He winced. "Ooh, I'm so sorry sir but, we just ran out of those. Can I interest you in anything else?"

 

Oliver looked to Marilyn, who stared back. 

 

"I want one that can watch videos and call people!"

 

"Marilyn, all phones do that."

 

"Oh…" 

 

The guy at the counter spoke up. "We have the latest model, if you'd be interested in that…" 

 

Oliver sighed. "Yeah, that'll do." 

 

"Alrighty. The Cherry Blossom XI will come out to… $1,150.60, including tax. Will you be paying in cash or card?" 

 

Geez… oh well. It's not that bad.

 

"How much money do you have, Marilyn?" 

 

"Umm… $5."

 

"WHAAATT?! YOU ONLY—"

 

"I didn't know it would cost that much, Oliver—please don't be mad at me!" 

 

He stopped himself. 

 

"Shit, you're right. I should've told you it'd be expensive…"

 

The worker tapped his finger at the counter. 

 

"...fine Marilyn. I'll buy it for you—but, you better pay me back." 

 

"Okay!" 

 

Oliver paid for the phone, and he and Marilyn walked out the store. She held the box, eager to open it. She looked at every side, reading the print, wanting to use it. 

 

"I'm serious, Marilyn. As soon as you get the money, you have to pay me back." 

 

"Oh! Would you like my shoes?" 

 

He instinctively looked to the floor at her shoes. "Why the hell would I want your—wait… are those—?"

 

"Lil Bandz Fire Red™ Shoes? Yeah! Cool, huh?" 

 

She never failed to stun him. 

 

"H-how did you get those?? They're super rare! As soon as they were announced, the hype was so crazy they flew off the shelves—no ones been able to get any since! They're sold out everywhere!" 

 

"You can get them for $60 in the Underworld." 

 

He stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

 

"Little Bandz is a demon."

 

"Little Bandz is a rapper."

 

"Yeah, but he's also a demon." 

 

...just play along, Oliver. Just play along. 

 

"Oh, um… that's cool." 

 

"So do you want them?" She asked.

 

"Uh… yeah, o-of course! If you're serious, I mean." 

 

They traded shoes right there, and Oliver couldn't believe it. They were worth at least $600, and never available. 

 

Honestly, he was on cloud 9. 

 

"Hey, let's celebrate your new phone and my new shoes. Let's go to the food court!" 

 

She gasped. "Can we get cheeseburgers??"

 

"Wha… you just had a cheeseburger at lunch!" 

 

"I know, it's been like 6 hours—I'm starving!" 

 

Oliver chuckled to himself and led the way to a shop that sold burgers. 

 

Once they both got their order, they sat across from each other at a table. Oliver started eating his fries, and Marilyn dove into her cheeseburger. 

 

Oliver watched as she ate, completely immersed. 

 

"Why do you like those so much?" He asked. 

 

She answered with her mouth full. "What's not to love? They're so—"

 

"OLIVER!" 

 

They were interrupted by a loud, gregarious yell from across the food court. 

 

Both of them turned, and Oliver slumped back in his chair. 

 

Clicking across the linoleum came Erica. 

 

Black strappy stilettos framed her red–painted toenails perfectly. She sashayed over, hips curved perfectly in hole–ridden, distressed skinny jeans as she balanced a purse over her arm. A black Juicy Couture jacket skimply accented her low collared, skin tight, blood red shirt. 

 

Sunglasses rested on top of her long, curled hair, and hoops bigger than a softball nearly touched her shoulders. 

 

"Shit!" Oliver said to himself, preparing for impact. 

 

"Who is she? Does she know you?" Marilyn asked.

 

"Hey, Oliver, what's up?" She asked, resting her polished fingernails on his shoulder. He cringed. 

 

"Hey, Erica," he mumbled, rolling his shoulder. She didn't seem to take a hint. 

 

Marilyn ate her cheeseburger in confusion.

 

Erica eyed Marilyn, pouting her lips slightly. 

 

"Damn, Oliver. You're so desperate you started dating the weird girl?" Marilyn saw her smile and adjust her weight. Is she… being nice? Why would she smile? 

 

"We're not dating." 

 

"Oliver… who's this?" Marilyn asked.

 

He turned back to Marilyn. "Oh. This is Erica, my ex-girlfriend." Erica adjusted her weight again, moving her hand from his shoulder to his chair. 

 

"Nice to meet you," Marilyn said with a smile. 

 

Erica stared for a second before a laugh escaped her lips. She turned to Oliver. 

 

"Oliver… I know it must've hurt your ego when I broke up with you, but… it hurts me to see you stoop so low."

 

He couldn't believe her. He didn't even know why she was there. 

 

Oliver's building rage started streaming out of him. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to smile.

 

"Well, Erica, we're just friends, so it doesn't matter anyway."

 

"That's not what I hear Oliver. And besides…" she bent down next to Oliver's ear, "We both know you can do so much better." 

 

Oliver pushed his chair back, making her stumble slightly in her heels. "You know, considering you're the one who dumped me, I don't know why you care so much about my dating life anyway." 

 

Marilyn was a little lost as to what was going on between them, but was staring at Erica's face. 

 

She had a certain expression Marilyn couldn't quite put her finger on… she looked… 

 

Erica caught her staring, and turned to face her with a smile. 

 

"Can I help you?" She said.

 

She meant, "What are you staring at, bitch?"

 

But Marilyn couldn't pick up the cues. 

 

"Erm… well, you seemed upset, so, I was just gonna offer you a bite of my cheeseburger."

 

Erica stared at the burger that was now inches away from her face. 

 

"It always makes me feel better when I'm mad or sad or—"

 

SLAP

 

In a split second, the burger went flying out of Marilyn's hand across the food court. Oliver and Marilyn stared in shock. 

 

"Take a bite of that, bitch." 

 

"Erica! What the hell was that!!!" Oliver yelled. Marilyn still sat in shock. 

 

"I'm sorry, Oliver. It's just so disappointing to see you hang out with such an ugly bitch." 

 

Her and Marilyn met eyes. 

 

"Say that to my face, I dare you," Marilyn said, getting up. 

 

She stood inches away from Erica, face to face. 

 

"Back up, bitch!" She yelled, attempting to push Marilyn. 

 

Oliver watched Erica's surprised expression as Marilyn didn't even budge. 

 

Marilyn got closer. "I ain't no bitch," she said with a shove. 

 

Erica stumbled in her heels, nearly hitting the floor. She caught herself, then smiled venomously. "Watcha gonna do about it, squirrel girl? Make me join your demon cult?"

 

Marilyn's face was pure rage. 

 

Oliver was her friend, but still didn't know what she would and wouldn't do.

 

"M-Marilyn, let's just calm down."

 

"Yeah bitch, why don't you chill the f**k out. Go take your medication or something."

 

Marilyn laughed. 

 

"Okay, Oliver—you want proof that I'm a demon?"

 

"Marilyn, don't—!"

 

She balled her right hand into a fist, and sent it guiltlessly crashing into Erica's diaphragm. 

 

Erica sailed like a bullet across the food court, crashing through the mall. Everyone in the food court reacted, jumping up or staring in shock. An entire hole of the outside night crumbled with cement and plaster. 

 

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!" Oliver screamed.

 

"Oh shit!" Marilyn yelled, looking at her fist. 

 

She didn't mean to hit her that hard. 

 

Oliver stared in total and utter disbelief. He was so shocked, he didn't see the security guards starting to run toward them. 

 

But Marilyn did. 

 

"Oliver!—Oliver, RUN!"

 

"Hey! HEY!!!" The guards yelled running towards them.

 

She took his hand and bolted through the mall, dragging him until he snapped out of it. He started running on his own, but still felt dragged—her speed topped his by miles. 

 

Marilyn dragged him out the front doors past the bewildered onlookers. 

 

"HEY! GET BACK HERE! HEY!!!"

 

End of chapter 5