INSTALOVE

Chapter 4: Lowercase (Part 1)

Chapter 4: Lowercase

E L L I E

I reach for my dorm-room door, expecting to see Maddox on the other side. But of course it isn't him. How random would that be? Get a clue, Ellie. As if we're some kind of star-crossed lovers, destined to bump into each other over and over until we finally give in to the inevitability and fall into each other's arms...

Never mind that the real Maddox couldn't even be bothered to finish his sentence the last time he spoke to me. We were talking about those super-slick VR glasses, and he was just about to tell me how they work when... BOOM. Eleanor happened.

There's a scowl on my face, but I shake it off. At least someone came to my door. They knock again, and I pull the door open. A girl I haven't seen before stands in the hallway with her knuckles poised. "Good," she says, lowering her hand. "You're here."

Um. Who are you?

She pauses, eyeing me up and down, and I wait for her to say more. She's bound to introduce herself eventually. But she doesn't, and the silence of my non-reply lingers in the air a beat too long.

"Oh! Hey!" I answer finally. "Hi! Come in." Can you believe I actually sounded friendly there? That happens once in a while. In moments of high awkwardness, random words come out of my mouth—unpredictable, but occasionally friendly.

This girl does not seem overly impressed by my A+ social skills, however. She cocks her head sideways, continuing her examination like I'm some kind of imposter. "You're Ellie?"

I nod, still confused. Could this possibly be Ms. O'Leary, the resident advisor? No... I can't imagine anyone who looks like this on the faculty of a posh boarding school. This girl can't be more than a couple years older than me, with matte magenta lipstick and sleek, shoulder-length hair dyed an unnatural shade of neon blue.

She takes a step inside the threshold. "Maddox said you're on InstaLove, right?"

I gape at her for a moment, trying to ignore the ridiculously disproportionate amount of pleasure I feel at the sound of that name—Maddox—and the fact that he considered me noteworthy enough to remember my existence. My stomach leaps and does a somersault, but then it comes crashing down again. The girl has finished her examination and her disapproving stare has come to rest on my right hip. My hand flutters to my side as I realize what she's glaring at: the outline of the cellphone in my pocket.

Oh wait... I know who this is. I've never laid eyes on her avatar, but I can imagine what it looks like. I suddenly remember Maddox's warning when I first crashed into him, eyes fixed upon my cellphone screen:

Reese will be pissed if she catches you using your phone....

"Sorry," I mumble, fishing in my pocket with a guilty flush of color. "I just got here. Are you Reese?"

She merely points over my shoulder toward the corner of my room. "The top drawer of your desk locks. That's probably the safest place to leave it."

Wait...

Leave what?

My phone?

She crosses her arms, waiting with eyebrows raised, and I realize it wasn't a suggestion. I get the distinct impression that she's used to being obeyed. I can't remember the last time I didn't have my cellphone on me, but... that's what people do here, apparently? I should at least try to fit in...

"OK, cool." I slip my phone in the drawer and don't even bother to remove the little metal key. Knowing me, I'd probably lose it. And it's not like anyone will steal my phone. There are only twenty students in the whole program—ten girls and ten boys—and a gazillion security cameras watching our every move.