The Girl on the Screen

The biggest nerd one will know, only wants a friend. But since he can't find one, he'll make one.

It was just another saturday, alone, for Ned. seventeen and going to high school, he was the biggest nerd around. People barely looked at him, and not many people knew him, being that he was socially awkward and preferred to be by himself. If you did see him, he would be the kid in the tucked in button down shirt and bow tie, greased back hair, and thick rimmed glasses. Why he dressed like this, I don’t know, but that is how he is. He was also constantly bullied, usually a grade-school wedgie or being made to do someone’s essay, but whatever it was, it always happened to him.

Now, to the reason why Ned was by himself. To be honest, he was making a friend. Now I don’t mean he was chatting on the web in some chat room, though he was on his computer. I mean he was literally making a friend, from bits of data. Considering he was the smartest kid there, he figured he could do it, after all, it shouldn’t be too hard, right? Of course, considering he never really talked to anyone, he didn’t really know what he was doing, but he felt he needed a friend more than anything, so he had to try. He spent whatever spare time he had making whoever he was making. It would be an A.I. of course, a very advanced A.I., one that could talk back, one that could learn, one that could feel. At least, that would be the plan.

Again, it was another lonely saturday night, Ned still trying to make his friend. “Come on! Come on!! Ah!!! I’m so close, but I can’t quite get it!” Ned said to himself, almost furiously banging on his keyboard. Almost. He felt like it though. There was something missing, something that he needed, but he didn’t know what. He was about to call it a night and continue the next morning, when he thought of something. He thought about it for a moment, contemplating whether or not it was a good idea. He thought, and thought, and thought, until he said, “You know what? Nothing else has worked so far, so what’s the harm in trying.” He than continued to work, not really hoping, but still doing whatever he was doing. He typed out the code that might work, but was a slim chance, at best.

Ned worked late into the night, half past twelve to be exact, typing out the code that could possibly help him. He would be working that it was tiring his mind to the point of mental exhaustion that made him feel physically tired as well. He had just started to run the code that he put in when he had passed out, saying, “Finally, now I can get some…” he snored.

It morning when Ned heard a voice inside his head, a feminine one, that was very sweet and soothing to him. The voice said, “Ned. Wake up, Ned. Ned?” Ned thought it was some sort of dream, so he continued sleeping. Finally, the voice got annoyed with him, yelling out, “Hey wake up!”

Ned jerked himself awake, first out of fright, then out curiosity. At this point he knew the voice he heard wasn’t a dream or something in his head. He looked around his room to see if anyone was with him. There was nobody there, only some girl on his screen. He was to nod off when he realized that the girl was staring at him. He made himself fully awake, unaware of what was happening. “Uh, good morning?” he said, rather nervous.

“Well, good morning, sleepy head. How are you feeling?” her voice sweet again. The girl that was talking to him had clear blue eyes and raven black hair. He couldn’t see if she was wearing anything, since she only showed her bare shoulders and face.

“Um, good, I guess? What is going on? Who are you?” he could have sworn he had seen her before someplace, but couldn’t remember where.

“Don’t you remember last night? I’m Loretta. You know, your friend?”

“Last night?” he forgot last night. Then he remembered, “Oh last night! You mean it worked?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah, it worked,” Loretta sounded a little nervous, but Ned didn’t seem to notice.

“Hah, I can’t believe it! It worked! It really worked!” Ned leaped out of his chair and began to dance/hop around the room with joy and excitement. He also hummed… something, I don’t know, but he sounded very happy. Loretta simply laughed at this “almost-a-man-nerd” dancing/hopping around the room. Finally, Ned stopped, mainly because he was out of breath, but also because he had questions. He sat down in his chair in front his computer and said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Loretta said.

“So, uh, what’s like? You know, to be a computer?”

“Um, not sure. It’s fine, I guess. So what about you, what’s it like being human?”

Ned wasn’t sure how to respond to what Loretta asked. He thought about it for a moment and answered, “In a word, it stinks. Well, at least my life.”

“That’s two.”

“It’s just that people don’t notice me when I walk by, and when they do it is to bully me or something like that,” Ned pushed back his glasses that were about to fall off from his head drooping down in despair.

Loretta, feeling sympathy for Ned, said, “Hey, look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to think positive. You need to be strong. People will notice you, you just need a little.”

“Oh, really?” Ned said looking up at Loretta, “And who do you think will help a nerd like me?”

“Oh, I don’t know, how about me?” she said, rather confidently.

“You, help me?” he said, rather questionably.

“Sure, I mean what do you have to lose? I mean, no one notices you anyway,” for some reason, Loretta’s eyes got brighter, as if she was some kind of digital angel to Ned.

Ned sighed, “Okay, fine. Like you said, what have I got to lose?”

“Okay then, now that we got that out of the way, let’s begin.”

“You mean, right now?”

“Yes, right now. For starters, stop  sounding like a little kid. You’re practically an adult so you need to act like.”

“That doesn’t sound too hard, I think.”

“It shouldn’t be. Next, your wardrobe.”

“My wardrobe?”

“Well, people don’t exactly dress like that anymore, or so I’ve seen,” Ned looked down and was surprised to find that he slept in his clothes from yesterday.

“But, all the clothes that are ‘in’ these days are really expensive. I don’t think I can afford any new ones.”

“Don’t worry, I’m way ahead of you,” then Loretta pulled up a bunch of inexpensive yet stylish clothes on screen. They were way cheaper than when Ned went to get some new clothes for himself.

“Wow, uh, thanks. This is really great,” Ned said, genuinely grateful.

“Your welcome,” Loretta responded, with a big, accomplished smile on her face, “While we are on the subject of clothes, where did you get those clothes, exactly?”

Ned looked at himself again, “Well, to be honest, my mom always bought me clothes, and this is what she bought me. And now that I think about it, I probably should have just told that I didn’t like them,” both of them laughed at how ridiculous the clothes looked and the fact that his mom had no taste for clothes.

The next day, everyone was looking at the new guy in the school. He was dressed in a black coat made of fake leather, jeans with the fake rip in one knee, and a white shirt with some crazy designs on it. His hair was spiked with just a little bit of gel so not to give an odor, or to give the wrong impression

Everyone was wondering “who is this guy?” and “where did he come from?” as well as “is he famous?” What they didn’t know, but would soon find out, that it was Ned, the class nerd. He was walking confidently down the hall to his first class, everyone unaware of who he really was.

Earlier that morning, Loretta had helped him pick out what he was going to wear today, helped him style his hair, and reminded him to stand up straight, which he normally didn’t. It wasn’t going to be a problem to stand up straight, since he was truly confident in how he appeared that morning. He also put on contacts, which he would not wear at first, but did any way.

Ned’s first class would be his typical computer class, which he enjoyed vigorously. He sat down in his usual spot, no one saying that someone usually sat there, since no one recognized him. The only response was the silent whispers of asking who he was.

The teacher walked in, Mr. Landin, a came to start the class, but not until the bell rang. The bell rang, and Mr. Landin said, “All right, class, open your computers and we may begin today’s lesson,” he was pretty easy-going on most cases, including on what little homework he gave out. Most of the students liked him and enjoyed him teaching at the school, and hoped he wouldn’t leave any time soon, even though he was only thirty-five. He looked at where Ned was sitting, and said, not recognizing him, “Hey, you.”

Ned looked at Mr. Landin, then looked behind him to see if he was talking to anyone else. He looked back at the teacher and mouthed, “Me?”

“Yeah, you,” said Mr. Landin, “Who are you?”

Ned turned around and back again, “Don’t you recognize me?”

“No, not particularly.”

“It’s me, Ned. You know, your best student.”

Mr. Landin, not believing, came up closer to him and said, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” responded Ned.

Landin came in closer, inches away from his face, studying him closely. At first, he couldn’t see if it was Ned. Then, with a surprised expression, “My gosh! It is Ned! Wow! I didn’t recognize you like that! Wow, just, wow!”

With disbelief, everyone in the class started saying “Really? Ned?” and similar things.

“Yeah, it’s me. I just decided to get my wardrobe updated, and here I am, new clothes, new hair, and no glasses.”

Everyone was amazed at the fact that Ned seemed to have changed his style overnight, unaware of how he got the clothes he was wearing. With all the murmuring and whispering happening, Mr. Landin said, “Alright, class, that’s enough. Let’s get back to work,” on that note, the class started.

“Really? No one recognized you?” said Loretta. Ned had turned on his computer as soon as he got home, not wasting a moment to talk to her.

“Yeah, no one did. Not even my own teachers knew who I was,” said Ned, oddly excited.

“I know I didn’t ask this before but, what did your parents say? You know, about changing your style?”

“They were surprisingly okay with it. I thought my mom was going to cry for a moment, but she’s okay.”

“Well that’s good to hear,” Loretta turned her eyes away, almost like she was shy about something. She looked back at Ned and said “You know, I’m glad I’m here. I know it has only been a day, but, I like you, as a friend.”

At first, Ned wasn’t sure on how to respond to what Loretta just said. He never had anyone say that to him before. He said, “I’m glad, too. I also like you, as friend.”

In the weeks that followed, Ned went to school and grew in popularity. He was quickly gaining people’s attention, and admiration. People soon began to crowd around him, wanting to talk with the new Ned. People were asking him to parties, to their house, or just to hang out with them. Every day, however, he always found time to talk to Loretta. He would talk and talk and talk, for what seemed like hours. He would talk about his week, his life, or what almost seemed like nonsense. Loretta would listen to everything he said, talking back, laughing, or even just commenting. It was always the best part of Ned’s day, and he enjoyed every minute of it.

It wasn’t long until Ned started making real “friends” and started hanging out with them. He would spend less and less time with Loretta, who began to worry about him. He came in tired, she would ask how he felt, he would say he was fine, and that would end that.

Finally, one night, Ned came home really late, late enough for Loretta to worry. He turned on the computer, and Loretta said, almost yelling, mostly out of worry, “Where have been?! I was so worried about you!”

Ned said, sluggishly, “Well, you know, just hanging out with my friends.”

“This late?! Don’t you think that you’ll your parents if you keep going out like this? You really scared me. You shouldn’t stay out this late, you’ll end up dead from lack of sleep if you keep this up!”

Ned got angry, and started yelling at Loretta, “Look! For my entire life, people have ignored me, and now I am finally popular! You’re just jealous that I am hanging out with someone other than you, for once!”

“And who helped you become popular, huh!? Did you forget that I helped you!? And did you also make me in order to have a friend to begin with, or did you forget about that too!?” and for the first time, Loretta started to cry. She cried and cried, and kept crying.

Ned then woke up from his sluggishness, realizing what was happening. He tried to apologize, “Loretta… I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I just…”

“Stop, just stop,” she said through her crying, “You know what? I’m done! Good-bye!” then, she was gone. Just like that, she shut herself down.

Confused and worried, Ned didn’t know what was happening. He said, “Hello? Loretta? Are you there? Hello? Look, I’m sorry, alright? Hello?” he tried for what seemed like hours to see if he could her back, but she didn’t come back. The hard reality came to him. He had lost his friend, the first friend he ever made. Something he felt would never come back.

It was a couple of weeks since Loretta was gone, which seemed like a lifetime to Ned. He continued to try and forget her, but it was no use. He couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. Once or twice he thought he saw Loretta at school and in town, but it turned out to be his imagination. He tried to hang out with his “friends,” but they were no help.

One night, he was with his “friends,” driving home from a party. The driver, along with everyone else, was drunk. The driver said, “So, Ned, tell me, why didn’t have any beer, tonight? I mean, you usually have one or two, at least,” he said it in a slurred, drunken, and slow voice, evidence of how much alcohol he had drunk. That, and you could smell it from a mile away.

“I didn’t feel like it. I probably shouldn’t have gone to that party in the first place,” said Ned, rather tired.

“Come on, man,” said one of the guys in the back, “You got to cheer up. You have been like this for days, you need to snap out of it.”

“Yeah,” said the girl that was also there, “Why don’t you come over to my house for the after party. I promise that will be more fun than what happened back there.”

“No thanks, I think I better get home. Wouldn’t want my parents to worry.”

“Ohh! So you’re a momma’s boy now, huh?” said the other boy, mockingly, “Is your mommy gonna miss you? Are you gonna miss her? Are you gonna miss her so much that you are gonna cry?” He laughed, then everyone else laughed with him, mostly because they were all drunk.

Ned only looked out to the road, thinking now would be as good a time as any, “Look, you can just drop me off here.”

Everyone stopped laughing. The driver said, “Come on. You gotta be joking. I mean, we’re practically in the middle of nowhere. What, do expect to walk?”

“Just pull over,” Ned said, rather sternly.

The driver just shrugged his shoulders, “Alright. Whatever you say.”

He pulled over to the side of the road and Ned stepped out of the car. It was like the middle of nowhere. There were nothing but trees as far as anyone could see. It was another fifteen minutes by car to get back home, but Ned didn’t care. He simply slammed the door behind him and the car sped off faster than it should have. They didn’t even try to stop him from walking on his own, in the dark, with the only light on him was his cellphone flashlight.

Ned was alone, but he figured it was better than staying with those guys, being that they were all drunk. He used his cellphone to guide himself along the road, so that he wouldn’t get lost.

He walked for about twenty minutes, not really thinking about much, when he saw a crashed car. Ned walked closer to it, not really sure if there was someone inside, or if the car was going to explode. He walked over to the driver side, and found out that it was the people he left not too long ago. He knew he needed to dial 911, so he did.

It wasn’t long before police and an ambulance to come by, only, Ned wasn’t there. He had gone home, need be there now more than ever. It was another twenty minutes before he walked through the door of his parents house. His parents were asleep, or he assumed they were asleep. He went to his room, and without even changing, flopped onto his bed, and slept the whole night, somehow feeling more depressed than ever.

The next morning, the local news was talking the crash that had happened last night, and Ned didn’t care. He knew the anonymous caller they were talking about was him, and who was in the car. He could care less about how they were drinking and driving, as well as being under the age of drinking, which he already knew. The only thing he could about was Loretta, and how he wish he could talk to her. She would listen, though she probably wouldn’t listen at this point, considering what had happened before she left.

He heard a knock on his door. Ned was still in bed at that point, and didn’t want to get up. He was tired from what had happened last night, but from the insistent knocking, he knew it would be rude not to least open it. He got up, still tired, and practically limped over to the door. He opened it, looked at whoever was knocking, and thought he was dreaming. Standing there, in front of him, wearing a long sleeve blue shirt and white shorts, was someone who looked like Loretta. He rubbed his eyes to try and get the drowsiness out of his eyes, but it was all too real. There, standing right in front of him, was Loretta, or at least, someone who looked like her.

He tried to say something, except Loretta said, “Crazy what happened last night, huh?”

At first, Ned couldn’t believe it, she even sounded like her. He then said, still dumbfounded, “Uh, yeah, crazy.”

“So, want to talk about it?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Come one in,” he showed her into his room, which was a bit of a mess.

She looked around the room for a moment and said, “This room is a little messier than I remember. When did you last clean up?”

“Um, I can’t remember.”

“Well I can,” Loretta looked at the computer, which hadn’t been turned on since she left. She turned it on and looked at the screen. Ned didn’t think to stop her, since he didn’t think there would be any danger for turning it on. She then said, “You know, about that day…”

She didn’t finish her sentence before Ned hugged her. He was so glad to see her, he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to express himself some way, and hugging was the first thing that came to his mind. He said, with tears in his eyes, “Thank you, for coming back. And I am sorry, for what I was before. I wasn’t myself, and when you left, I felt lost. So please, don’t leave me. Not like that, and not again. I promise, I will never be like that ever again.”

Loretta only smiled in response. She returned the hug he gave her, and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t, especially if you keep your promise. Keep yours, and I’ll keep mine.”

From that day on, they both kept their promises, never again to separate like they were. Ned had always asked himself, was Loretta really an A.I. he made, or was she someone that found him on his computer. Whatever the answer, he never really questioned her existence. After all, why question where love comes from, when love itself is a mystery.

Author's Note

Excuse the spacing at the end. I have no idea why that is.