[ACT II] Lina v. mystery user

Monday morning. A normal Morning. I had craved this feeling for weeks. I could get dressed, go to my lectures and get back to being a diligent student. I silence my 7am alarm and enjoy the feeling of being in my sheets on this cool, relaxing morning for a few moments.

Relishing the routine I loved, I sit up and climb out of my bed and make it neatly. I brush my teeth, shower, apply perfume and get dressed in my once famous hoodie and pants combo. My bag is ready to go, so I grab it and start walking to my bedroom door when my pants start to feel constrictive around my waist, almost making walking a bit difficult. A sensation like being hugged by fabric envelops me and I stop, confused.

I turn to look at my mirror.

"No, no, no. No."

I pace back and forth across my bedroom, repeating myself in denial.

"This is not happening."

I stop back at my mirror and look at myself, hands on my hips. I thought I was free of this -- Mia and I have just gotten rid of the damn app.

I've been trying to manage my reputation for the two weeks by sneaking around from lecture to lecture, avoiding eye contact and picking outfits to be as modest as possible within my constraints, but now I'm wearing a flag which may as well say 'sex' on it. There's nothing good about my body that this dress doesn't advertise to people.

I see myself wearing the kind of dress you'd see on an Instagram account, or in a club. I wouldn't be caught dead in this. I am confused - I have no idea how this has happened. Has the app betrayed us?

I look at my phone, and sure enough, the app is once again sitting on my home screen, staring back at me.

Now, though, everything that was there in the app, including the chat history, had disappeared. It was all replaced with grey background, a picture of a padlock, and some some text:

cgrevenge: A new competitor has emerged. Who could it be? Features locked until you find them.

This cannot be happening. I pace the room some more and sit on my bed. I try out every breathing exercise I know. I knew I shouldn't have trusted the silly thing. Nobody would wear this out to study. Most people wouldn't even wear this to a party. There's no way I can wear this out. I think it's time to ruin my perfect attendance.

I hope to myself that Emily isn't awake yet as I walk to the living room to collect my laptop so I can study from my bedroom today. Thankfully, she is not. I pick up the laptop and walk it back to my bed as my phone buzzes in my other hand. I look down to see the message:

cgrevenge: You know the rules! You'd better not be trying to skip your class today!

While I look at my phone, I feel a wind blow through the fabric around my body, and a flowing sensation. I don't have to look to know that something a whole lot worse is happening.

I lean on the doorway of my bedroom in exhaustion and bury my face in my arm. Bracing myself, I peek over my arm, across the room, at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a tan dress-like thing with more slit than skirt.

I've been having a hard enough time moving around the campus with my silly tops and punishments from the app; even walking carefully to stop myself from flashing or jiggling into even more people's views. There's nothing I can do about this though. (Most) men are going to love me and (most) women are going to hate me. What can I do though?

I'm scared of what the app will make me wear if I make any more effort to not leave, so I accept my situation for now. I gather my things and get ready to leave.