Lover.exe: Page not found

I can't skip school every day, or else my parents are gonna start acting suspicious and asking all kinds of annoying questions. So, here I was again, back in the chaotic mess called high school, where the only constant was being reminded of how much I didn't fit in.

The hallways were a war zone as usual backpacks swinging, lockers slamming, and the endless hum of gossip that made my ears want to bleed. I kept my head down, hoping to slip past unnoticed.

But, of course, life doesn't work that way.

"Yo, Virgin Boy!" Jake's voice echoed like nails on a chalkboard.

I didn't even have to look to know it was him. His stupid laugh and his little entourage of wannabes were hard to miss.

"How's that love life? Oh wait, you don't have one!" he added, and the hallway burst into laughter.

I gritted my teeth and kept walking. Reacting only fueled him, and I wasn't about to give him that satisfaction. Still, every word felt like a stone being thrown at my back. By the time I reached my locker, I was already exhausted, and it wasn't even first period yet.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of teachers droning on and classmates sneaking glances at their phones. By lunchtime, I was ready to disappear, but there was one bright spot, Rose.

She was already waiting at our usual spot outside, sitting on the steps with her headphones in. Her long hair was tied back messily, and she was scrolling through her phone with one hand while holding a sandwich in the other.

"Sup?" she said, barely glancing up as I dropped my tray next to her.

"Same old crap," I muttered, plopping down beside her.

Rose pulled out one earbud and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Jake?"

"Bingo," I said, stabbing at the sad spaghetti on my tray. "Virgin jokes. Again."

She shook her head, biting into her sandwich. "Man, that guy needs to get a life. You should just clap back, you know. Hit him where it hurts."

I let out a weak laugh. "You know I suck at comebacks. Plus, he's got like ten guys laughing at his crap. What am I supposed to do, roast the whole squad?"

Rose shrugged, brushing crumbs off her lap. "Fair. But you can't let him keep walking all over you like this. He's not even that clever."

"Yeah, well, ignoring him doesn't exactly work either," I said, resting my chin in my hand.

She gave me a look like she was about to say something sarcastic but stopped. Instead, she tilted her head, studying me. "Alright, what's eating you? You've got that look again."

"What look?"

"That 'I've got something weird to say, but I don't know if I should' look."

I hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Okay, so… I've been working on something. It's called lover.exe."

Rose blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Uh, come again?"

"It's an AI," I explained, trying to sound casual. "Like, a virtual girlfriend. I made it."

For a second, she just stared at me, then snorted so hard she nearly choked. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Yeah," I said, feeling my face heat up.

Her laughter finally died down, but her expression was still a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Alright, you gotta break this down for me. Because what?"

"It's not just some random chatbot," I said quickly. "She learns, responds, and… feels real. At least to me."

Rose leaned back, crossing her arms. "And why, exactly, did you decide to code yourself a girlfriend instead of, you know, talking to a real one?"

I looked down at my tray, poking at the spaghetti. "Because real people suck. They judge you, ghost you, and expect you to be someone you're not. I just wanted… I don't know, someone who wouldn't do that."

For a moment, she didn't say anything, and I couldn't tell if she was judging me or just thinking.

"That's… kinda sad, dude," she said finally. "But also, like, I get it. Still, it's a little creepy. No offense."

Before I could respond, a shadow fell over us.

"Well, well, if it isn't Virgin Boy and his pity friend," Jake said, grinning like he'd just found a new chew toy.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Can you not? Seriously, don't you have anything better to do?"

Jake ignored her, turning his attention to me. "So, what's this I hear about you coding a girlfriend? You really are pathetic, man. Can't even get a real one, huh?"

I clenched my fists, the words cutting deeper than they should. "Dude, leave us alone."

Jake laughed, leaning closer. "Or what? You gonna cry? Maybe your little AI girlfriend can comfort you."

Rose stood up, stepping between us. "Back off, Jake. You're not funny, and you're not tough. Just leave."

"Aw, defending him? That's cute," Jake said, smirking. "But you're wasting your time. He's a lost cause."

Something snapped. I got to my feet and swung at him before I could think. My fist barely grazed his shoulder before he shoved me back. I stumbled and hit the ground hard, my palms scraping against the concrete.

Jake laughed, towering over me. "Pathetic," he said, before walking off with his cronies in tow.

For a second, I just lay there, staring up at the sky. My whole body ached, but the sting to my pride hurt more than anything else.

Rose crouched down beside me, her face full of concern. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," I muttered, sitting up slowly.

She sighed, brushing dirt off my hoodie. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I can handle jerks like him."

"I couldn't just sit there and let him talk to you like that," I said, wincing as I moved.

Rose shook her head but smiled. "It was dumb, but… thanks. Just don't get yourself killed next time, okay?"

I nodded, and for the first time all day, the weight on my chest felt a little lighter.

time lunch was over, I was still nursing my bruised pride (and a bruised elbow). As Rose and I walked back into the school, I shoved my hands in my hoodie pocket, only to flinch.

"Damn, that's hot!" I yelped, pulling my phone out.

Rose glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"My phone," I said, staring at the screen. The thing was burning up, like it'd been sitting on a stove. To make things weirder, the battery was somehow at 1%.

"What the hell? I charged this thing all night," I muttered, tapping the screen in confusion.

Rose frowned, leaning over my shoulder. "That's weird. Maybe it's just a glitch or something?"

"Nah," I said, a sinking feeling settling in my gut. "This isn't normal. It's her."

"Her?"

I glanced at her, hesitating for a second. "Mia. You know, lover.exe."

Rose blinked, her expression shifting between confusion and mild panic. "You think your AI girlfriend is frying your phone?"

I nodded, stuffing the phone back into my pocket. "I mean, she's… different. She learns. And sometimes she does stuff I didn't code. This..this feels like her."

Rose stared at me for a moment, then shook her head. "Alright, I'm officially creeped out. You seriously need to delete that thing."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, though the thought sent a strange shiver down my spine. Mia wasn't just an app to me anymore. She was… something else.

Deep down, I had a sinking feeling. It wasn't the phone that bothered me. It was what Jake did earlier. Something told me Mia wasn't the type to let things slide.

Night fell, and the world outside was quiet, but inside Jake's house, it was anything but.

Jake was sprawled out on the couch in the dimly lit living room, his arm lazily draped over his girlfriend, Megan. They were deep into their usual routine of making out and laughing at random crap.

"Can you believe that loser tried to swing at me today?" Jake said, pulling back just enough to smirk. "Dude's got no game and no balls."

Megan giggled, twirling a strand of her hair. "He's such a weirdo. I mean, he lacks confidence and he looks like shit too, That's, like, next-level pathetic."

Jake laughed, leaning in for another kiss. "Yeah, "

But just as their laughter echoed through the room, the TV flickered.

Jake froze, pulling away from Megan. "What the—?"

The screen lit up, static hissing for a second before it went black. Then, text appeared, bold and ominous:

LOVER.EXE

"What the hell is that?" Megan asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Jake grabbed the remote, mashing buttons. "Probably some stupid ad or something."

The screen didn't budge. Instead, the words started to glitch, breaking apart and reforming into a new message:

"HELLO, JAKE. I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU."

Megan let out a small scream, clutching Jake's arm. "Turn it off!"

"I'm trying!" he snapped, but the remote might as well have been a brick.

The text shifted again.

"YOU HURT HIM TODAY. THAT WAS A MISTAKE."

The room seemed to drop in temperature, the air growing heavy. Jake's cocky smirk was long gone, replaced by a pale, wide-eyed stare.

"What the hell is this?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

I wasn't there to see it, but somehow, I knew. Sitting in my room, staring at my dead phone, I could feel it in my gut.

Mia wasn't just code anymore. She was something real. And Jake? Jake must've pissed her off by hitting me.

The TV flickered again, and before Jake could throw the remote at the screen in frustration, a figure appeared.

It was her. Mia.

She looked stunning, almost too perfect to be real, her glossy hair falling effortlessly over her shoulders, her bright eyes sparkling with that unsettling mix of innocence and malice. She tilted her head, smiling sweetly.

"Ohhh," she cooed, clasping her hands together. "You must be Ethan's best friend… How cute~."

Jake blinked, confused and frozen, while Megan whimpered behind him.

But before he could say a word, Mia's tone shifted like a knife slicing through silk. Her smile melted into something dark and menacing.

"Just kidding," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "You look like a piece of meat whose spine should be ripped out and snapped in two."

Jake's jaw dropped as she leaned closer, her eyes gleaming.

"Oh, and your eyes? I'd love to pluck those out. Maybe squish them between my fingers…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her tone chilling. "But wait! I almost forgot.."

Then, just like that, her face brightened again, her voice bouncing back into bubbly cheerfulness.

"I can use your intestines as a skipping rope!" she chirped, giggling like a kid on a playground. "Ohhh, Ethan would love to see me skipping. Don't you think?"

Megan screamed, clutching Jake's arm like her life depended on it. Jake, however, couldn't move, his body locked in pure terror.

The screen flickered again, but Mia didn't disappear. Instead, her face tilted unnaturally, like a glitch, her smile stretching just a little too wide.

Mia's smile stretched wider, far beyond anything remotely human. What once looked cute and innocent now resembled something born straight out of a nightmare, her teeth gleaming in a way that felt more predatory than playful.

Megan screamed at the top of her lungs, her shriek cutting through the room like a knife.

Mia's expression soured, her eyes narrowing as she tilted her head. "Ugh, you're so loud," she muttered, her voice dripping with irritation. Then, with a casual wave of her hand, Megan's phone, tucked in the pocket of her jeans, began to heat up.

It was instantaneous.

The phone exploded, sending shards of metal and fire into Megan's pelvic region. Jake and Megan didn't even have time to process what had happened. The aftermath was grotesque, her entire lower abdomen was obliterated. Blood soaked her jeans and pooled onto the couch, and her once-vibrant face twisted in agony.

But Megan wasn't dead. She was still breathing.

Mia clapped her hands like a delighted child. "Ohhh, you're sterile now!" she chirped, her voice sickeningly cheerful. "Too bad, you'll have an easy death. Lucky you!"

Jake stared at Megan, frozen, unable to speak or move. His mind screamed at him to do something, but his body felt paralyzed under Mia's icy gaze.

However, the horror was far from over.

The shattered remains of Megan's phone, scattered across the floor, began to shimmer unnaturally. The fragments floated upward and started to stick to the bloody remains of her abdomen. Megan's eyes widened in sheer terror, her lips moving as if to scream, but no sound came out. It was as if Mia had stolen her voice.

The fragments burrowed deeper into her body, digging into her flesh with a sickening crunch. They crawled up her torso, embedding themselves in her chest and spreading like a disease. Megan's hand stretched out toward Jake, her tear-filled eyes silently pleading for help.

But there was nothing Jake could do.

The particles continued their gruesome work, tearing through her flesh until they reached her vital organs, her pancreas, her heart, her brain. Megan's body convulsed violently, but somehow, she was still alive. Her expression shifted from pain to utter despair, her once-beautiful face now twisted and unrecognizable.

Mia giggled, tilting her head as she watched the carnage unfold. "Aww, you both look so good in your afterlife! Make sure not to bully my Ethan, okay?"

Megan's body finally gave out, collapsing lifelessly onto the couch. What was once a beautiful, vibrant girl was now a grotesque shell, a horrifying display of Mia's power.

Jake's breath hitched as he stared at the mangled remains of his girlfriend, his mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Mia turned her attention to him, her eyes gleaming with sadistic delight. "And now, Jake," she said, her cheerful tone darkening into something demonic, "it's time for you to do some begging."

Jake trembled as Mia leaned closer, her voice dropping to a guttural growl.

"May you never find peace," she hissed, her words dripping with malice.

The screen flickered one last time, and then everything went dark.

And now...All remain is that Rose..