Catfish

Ch. 3: Persona

A/N:

Okay so I'm not even going to take the time to explain to you guys where I have been for the past two weeks, but here's chapter 3. I hope you enjoy and please give me feedback.

Chapter 3

"Hey Alaina!!!! Since you know what I look like, I have been wanting to see the person I've been talking to sooo how about it?"

I must've read the message over a hundreds times. I could feel my stomach churning as I passed over each word. What am I going to do?

The bus ride seemed to be the longest 10 minutes of my life. Funnily, I had my headphones blasting Highway to Hell; I just had to laugh. The Twinkie finally made it to my stop and the space between the driveway and my front door seemed to go on like some endless hallway.

I walk towards the front door, lugging my 50 pound book bag, and a tiny cellphone which seemed even heavier.

I made it to the door and entered. Quiet, as usual. It was quieter than any Blockbuster movie store.

"Mom," I call out.

No answer. I just assume she's still at work taking more bullshit from that sleazy boss of hers.

I rush up the stairs, climbing it on all fours like some kind of dog with ADHD. I storm into my room and fly onto my bed as I grab my phone. I read the message once more and think it over.

Okay so maybe I'm overreacting. I can always just take a picture of myself, have him tell me I'm ugly and never text me back again. Wait a minute. What the hell am I thinking? But then again...I don't want to lie. But, I still don't know who he is; I could be in danger. What if this person is just pretending to be him? What if he's not who he says he is?

This little argument in my head goes on for about 15 minutes. Me, constantly switching back from what my mind is telling me and what my heart is telling me, and all that Disney bullshit and what not. I finally make a decision.

"I'm not gonna send him a picture of me...I'm gonna find a picture of someone else, pretend it's me and when I can trust him, then I'll show him the real me."

The plan in my head seemed ideal, so I went along with it. I ignored the faint voice in my head telling me that this was wrong.

I think about the image I want to give my persona, Alaina.

Oh, maybe she could have long blonde hair and blue eyes. Nah, that's too typical for a pretty girl; I'm going for a more Bella meets Edward look. I stifle a laugh between thoughts. This was actually a lot more fun than I expected. It was like picking out a doll at the store but getting it to meet your own standards.

After another 15 minutes, I've completely exhausted the list of types of girls. The range from simple, blonde country-living girl to extravagant, brunette, wild party kind of girl. I finally decide on what I want for Alaina.

"That's it!!!! I want a girl with long, wavy hair black as coal and eyes greener than freshly mowed grass. She'll have a perfect nose and a beautiful smile."

I give myself a pat on the back for coming this far. Now all that there's left to do is actually find a girl who looks like this on Instagram or Facebook.

I take out my phone and immediately open IG. I check out my feed and nothing special seems to be posted from the people I follow, so I move on. I go to hashtags and look up, #blackhairgreeneyes. Surprisingly, I actually get a lot of photos but none of the girls have "the look."

I scroll and scroll and scroll until, I finally find her. Exactly as I said, black hair, green eyes, and she has "the look" that I'm looking for.

I click on her profile and initiate my creeping. Her name is Elizabeth Giudicelli (Jew-di-che-lee). I'm assuming that's how it's pronounced, but I don't care; I want her face not her name. She's my age and lives in Oregan, while I live in Virginia. She has a lot of siblings and seems to be a very humble girl.

I screen shot a few pictures and notice that she has a link to her Facebook account in her bio.

I click on the link and screen shot more pictures of her just as precaution and I decide to friend her. You never know when something like that could come in handy.

I spend the next 10 minutes fixing the pictures. I zoom in and take even more screen shots making sure each and every picture was perfect.

I send him the selfie of "me." I wonder if this was a bad idea? Well, either way there's no turning back.

Now all there is to do is wait for his reply, though, I have a pretty good idea what he's going to say.