The Bad Boy Computer Programmer At Wattpad

EXPLAIN IT ONE MORE TIME

**Amanda**

Alki Beach. It was the destination Amanda often gravitated towards when the weight of the world became too heavy for her shoulders to bear. With a view of the Puget Sound and Seattle skyline, there was something magical about this stretch of sand on the outskirts of the Emerald City. Waves crashed rhythmically against the shore. Seagulls sailed through the air singing tone deaf tunes. Horns from ferries and large container ships echoed in the distance. The aroma of fish and chips surfed the chilly autumn winds. A Statue of Liberty held her torch with pride as she gazed aimlessly towards the north.

Amanda pulled a blanket tightly around her upper body and stared at the small replica of New York City's famous monument. As she balanced her laptop on her legs, she realized how appropriate it was to be sitting here in the shadow of the mini imposter. An imitation of something far superior. A metaphor for the human connections in her life.

No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that her virtual experiences were another form of physical reality, she couldn't. Her hopes were always greeted with evidence of technology's inferiority when compared to humanity's complexities. The internet existed somewhere in nothingness--its content manipulated by deception and distorted by personal fantasies. And just like this fake-ass Statue of Liberty, Amanda's online relationships were only electronic replicas of the real thing--digital replacements for the tangible connections she so desperately ached for.

Cyber-nothingness could never physically hold her, and the person she knew as Ian was included in that nothingness.

Although they were unable to offer a physical shoulder to cry on, Amanda's friends were the closest thing to a tangible friendship the internet could provide. In some ways, their digital existence may have been superior to their tangible counterparts. After all, Amanda's friends could be by her side at a moment's notice, carrying the electric shockwaves needed to restart her bruised heart. This was assuming the batteries in Amanda's electronic devices were properly charged.

Amanda peeked at her laptop monitor through her fingers while video chatting with her three friends.

[Geri: "Wait!" Geri shouted, waving her hands and shaking her head. "Explain it one more time. I must be missing something."]

Amanda exhaled a long breath. "He liked my open letter. I nearly peed myself with excitement. Then a few minutes later, practically everyone from Wattpad Headquarters liked it. Excitement canceled. End of story."

[Jeannie: "But he liked it first?" Jeannie's voice increased a couple octaves towards end of the sentence as if she wasn't sure of her own question.]

"Yep." Amanda pulled a rubber band out of her ponytail and raked her fingers through her wind-blown hair. When everything else in life took on a special shade of shitty, at least there was still ponytail hope. Although the perfect ponytail rarely happened, it did happen occasionally. Maybe right now would be Amanda's lucky moment.

Scooping her hair on top of her head, Amanda secured the ponytail with the rubber band and glanced at her reflection in a Kate Spade compact mirror. Nope. Not today.

[Mona: "Architect Program?" Mona appeared to be reading something offscreen. "I shall call all my lovers Architect Programs from now on." Throwing her hands in the air, she shouted, "Use my body as an energy source! I will erect your matrix!"]

Biting the inside of her cheeks while the heat of embarrassment washed over her face, Amanda said, "I see you found my open letter."

[Jeannie: "But how did Ian find it? There are millions of stories on Wattpad. He HAD to be checking your profile out. I can't think of any other explanation."]