Alternative

| Chapter Four

As I sit in the passenger seat of Joe's car, I stare out the window, at the clouds in the sky. The way they pass overhead, swimming through the blue with the help of the wind, I'm reminded of Emery and her skydiving dreams.

The very same dreams that left her mind blank, like a clean slate. And me scribbling across the canvas with paint that didn't stick.

"If I fly high and fall, will you catch me?"

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and sigh as Joe stops at an intersection. Soft rock plays from his car's radio.

"She looked cool today," Joe says as he pats his hands against the steering wheel. He isn't looking at me when I turn my head. But I can see his smile as he continues, "A little tired, maybe, but almost like Emery."

I blink. Now he looks at me. Our eyes lock for a second. "She was tired?" I ask.

The streetlight turns green and the cars beside us move. Joe takes a moment before he presses his foot down on the gas. "I mean, it was like she didn't have the energy. I figured it was the mems upload? How'd that go last night?"

How did it go? Turning away, I run my finger along the top of my coffee cup. "I um..."

I want to lie to him, but knew it wouldn't help to hide the truth. Joe is my closest friend, my best friend, and he sees everything. And he has had that ability since we were kids.

With that thought, I laugh weakly and shake my head. My gaze peels away from the clouds and back at him as we reach the next light. "I didn't do it."

"What?" Joe is shocked. "Ray, why? That Angel Rogers was freaking perfect, man! She was Emery, almost identical."

"I know," I say quietly as I place my coffee cup in the holster at my side. "But—"

I thought she had left. I was scared. My only reaction was to hold her until she fell asleep in my arms.

"But what, Ray?" Joe's hands squeeze around his steering wheel. "Do you understand what we're doing? How much data are we stealing? If you don't use every cell, every ripped copy, I'll—"

"You'll what?" I bite my tongue as I try not to yell.

The car stops abruptly. I watch as Joe's shoulders lift slightly, just beneath his ears, as he sighs.

So do I. "Did you forget all the risks I'm taking to do this? You're not the only one liable here, Joe. Just one small slip up and it's all gone. Alt-life, mem-blocks, Em, everything goes out the fucking window."

Joe looks ahead, waiting for the light to change. I can see the emotion on his face. The edges of his eyes are bright, red. Are those tears?

"I'll always catch you, babe."

"I'm sorry," Joe says. "Just... no one cares about you two like I do. Shit, Morris gives the least of fucks and it's his fault." He pats his hands against the wheel again, but when the light changes to green, he sighs and forces his foot down on the gas. "I'm sorry," he repeats as he drives.

"It's fine," I say, looking ahead. The only thing I can do is accept his apology. What good will fighting do us? "I'm sorry, too."

"Yeah."

Joe and I look at each other once more, sharing the same smile we always gave each other in moments like this. Who knew the boy who always came to my rescue in elementary school was the same man who stayed by my side when I needed him most?

"Well, now can I show you why we needed to leave early?" Joe says, but before he turns into a wide parking lot beside two large buildings. I can't help but look over to the many windows stacked up high. From a distance, they resemble business suites. Up close, I know they're modern condos. My mouth parts slightly, in awe.