Terms and Conditions

Chapter 01

Manny's dark eyes peered at me as he opened them wide. His mouth dropped in disbelief.

I laughed and ran my fingers over my keyboard. "It'll be fun, okay?" My pinky tapped the enter key as my other hand tabbed to the right. "Most of us have anxieties, awkward social behaviors. Do you know how hard it can be to look up from your phone and talk to someone? Bio-Lab wants to help people."

"Right, shy people." Manny adjusted himself on screen. "Like you?"

"Bitch," I muttered before laughing.

Manny wasn't the shy type. He was outgoing, perfect, strong; everything I wanted to be. Even when he came out to his parents, expressing who he truly was and how he felt, he did it without fear. Just proud, solid bravery.

I wanted to be like Manny. Hell, I would even take his tall, dark, and handsome appeal if it made me feel pretty enough for the world.

It's why I need to test this game.

With the VR spheres, Bio-Lab also sent the data file for each of us to download on our computers. Manny wasn't as fancy as I was, but I figured his old laptop could run the game without much issue.

Or, at least, I hoped so.

"All righties." As I opened my game file, I watched the Bio-Lab company symbol appear on the screen. Golden snakes intertwined with white vines took over everything but Manny's video feed.

I shot his image a small glance. "Did you download the game?"

"Cuzzo, if I hadn't, would I be online right now?" He cocked a brow.

My mouth opened, a sound came out, but it wasn't a word. Beba hopped on the bed as if I called her.

"You got a point," I said after a minute. "Did you start it up?"

"Chari." Manny's voice was just filled with disbelief.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay."

The game menu took up my laptop's screen. My gaze passed over the title. "Love or Nothing" was bright pink, an awful color compared to the green background.

Manny's game had started up at the same time. I only knew it because when I made a face, he did, too. His "ugh" matched mine.

Add to beta-test notes, suggest a different color scheme. Because... shit.

"This game better be good," Manny said as he clicked his laptop mouse.

With my thumb on the touchpad, I did the same. Instantly, the game brought up its commands and rules.

"Again, it's supposed to help people." I glanced at Manny's video. "You're helping me help people."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Manny sighed, rolling his eyes again. "Only 'cause I love you."

"Love you, too." I looked back at the screen. With one click, the screen turned white. A long list of paragraphs appeared in the tiniest of fonts. At first, I tried to squint and read. But after two scrolls down, I knew I wouldn't.

Terms and conditions? No one reads them. Ever. Just accept and give your data away.

"This shit," Manny laughed, motioning towards his computer screen, "do companies think we be reading this shit? This is more than a college essay."

"How would you know?" I scrolled my page to the bottom and clicked 'accept.' "You didn't go to college."

"Dude, I swear," Manny laughed again, "play with me if you want to—"