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out: first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage.
    Shitastic.
    Later that night, I look out my bedroom window and see a black Maserati parked in the driveway next door. The driver exits the car. That’s Mandi’s new boyfriend, and he, of course, just has to be Mr. Perfect. Tall? Check. Dark? Check. Handsome? Check. Wealthy? Obviously.
    Chivalrous? Sure. There he goes, through all the motions, helping Mandi step out of the car. Landing a kiss on her cheek. Holding her hand. Lingering outside her door for the goodnight kiss.
    I can’t watch this anymore.
    All that week, I try to drown out my heartbreak and sorrow, locking myself in the testosterone- and war-filled virtual world of COR. I’ve turned into such a hardcore player that I’ve scored a one-of-a-kind weapon called the Lady Finger.
    When you “finger” another player’s character, that character explodes into a million hearts on the screen. Haha. The Lady Finger literally looks like a lady’s finger, complete with a pink-manicured nail.
    This game is fun, but also a serious waste of time. I’m sure that Mandi’s boyfriend doesn’t play videogames. Dude drives a Maserati. I’m guessing all he does is make money.
    Wish I could use the Lady Finger on him, well on his character, if he plays COR.
    The message icon flashes on my game screen.
 
    ShaggyWill, You’ve received a message from xMusklonEx.
    …Read New Message…
    Hey, awesome PKs (player kills), ShaggyWill. I’d like to buy the Lady Finger from you. I’ll give you 5000 CritCoins (CCs) for it. Wanna trade?
    ~*~
 
    CC’s? Are they some kind of virtual currency? I remember reading about virtual currency becoming the money of the future. They’re probably worth nothing now, but what the heck; I’ll just accept the trade. It’ll be easier for me to quit the game without my Lady Finger (LOL).  

 
     
     
     
     
     

Five: William Liam
(19 years old)
     
     
    …August 26 th …
    Today is the day I’m losing Mandi to another man. Forever.
    I’ve lost her to…
     
    ROBIN WICKHAM…
     
    My beloved goddess is marrying the guy she’s been dating for the past two years. Robin is the big shot who drives the Maserati. He’s recently upgraded to a black McLaren. Who does this guy think he is? A real-life Batman?
    Yeah, I know I’m being petty because I’m jealous of Robin. This is such an ugly feeling.
    Robin is actually a pretty decent guy. He’ll treat Mandi right. With him, she’ll have a great future.
    With me, well, let’s just say that my future is one big blur. I haven’t declared a major yet. I just don’t know what to do with my life yet. These past years, I’ve been working hard toward one goal, and that goal was to make Mandi see me as more than a friend or a second little brother. I’ve been trying to prove that I’m the man who can one day make her very happy.
    But that will never happen now.
    I wish I’ve done more. I wish I haven’t been such a chicken and loser all this time.
    She’s wearing a white dress and I’m the second shooter at her wedding. Since this morning, I’ve been watching her from behind my DSLR, snapping hundreds of pictures of her.
    I’ve been hiding behind my camera so that no one can see the painful expressions that I can’t remove from my face.
    I can’t smile or laugh. I’m so damn depressed that I have to work hard to keep my body from shaking. I want to vomit. I’m thinking I should just go home.
    I’m about to leave when Carl finds me on the terrace lawn.
    “Yo, Shaggy,” Carl says. “You okay, man?” He pats my shoulder. My bro can see right through me and he knows that I’m not okay. I shrug.
    For Mandi, I have to keep it together. I don’t want to remind Mandi of that sad little kid I was when we first met. Not on her special day. Not ever.
    I don’t want to disappoint her either. I’ve promised her wonderful pictures, and so I’ll deliver.
    “I’ll be fine, Carl. You holding up