We’re glad to see him back where he belongs, but we’re not going to let anyone push him away from us again.” After a few minutes of awkward smiling and nodding by the other guests, and a few moments of just breathing in the air, I was ready to leave. With many things racing through my head, I found myself walking outside. The warm night breeze reminded me of what it felt like at home, even though the air was different – a mix of desert and ocean air. “Shelly…” My voice was soft, just loud enough to carry through the night air. Shelly looked up. “I just want you to know that I’m glad you were on my side tonight. It means so much to me.” She smiled, but it was strained, as if she had been fighting not to show it. “Thank you for sticking up for me, even though I didn’t make it very clear in my speech.” She laughed nervously. “I was a little nervous.” “Don’t worry, Shelly. I know you’re always nervous about these sorts of events.” I smiled at her. “Yeah, it’s only the one time a year and it is a huge deal, so it’s only natural.” She laughed nervously again. “Thanks, Kass.” “No problem.” I looked around for anyone I knew. “I know.” She paused. “So what are you doing after the party?” she asked. “I’m heading back to the hotel to go to sleep, and hopefully get some sleep tonight. Then I’ll head back home tomorrow.” I looked down at my feet. “You?” “Same.” She said quickly. “Okay. See you around, Shelly. I don’t think I’ll see you for the next few days, but we can talk when you get back, right?” I asked her. “Right.” She smiled, but she looked like she was fighting not to. I knew the next words out of her mouth before they came out. “I’m glad I could talk to you tonight. Just – just remember that I’m on your side.” “Okay. Have a good trip.” I leaned in, trying to hug her, but she backed up a little. I paused. “I love you, Shelly.” She leaned forward again and hugged me back. “I love you, too.” I felt like a total jerk. It had been years since I had said those words, but she was my best friend. Even if she was my only friend, I had to stand up for her and remind her I was on her side. It made me feel guilty. She smiled at me and turned back to the party. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. After a few minutes, I turned and walked back to the hotel. I was half a mile away when I heard a car pull up next to me. Shelly had made a quick getaway. “Oh.” I saw her in the car next to mine. I smiled and waved. “Hi.” She seemed like she had been crying. I didn’t know why, but it made me feel terrible. “Hey, Shelly. How was your night?” I looked over at her. “It was okay. It was good, actually. We got to sit at the same table as the mayor. She was really nice.” She smiled. “Yeah, the mayor’s been so cool to all of us – him, his mom, and especially me – ever since we went down to City Hall for the town hall meeting.” I smiled. “Yeah, and now everyone’s talking about how amazing it was that it was such a happy event.” She looked out the window. “And Shelly…” “Yeah?” “Don’t forget. I’m on your side.” I said it softly, but it was enough. I felt bad for being such a jerk. I started walking a little faster. I waited to see if she had anything to say. But she just sat there, staring out the window. I figured she just needed a few minutes to compose herself. “Okay, well, I have to go find my own room now. Night, Shelly.” I stopped walking and turned around. “You take care, all right?” I was too late. She was gone before I could reach her. Well, that wasn’t so bad, I thought as I walked toward my room. After I got settled in my room, I logged into the mainframe and sent out a message to the others. Shelly, Thank you. She was still down in her room when the answer came in. Love always, Kassandra. After she left, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t think it was just because she was the only person in my life who I could really call a friend. I tried to force myself to think about other things, but I couldn’t. All I could think about was Shelly. I remembered the way her hair had felt when I brushed it. I remembered the way her voice sounded when she spoke. I remembered the way her lips felt when I kissed her for the first time, and how she melted into my arms, and how she looked when I was making love to her for the first time. It was getting harder and harder to keep myself from crying. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, it was still dark out. I hadn’t slept that well. The light of dawn was reflecting off of the windows, creating a blue-gray glow that reminded me of ocean waves just before sunrise. I heard the sound of music and laughter coming from downstairs. It had to be the end of the party. I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. I was about to head downstairs when my eye caught on something, and I stopped to look more closely at it. On top of the television stand were two framed pictures. One was of Shelly standing next to me, looking gorgeous in her evening gown. The other one was of me, looking cute in my tux. I recognized Shelly’s picture immediately. It was a photograph of her during her first year at university. She was holding her arm around me in my school uniform with the hat. I picked up the picture of me. When I looked closely at it, I could see my own eyes, but the picture itself was black and white. I turned it over and realized why. It was a scan of a picture of me when I was ten years old. I smiled to myself as I put it back down. It was a nice way to remember. It was nice to think about how things had been in the past. Even though we hadn’t talked the whole time we were on vacation, I had been thinking about her the whole time. In some weird way, she felt like a friend I had never had before – even though she was just a virtual life simulation. Sitting in my bed, I found myself smiling at the strange thought. I was glad Shelly and I had talked when we got home. I wouldn’t be so jealous of her if she had just left it the way it was and we had just remained friends. It was all so simple and easy to figure out. We had both already said what we wanted to say in our lives, and we had already been able to say what we wanted to say about our other friends. But we couldn’t be together. For years, I had assumed we wouldn’t be friends after Shelly and I parted ways, but I was wrong. In this way, the virtual life simulation system had really shown us a great deal. I now understood that I was just going to have to accept that it was impossible for me to get back in contact with Shelly – and that’s okay. I felt relieved. I looked up when I heard someone come in the door downstairs. When I looked up, Shelly walked in, smiling and holding her arms open for a hug. She had just gotten up from her bed to change when she realized I was watching her