Abel's finger hovered over the phone as he stared at the display. His mind was racing, trying to make sense of the bizarre notification. How could this be happening? He hadn't even unlocked his phone, yet the notification had taken over the entire screen, replacing his lock screen with its vibrant background.
The message itself was the most unsettling part. With a shaky finger, he scrolled upwards.
[ROCKSTAR 360 will transform you into the man you have been dreaming of... just click that install... that is if you have the balls and the discipline]
Abel's eyes bulged in surprise!
How could anyone know? Not even Ben knew about his secret ambition. It wasn't that he and Ben weren't close enough, Ben was his best friend. But everyone had their secrets, their hidden desires that they kept to themselves. Not because they were vile or perverse, but because they were too fantastical, too big a dream to ever come true. That was Abel's dream.
Underneath his pillowcase was a notebook that he had gone to great lengths to keep hidden. It was in these pages that he poured his heart out during countless nights. His dreams had become almost predictable, filled with visions of rock and rock and more rock.
It wasn't just about listening. No, this was different. In this world, he wasn't a gullible nerd. He was a sensation, at the heart of a world where music lovers worshipped his every note and sang his lyrics word by word. In this dream world, Abel was a rockstar, and his music dominated the airwaves. And now, as he stared at the mysterious notification, he felt an icy chill crawl up his spine at the thought that someone might have discovered his secret.
Could Todd be behind this? The thought gnawed at him, sending his mind spiraling into a frenzy of fear and suspicion. Had he accidentally brought the notebook to school? Maybe, just maybe, he'd mixed it up with his school stuff, and now Todd or his goons had found it. Were they the ones behind this cryptic message?
For the next few minutes, Abel practically flew across the remaining distance to his home. He barely noticed the traffic, and any fatigue he might have felt was drowned out by the adrenaline surging through his veins, making him feel as if he were under a cold shower.
Nearly twenty minutes later, Abel reached his house. Without pausing for breath, he fumbled with his keys, his hands trembling, and then burst through the door. He dashed up the staircase, taking two steps at a time until he reached his bedroom. His heart was pounding in his ears as he rushed to his bed and yanked up the pillowcase.
"Thank God," he breathed out in relief, his voice shaky as he clasped his knees, sweat dripping down his face. The bright silver notebook lay exactly where he had left it that morning, untouched and undisturbed.
He dropped onto his bed, still gasping for breath. The fact that the notebook was exactly where he had left it ruled out Todd's involvement. But what about Ben? , He had come over on the weekend could he have seen the book?
After thinking it over, Abel dismissed that possibility as well. He had moved the book to a more secure place, and besides, if Ben had known, he wouldn't have let it slide so easily. Abel always teased Ben about his MJ fantasy; there was no way Ben would've let that slide without some payback.
"So, not Ben... then who the hell could it be?" he muttered to himself.
His mom? Abel immediately discarded that thought too. His mom was too busy to craft something like this. As a single mother working multiple shifts as an RN, she rarely got home before midnight. The idea of her sitting somewhere, crafting such nonsense, actually made him smile for a moment.
Having exhausted all his theories, Abel pulled out his phone again and stared at the strange message.
The screen hadn't gone off, and the weird notification still greeted him, waiting for his response. Whoever had crafted this was right, his life was pretty messed up. He couldn't even muster the courage to tell his mom about the hell he was going through at school. How could he? Her days were already filled with enough stress without him adding to her worries. For a moment, Abel found himself seriously considering the promises in the notification.
He pictured himself as a rockstar, basking in fame, shedding the shame of his current life. He imagined being able to help his struggling mom, finally giving her the life she deserved. He couldn't deny the thrill that the thought brought him. Seeing his mother happy and comfortable was his ultimate dream. And the idea that he could be the one to make that happen was the final shove he needed.
He made up his mind. After all, what could go wrong? It was just a weird message, how could it even harm him? Worst-case scenario, it would probably be some kind of malware, and if that happened, he could just uninstall the app or reset his phone.
With that thought in mind, Abel pressed the bold Install button.
Immediately, the notification disappeared, and his usual lock screen image of Ben and himself with face smeared in ice cream reappeared. For a moment, Abel just stared at it, as if waiting for something to happen. But nothing did.
The thrill he'd felt at the possibility of the promises in the message took a nosedive. He hadn't realized just how much he was hoping it was the real deal.
"Should have known," he grumbled. It had been just a harmless message, after all. He'd been paranoid to read too much into it.
But when he unlocked his phone, his mood did a complete turn and shot up again. His heart pounded as he stared at the screen, eyes wide with disbelief. Right there on his home screen was a dazzling silver app icon that hadn't been there before.
Abel read the words out loud as if he couldn't trust his eyes alone.
"ROCK STAR 360"
"No freaking way," Abel breathed, his disbelief growing. The app had actually been installed. But wait...he didn't even have his Wi-Fi on. And even if he did, that had to be some crazy speed.
For the first time, he began to feel that this was more serious than he had initially taken it.
With a trembling finger, Abel reached out and tapped the app icon.