Chapters

Chapter 11: Parasociality

ririoreo Horror 8 hours ago

God, she was beautiful. My fingers dragged across the laptop screen wistfully, temporarily covering the face of my gorgeous goddess. My lovely Penny. Keyword: my. She didn't belong to those so called 'superfans' that followed her every vlog and interview and TV show. They completed those cute little quizzes on Buzzfeed and paraded around the world clamouring each one knows her better than the last. But they don't know her to the extent that I do. No, none of those fools could compare. I watched a Youtube video of her talking to a journalist about her upcoming movie. My blood simmered as I noticed her smile when speaking to him. That should be me, making her laugh. Not him.

I switched tabs deftly, my eyes flicking around me in the sombre library and my fingers tapping agitatedly against the keyboard. It was dim, with not many people around. But one could never be too careful; they, the outside world, wouldn't understand the special relationship I had with Penny. They, the souls that had never felt the touch of love upon their hearts, would have me taken away from my Penny. And I couldn't have that. She needed me, and I needed her.

My eyes drifted back down to my laptop, and I hunched further over the screen. On it, I watched from the corner of her room's camera as Penny threw herself onto her queen sized bed, sinking into the duvet. I imagined myself beside her, stroking her silky chocolate locks and twisting them between my tobacco stained fingers. But I had recently quit smoking, just for her. She once mentioned in an interview that she hated men that smoked. So I stopped.

I could almost detect the scent of her favourite perfume, Christian Dior's J'Adore Eau de Parfum. She wore it everywhere. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat, picturing my hand shifting down her hair, onto the smooth surface of her back and tracing circles. Penny would laugh, and that warmth from her skin would spread into my arm and throughout my whole body. Someday, someday, when I build up enough courage, I would find my way into her room and wait her for after shooting one of her vlogs, and how pleased she would be!

My daydream was rudely interrupted by the librarian poking my shoulder, trying to peer at my screen. My eyes snapped open and I slammed the laptop closed, my ears reddening. The librarian reminded me that sleeping in the library was forbidden and escorted me out, kicking me to the curb. I scowled, irritated, in her general direction as I stood in front of the establishment. I would come back next week anyway; the wifi was free here, and my landlord had recently cut off my internet access for not paying my rent on time.

And then, my Penny and I would meet again.

What happens in the next chapter?

This is the end of the narrative for now. However, you can write the next chapter of the story yourself.