Cyberpunk 2021

April 9, 2021. 15:20. Burnaby.

"C'mon, Jamie!" Erica repeatedly tugs on her best friend's sleeve. Her voice is a playful mix of desperation and excitement. "It's Friday! I've been hyped for this all day!"

Jamie sighs, retracting her arm from the relentless pulling. "No." Her reply is both flat and deadpan. "I wanna go home and game." 

Rather than giving up, Erica tightly wraps her arms around Jamie's torso. "Pleeeeeease?" Erica's cheerful persistence goes into overdrive. "It's been a while since we hung out!"

The two friends stand in the corner of a bustling school hallway. The afternoon sun streams through the various large windows, long shadows casted along the bustling halls of the building. Neatly maintained brick walls and clean hallways build an atmosphere of a middle-class high school. 

Students hurry past Erica and Jamie, eager to rush to their lockers and out the doors. The noise of conversation between friends walking around the building and the honking of carpool rides flood the ears of Erica. But that didn't matter, she had one goal for this Friday afternoon: convince Jamie to go shopping with her. And she would not take no for an answer, at least not easily. 

Jamie stiffens under Erica's enthusiastic embrace. "Shopping is boring," Jamie mutters, trying to peel Erica off her. "It's all the same." 

"You don't mean it," Erica insists, pouting as she holds on tighter. "Besides, it's Metrotown! I'll go to your favourite gaming and anime stores!"

As Erica waits for Jamie's answer, nearby students walk past and wave goodbye to both of them. Jamie rolls her eyes while Erica waves in return. 

A silence then follows. Jamie stares at Erica with disbelief and conflict. Around them, lockers slam shut, with laughter and chatter echoing throughout the entire area. Outside, a faint hum of traffic mixes with the occasional distant shout from the nearby basketball court. 

Jamie's nose scrunches in annoyance. She brushes back her straight, shoulder-length black hair. Her face is neither beautiful nor ugly—it's average, while her average-shaped build and height wears a plain white shirt and black sweatpants, with little effort. The shirt is slightly wrinkled as if she couldn't be bothered to fix it. Her expression remains blank, her eyes dull as if she's already over the entire situation.

Erica, on the other hand, radiates energy as she looks at Jamie with a puppy-like innocence. Her clothing choice is immaculate, a pleated navy-blue blazer accompanied by a similarly designed skirt. A vibrant blue bow hangs off of her collar, reflecting her personality. Shiny black hair falls neatly over her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Her polished appearance contrasts sharply against Jamie's, a visual representation of how different they are.

A few seconds pass and Jamie lets out another sigh. She resigns herself to the whims of someone she can't refuse forever. "Fine," she says at last. "I'll go."

Erica lets out a happy squeal, practically bouncing on her heels. "YES! I knew you'd come around!" She releases Jamie and flashes her a triumphant grin. "Okay, okay, go get ready! I'll meet you at the front in ten minutes!"

With that, Erica spins on her heels and jogs toward her locker. Along the way, she waves to several groups of nearby friends. Quick conversations are made as the young socialite zooms past many of her friends in the school. As she arrives at her locker to pack up, her phone buzzes in her pocket. Hm? Curiosity pulls at her and she takes out her phone to find a text from her dad. Oh! With eager hands, she reads the incoming text.

"Be careful, sweetie. There've rising cases of cyberpsychosis recently in Vancouver. Stay alert."

Erica's smile softens. Her dad's concern is nothing new, but she loves how much he looks out for her. She quickly types a response.

"Don't worry!! Jamie and I are going to Metrotown to shop. We'll be in Burnaby all day! :D"

A response from her dad comes in almost immediately.

"Haha, alright, enjoy your Friday. I'll be at Metrotown later to pick you up. Wanna get dinner together after? Jamie's invited of course."

Erica grins and types back. "Sure! See you tonight. I'll let her know <3" She slips her phone back into her pocket and finishes packing up her bag, satisfaction lighting up her face. 

A series of checks is made that is no different than every other day, concluded by a breath of relief. With that, Erica turns back to rejoin Jamie. She zips around several corners back to the main doors, but some students catch her eye. 

They speak in hushed tones and occasionally look over their shoulders. Their heads are either shaved or covered by beanies, and their baggy, scratchy hoodies hang loosely over their thin frames. The look is almost grunge or punk-like; clothing clearly mismatched and worn. 

Erica, ever friendly, waves at them. "Hey, guys!" she says cheerfully.

The group gives her a mixture of wary glances and muttered replies. One of them whispers loudly to another, "Hide the powder, cop girl's here."

Erica freezes for a moment, the comment sinking in. What? Her smile falters for a fraction of a second, but she recovers quickly. The friendly atmosphere suddenly disappears, replaced by a sting. Cop girl? It's not the first time her dad's job as a police officer made her a subject of suspicion or awkward jokes. Although she's learned to live with the reputation, it doesn't make moments like this any easier.

The sense of isolation cuts deep, an impenetrable wall she can't tear down. While she has no intention of befriending those involved in illegal activity, she still hopes to make the most of her high school experience. But even so, her love and loyalty to her dad was undeniable. Years of instruction from him warn Erica of not interfering with police business for her own safety and she knows that—not like that stopped anyone else from assuming otherwise though.

Instead of ruminating further on her reputation, Erica narrows her eyes. Her smile is steady but anger twists beneath it. And then she notices it—the small tattoos. They peek out from under the student's sleeves—symbols of the Melders gang. 

Her father's voice echoes in her mind, warning her that the Melders were nothing but trouble. Years spent trying to clean up the streets, and the gangs have been a thorn in the police's side every step of the way. Sleepless nights, wondering about her dad's safety, replay in Erica's mind. 

She frowns slightly but brushes it off. You assholes. Just as she's about to act, Jamie appears beside her, tugging at her arm gently.

"Bus is here." Jamie's voice is as monotone as ever. Air shoots out of Erica's nostrils and she pouts. Ultimately, Jamie pulls Erica away as she purses her lips. 

"Ah, right. Thanks." She sighs and walks away from the stairwell. The duo goes back to the main doors of the school. The salt still remains in Erica's system though, and she turns to Jamie. "Those guys are so annoying," She mumbles only for her friend to hear. "Why do they always act like I'm gonna arrest them or something? Ugh!" Her hands wave in the air, drawing unintentional patterns. 

Jamie nudges her with a raised eyebrow. "Let it go. It's not worth it. You don't wanna be dealing with them anyways."

"Yeah, you're right." Erica sighs to herself and shakes her head. She pushes aside the feelings of frustration and anger, reaching out to the nearest thing capable of making her smile. She wraps an arm around Jamie and brightens up immediately. "By the way, my dad said there's an increase in cyberpsychosis cases."

Jamie doesn't react outwardly. "Noted, thanks for the warning." She replies with a straight face, but Erica has known her long enough to guess what she's feeling. Subtle shifts in her tone and the slight flicker of both concern and curiosity in her gaze betray the nonchalant mask. "Oh yeah, my father was planning to get dinner with me later. Did you want to join us?"

"Oh! Really? My dad wanted to take us out for dinner too. Maybe we could combine everything?" 

"Sure." 

"Awesome! I should tell my dad then!" The two make their way to the bus stop, and as they wait, the two girls pull out their phones. With a lazy series of swipes and taps, Erica's phone is unlocked. She sends an emoji of a cartoon dog waving enthusiastically. 

"Dadddd. Jamie's dad is gonna pick her up at Metrotown later too. Can we all have dinner together?"

The roar of a bus is heard in the distance and then the faint outline of it pokes around the corner of a street. Sleek black and red Dodge Chargers, marked by their gang affiliations and obnoxious spray paint patterns on the hood and doors, pull into the school parking lot to pick up the Melders. 

It's an odd thing to see, but the neighbourhood has its fair share of gang related activity. The two look in the direction of the cars but make no vocal response. Instead they look at each other and Erica just shrugs. I dunno know. A few minutes pass and a response from her dad comes in. 

"Of course! The more the merrier, I'll see if I can get a reservation going."

Erica beams and relays the news to Jamie. "Looks like you're stuck with us for dinner," she pokes Jamie in the side.

Jamie shrugs. "Fine by me."

The bus pulls up just in time, and the two girls climb aboard. They settle into their seats together near the back. As they ride toward Metrotown, the city rolls by. The golden light of late afternoon paints the streets in a warm hue. Can't wait till we arrive.