“You’re the one going?!” Ramona exclaimed as she barged into my room, the door slamming shut from ricocheting off the wall.
I looked up at her, dazed. This was a very rude way to be woken up. “Good morning to you, too,” I said as I sat up.
“Leslie told me you volunteered! What are you thinking?! Deiowjetjedhyfoiajlkjwenfhy?!”
I stretched, letting out a yawn as Ramona continued shouting her questions at me. “I know what I’m getting into,” I said, not even trying to understand what she was asking.
Ramona huffed. She planted her hands on her hips and looked down at the floor. “I know that.”
“It’s too early for this conversation,” I said, finally getting out of bed.
“This wewotjlekmfdsnt if it was someone I didn’t know!” Ramona cried as she followed me into the kitchen. “I mean, I’m gonna be living alone for a whole year!”
“That’s what’s bothering you?!” I shouted as I dug out a plastic bag of bread from the pantry. “Leslie lives right there.” I pointed at the wall that separated our apartment from Leslie’s next door.
“Neighbors and roommates aren’t the same!” Ramona protested, her hands flailing as she spoke. “Thwioetkmlgaenja person matters. It’s easier to sleep at night if you know someone else is here.”
“But I spend half my nights with Leslie.”
“You keep your stuff here,” Ramon argued immediately. “It’s part of the presence.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. Then, without saying a word, I sat down at the table and took a bite from one of the triangular sweet breads. “Why don’t you just admit you’re gonna miss me?”
“I-” she started. Then Ramona sighed, collapsing into her red armchair. “Why did you have to volunteer?”
This was a surprise. I hadn’t thought Ramona would be so upset about this. “Neither of us are home that much already,” I said. “And I can’t exactly bring my stuff with me. So… you’ll probably barely even notice I’m gone. You’ll get to keep my presence.”
Ramona gave me an even stare, then leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, her expression remaining serious. “Look,” she began, “I know how much Leslie cares about you. So I know exactly how hard they’ll take it if you don’t come back.”
I paused, taking my time with another bite. That was everyone’s biggest worry, wasn’t it? “I’ll come back,” I stated, ignoring the part of me that whispered, Will you, though?
Ramona raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll come back,” I insisted. Repeating it was as much for her as it was for the doubt lingering in my mind.
“Even if you decide the System’s better?” Ramona asked.
I groaned, rolling my eyes. Of course that’s what she was concerned about. Not that the System would catch me, but that I would suddenly decide I would be happier inside. Ramona would never let go of her idea that bytes were happy in the System.
“The System’s not better,” I said. “It might have some great conveniences, but it’s definitely not better.” When her expression still didn’t change, I added, “I’ll come back even if I change my mind.”
Ramona nodded her satisfaction.
To be continued…