For Sam, the days following the pool party had been strange, to say the least. Ever since that kiss—his first kiss—with Emily, he couldn’t get her out of his head. The way she moved, the way she smiled, even the way she made him feel. The problem was, Emily wasn’t real. Or at least, she wasn’t her own person. Emily was still Kenith deep down, and that left Sam feeling confused, guilty, and a little... itchy. The memory of their kiss kept replaying in his mind, and the idea of Emily being his first everything—first kiss, first touch—gnawed at him.
It didn’t help that Kenith seemed completely indifferent to what had happened, as though the entire day had been just another game for him. But for Sam, it was different. He wanted Emily to be real, to exist beyond that brief moment they shared. He wanted her to be separate from his little brother, something—someone—he could actually call his girlfriend.
A week had passed since the party, and Sam couldn’t hold back any longer. He went to Kenith’s room, where his little brother was deeply engrossed in his video game, fingers flying across the controller.
“Kenith,” Sam started, trying to keep his voice steady. “Can we talk?”
Kenith paused his game, looking up at Sam with a sigh. “What is it? I’m about to beat this boss.”
Sam shuffled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s about... Emily. I can’t stop thinking about her. Is there a way to, you know, make her real? Like... separate from you?”
Kenith raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. “You’re still thinking about that?” he asked, clearly confused by why Sam was so hung up on something that, to him, was just a day of fun. “She’s not real, Sam. She was just me for the day.”
Sam’s face fell. He felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. Of course, Kenith wouldn’t get it. It was just a game for him. “I know,” Sam muttered, staring at the floor. “But I want her to be real.”
Kenith let out a long sigh, his frustration evident. He didn’t want to deal with this—he wanted to finish his game, not dive into some emotional problem Sam was having. Still, seeing his older brother so sad tugged at him in a way he didn’t like. With a reluctant groan, Kenith stood up and grabbed Sam’s hand, dragging him outside without saying a word.
“Where are we going?” Sam asked, confused as Kenith led him through the yard.
“You’ll see,” Kenith said flatly, still annoyed, but determined to do something about it. Eventually, they came to the house of the neighborhood kid—Brandon. Brandon was known for being a bit of an oddball. He was overweight, quiet, and spent most of his time outside reading strange fantasy novels or anime comics. He didn’t have many friends, and most kids just ignored him.
Brandon was sitting in his usual spot on the porch, nose buried in another one of his books when Kenith stopped in front of him, pulling out his phone with the Chronicle app.
“Kenith, what are you—” Sam began, but Kenith was already tapping away on the screen.
Before Sam could finish his sentence, Brandon’s body shimmered for a moment, the air around him flickering as Kenith used the app. In the blink of an eye, the overweight, bookish boy was gone, replaced by Emily. The transformation was seamless, and standing there now was the same Emily from the pool party—long black hair, perfect figure, and that same smile that had made Sam’s heart race.
“There,” Kenith said, stepping back and gesturing toward Emily. “She’s your girlfriend now. Go ahead.”
Sam’s eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Kenith to actually do it, but there she was. Emily. His Emily. No longer tied to Kenith, but standing there, very much her own person.
Emily looked up at Sam with that same warm smile she had at the party. “Hey, babe,” she said sweetly, stepping forward and slipping her hand into Sam’s. Her touch was real, her presence undeniable. And Sam couldn’t help but smile back, his heart pounding as he leaned down and kissed her, this time knowing that she was truly his.
As they kissed, Kenith turned on his heel, already losing interest in the whole thing. “Well, I’m out of here,” he muttered to himself, heading back toward the house. “I’ve got a game to finish.” He didn’t care much for what had happened at the pool party, nor did he want to think about the emotions tied up in it. All that mattered now was getting back to his game and not having to deal with Sam’s weird girlfriend issues anymore.
As he walked away, Kenith glanced over his shoulder, watching Sam and Emily share another kiss before laughing together. Sam looked genuinely happy, and Kenith figured that was good enough for him. Whatever had happened at the pool party was forgotten, erased by the app, and now there was no connection between Emily and his little brother self.
For Kenith, it was just another problem solved, another day where reality had been reshaped with a few taps on his phone. He walked into the house, sat back down in front of his game, and quickly resumed his battle. Everything else was background noise.
As for Sam, he didn’t care about any of that now. Emily was real, and she was his. As they walked hand in hand, talking and laughing, he felt like everything had fallen into place.
For now, both brothers were exactly where they wanted to be.
And that was all that mattered.