C2 GERTHA

The blaring various colors of lights radiated outside the building and jarring sounds of loud music was not something to write home about.

Laughter and whoops of excitement filled the air as the girls arrived at Bora's rented apartment, carrying bottles of wine and various snacks. They might as well have been in a pub, given the raucous atmosphere. But this was a night of fun and friendship, regardless of the setting.

"Girls, tone it down!" Bora hissed, trying to keep her voice low. "My landlady is going to kill me if she hears all this noise!"

The last thing she needed was to be evicted from her apartment.

"Bora, shut up!" Kristy yelled, playfully throwing a pillow at her. "I told you to get a mansion with all that money you have, but you insisted on this tiny apartment. If you had a bigger place, we could party all night without worrying about the landlady!"

Bora ducked out of the way of the pillow. She glared at Jenna and Matty as they continued to whoop and holler. "Hey, come on, guys," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "This isn't how normal people behave! We need to tone it down a bit."

Bora rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. She knew her friends were only trying to cheer her up, even if they were

"Okay, fine," Kristy said, waving the others over. "Gather 'round, girls." Bora, Jenna, and Matty gathered in a circle, all of them wearing pajamas in different colors.

They looked like a group of mismatched, cuddly teddy bears.

"Guess what, guys?" Kristy whispered, a gleeful grin on her face. The others leaned in closer, eager to hear what she had to say.

"What is it, Kristy?" Matty asked, her impatience getting the better of her.

"Well," Kristy said, pausing for dramatic effect, "I have a secret. My new boyfriend, Dean, got me a gift." She smiled shyly, unable to contain her excitement. "And oh, he also got promoted in his company and is now a manager."

The others let out a collective "Awww," their eyes shining with happiness for Kristy.

"Woah, that's amazing!"

"Congratulations, you deserve it!"

"Niiice. My husband is on his way back from Paris and I'm sure he's going to buy me some French stuff," Matty exclaimed, and the others joined in her excitement.

"Ooh la la!" Jenna teased. "A little bit of Paris in your own home. That's the life, girl!"

"Well, my fiancé didn't get me anything for my birthday and I swear, I'd kill him!" Jenna shouted dramatically, and the others burst out laughing.

"Well, this is not exactly what I had in mind for our girls' night out," Bora said, her voice sounding less than enthusiastic all of a sudden.

"I was hoping to talk about something else, rather than my failed relationship with Michael."

Bora had to admit that the topic of partners was a sore spot for her right now. She really didn't want to talk about it, or hear about anyone else's relationships. It was just too painful, especially with her friends who had come to cheer her up.

The atmosphere in the room had become solemn. "Oh, no," Matty said, sounding genuinely remorseful. "We're so sorry if we upset you, Bora."

"We just want to make you feel better," Jenna added, her voice full of concern. "We'd do anything to make things right."

Bora just nodded, unable to speak. What could they do to help? They couldn't get Michael back, and they couldn't find her a new boyfriend who wouldn't break her heart in a few weeks. She knew her friends meant well, but they just couldn't understand how she was feeling right now.

"I'm feeling tired," Bora said, though she knew it wasn't really tiredness she was feeling. It was more like a deep sadness, weighing her down. "I'll sleep on the couch, you guys take the bed and the mat."

With that, Bora stood up and left the living room.

She went to her room and took a picture of herself and Michael off the wall. She looked at it for a moment, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside her. "Sigh," she whispered.

"Maybe Michael isn't worth all this anger and emotion," she muttered, mostly to herself.

She felt a little guilty for leaving her friends like that, but she just needed some time alone. They would understand, she was sure.

Bora grabbed the picture and threw it in the trash bin next to her table. She decided it was time to move on.

As she walked back to the living room, she heard her friends talking about her. She paused, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but also feeling curious about what they were saying.

"GERTHA? The game?" Jenna asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

"It's not a game, it's a virtual world," Matty explained, sounding slightly defensive.

"A place that's not even real?" Jenna scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Please."

Matty turned to Kristy, seeking her support. "Kristy, you know more about this than we do. Your boyfriend works for the company that owns GERTHA, right?"

Kristy brought out two tiny electronic ear devices and placed them in their center and then said. “Whether it's a game or reality, real or fake, let Bora give it a go and tell us her experience.”

"Ahem!" Bora cleared her throat loudly, trying to get her friends' attention. Whatever they were discussing, she wanted in on the conversation.

"Bora?!" Matty exclaimed in a voice that was both shocked and amused.

"Bora!" Jenna said, in a tone that sounded both suspicious and mischievous.

Bora approached the group, squatting down in the center of the circle. She was flexible and fit, so she could have stayed in that position for hours if she had to.

"What's this all about?" she asked, looking from one friend to the other. "What are you going to convince me to try?"

Kristy opened her mouth to speak, but then hesitated. Bora was looking at the small device on the ground, an inquisitive look on her face. She reached down and picked it up, turning it over in her hand.

"Aren't you sleepy, Bora?" Kristy asked, her voice gentle and concerned.

"No," Bora replied, her tone firm. She reached down and placed the device into her ears.

Despite the late hour, Bora's eyes were wide open and alert, and she was curious to learn more about this mysterious device. She wondered what all the secrecy was about - it was just a tiny earpiece, after all.

"How does it work?" Bora asked, turning to Kristy, then to Matty, then to Jenna.

All three of them looked at each other, as if deciding who should speak first.

Finally, Kristy cleared her throat. "Well, you have to fall asleep first, then the device will do its thing," she explained.

Bora's three friends shot each other a look, and Kristy put her hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"I'm just telling you what I've heard," she explained. "I haven't tried it myself, so I don't know exactly how it works. It was just a gift from Dean, and I figured you might be interested in it."

"So, I just have to fall asleep, and then..." Bora trailed off, looking for confirmation from the others.

They all nodded, but Bora could tell they weren't entirely sure. "Fine," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'll give it a try."

"Um, Bora?" Jenna began, leaning in close. She looked a little hesitant, like she wasn't sure how to say what was on her mind.

"Yes?" Bora replied, opening her eyes and turning her head to look at Jenna.

"That French painting you loaned me last week," Jenna whispered. "The one I wanted to show off to my fiance's snobby sister."

Bora sat up and thought for a moment. "Oh, right," she said, the memory coming back to her. "You mean the Hermes portrait, right? That piece is one in a million and it costs seven million."

"I... I kind of... destroyed it," Jenna stammered, looking down at her hands. "I'm so sorry, Bora. I didn't mean to, it was just an accident. I was trying to dust it and then..." Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Bora's eyes widened in disbelief. "You what?" she asked, her voice full of shock and anger. "That's my landlady's portrait, and it was made by her son! It's an original piece of art that's worth millions of dollars! How could you possibly destroy it?"

"Bora, please, calm down," Matty said, trying to soothe her friend. "We can get a copy of the painting so your landlady doesn't find out."

"There's no such thing as a copy of that painting!" Bora's voice was rising to a dangerous pitch, her face red with anger. "It's one of a kind, worth seven million dollars! Jenna, how could you?!”

"Bora, you're making a lot of noise," Jenna said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You'll wake up the whole neighborhood. And your landlady will get mad at you."

“Ya!”