Zara had a theory.
And like most of Zara's theories, it came with high drama, a whiteboard, and glitter markers.
"This whole thing," she said, drawing suspicious arrows between names, "is a romance experiment masked as reality TV masked as psychological warfare."
Leo raised a hand. "Is this one of those times I nod and pretend I understand?"
"Yes," I said, sipping the sketchy lemonade the app gave us. "Also, don't drink that. It tastes like regret and fake lemons."
"Guys, focus," Milo said, tapping the table. "We found a compatibility list, Jessie's still MIA, and Crystal might be watching us through this decorative cactus."
Leo waved at it. "Hi Crystal, love your creepy energy!"
Zara slammed down a folder. "You know what we need? A paper trail. No app is this invasive without some juicy receipts."
"Receipts?" I asked.
"Love letters. Test results. Confidential memos. The kind of stuff HR usually hides under 'Team Building Exercises.'"
Milo grinned. "Then we need to go where no couple dares to go—"
"The Abandoned Archives Room?" Zara asked.
"No. The Lost Love Letter Library," Milo said dramatically.
Leo clapped. "Oooooh. That sounds forbidden and possibly dusty."
---
Cut to: twenty minutes later, sneaking into the east wing wearing matching pajamas and pretending we were on a "midnight bonding challenge."
The Lost Love Letter Library was real.
Also dark.
Also smelled like perfume and desperation.
Rows of lockers labeled with code names like LoveCactus9 and DramaQueen21 filled the room.
"This is where they store failed love letters?" I whispered.
"Failed?" Zara said. "Or… rejected."
Leo picked up a crumpled note from the floor. "'Dear Match, I thought you were cute until you said pineapple doesn't belong on pizza. Goodbye.' Brutal."
Milo opened one labeled Test Subject: SkyStar44.
Inside: a letter. Handwritten. And… addressed to Jessie.
> Jessie,
You're not just part of the experiment. You ARE the experiment. If you're reading this, it means you've started to remember. Don't trust the bracelets. Don't trust Crystal. And above all—don't fall in love. It resets everything.
– J
My hands went cold.
"Wait… who's 'J'?" Zara asked.
Leo blinked. "Jessie? Or… someone else?"
Milo turned the letter over. "No return info. Just a lipstick mark and... a QR code?"
We hovered.
Milo scanned it with his phone. The screen flickered.
> ACCESS DENIED. LEVEL LOCKED. INITIATE EVENT: THE GREAT EMOTIONAL MELTDOWN.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" I gasped.
Then… the floor vibrated.
And a voice echoed from the overhead speakers:
"Attention all participants: It's time for our Surprise Breakup Challenge! Pick a partner to dramatically unmatch… or suffer social consequences!"
Zara's jaw dropped. "Are they serious?!"
Leo groaned. "Do I have to get dumped again? It's exhausting."
Milo looked at me. "We need to fake this. Make it look real. Buy time."
I nodded. "You wanna fake-break up in front of the whole app?"
He gave me a half-smile. "Only if I get to fake-miss you after."
I couldn't help but smile back. "Fine. But I get to yell dramatically."
"You're a natural."
---
Later, under fake moonlight and surrounded by overly emotional background music, I dramatically shouted at Milo in front of everyone.
"You never listen to me! And your candle smelled like betrayal!"
He flinched. "Oh yeah? Well your smoothie reviews are too honest!"
Gasps. From fake audience members. Even Leo shed a single sarcastic tear.
We stormed off in opposite directions.
Crystal's voice rang out: "Such passion! Such pain! The algorithm weeps!"
Back in my room, Milo slipped in quietly.
"Did it work?" I whispered.
"Crystal bought it. But now… everyone thinks we broke up."
I smiled. "Perfect."
And just like that… we were closer than ever.
In secret.
Which, oddly, made it feel more real than anything this app ever gave us.