." Faye didn't dare to look up from her
food. She could already feel herself getting the kind of headache that
meant she'd start crying soon if she wasn't careful. She tried to
change the subject. "Have you done the new Fryer episode?"

"What, this?" Rebecca pulled a silver disc out of her blazer pocket,
holding it up for Faye to see. "You want to try it?"

"I think I could be persuaded." Faye looked up long enough for her
eyes to meet Rebecca's. Big mistake. She tried not to think about how
they seemed to radiate a sense of playful mischief, or about the curly
trusses of auburn hair partially hiding them.

Rebecca handed the disc to Faye, and for an instant, their hands
touched as she took it from her.

"Thanks." Faye slid the disc into her pocket and tried to concentrate
on finishing her meal.

Faye stared up at a bright blue sky that wasn't there and listened to a
dozen conversations about nothing in particular. She breathed in
deeply, savouring the scent of the freshly cut grass she wasn't really
lying on. Although she was actually lying on her bed, her senses were
all being hijacked by the Digitac player lying next to her as it
replayed the sensory input of Helen Fryer, one of the country's most
popular actresses. She saw and heard everything that Helen did, but
she was helpless to try and direct her where she wanted to go. She was
just an observer, albeit a very intimate one.

Faye felt someone squeeze her hand, and turned to face him. Naturally,
it was James. He had the kind of rugged good looks that were currently
considered attractive by most of the girls in her class. His bleached
blonde hair was just long enough to get in the way of his hazel eyes,
and whenever she kissed him, his stubble felt like sandpaper. She
wasn't quite sure if she had a type yet, but if she did, James
definitely wasn't it.

"I love you, James," she felt herself say.

"I love you too, Helen," said James. His smile widened, and Faye felt
hers do the same. He leaned towards her. She reciprocated, closing
her eyes. As their lips met, she started to open her mouth, letting
him separate her lips with his tongue.

_Eww_, thought Faye as she opened her eyes and groped around for her
Digitac player's stop button, overwhelmed by the two sets of images
competing in her head. She pressed it just in time. Suddenly, the
bright blue sky was replaced with the various posters of female rock
stars that lined her bedr