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to think. I reminded myself that sometimes the best thing you can do is to stop thinking and be aware. Absorb the now. Sometimes being aware is your greatest weapon. People don’t know how to do it anymore.
    Becky excused herself to use the bathroom, and I watched her walk across the expansive floor. I looked around at the quiet atmosphere, masked by loud classical music. I watched people awkwardly try to be human.
    After the entrées were taken away, before dessert was served, the emcee climbed the stairs to the stage and addressed the audience. He was old and cupped the microphone in a shaky hand, but his voice came out clear and strong and caught everyone’s attention.
    â€œTonight we have two important announcements. First, this evening marks the last face-to-face benefit event. To make it more convenient for everyone to attend, we will continue this annual event virtually from now on.”
    He paused so the crowd could applaud his announcement. I joined in, clapping my hands loudly and thinking,
Too bad there won’t be a DS program to celebrate next year.
    â€œTonight,” he continued, “we have something special to share with you. Before we hear from Kevin Freeman, the honored designer of DS, we will play a video that celebrates digital school’s great achievements over the last decade. So, here it is:
Digital School’s Greatest Hits
.”
    Fantastic,
I thought.
As if the evening couldn’t get any worse.
    He stepped to the side of the stage, and the lights dimmed overhead. Everyone was quiet as a screen along the entire front wall snapped on. A few seconds went by, and someone in the audience coughed. The screen buzzed and crackled and snapped off. The emcee stood at the edge of the stage and looked around the room with concern. That’s when I knew something was off.
    The speakers crackled and the screen turned on again, and I pressed my hand over my mouth with surprise when Clare’s image appeared. She was sitting on a stool, and the background was a gray curtain. Soft light lit the space, like a professional photography studio. Paul heard me shift in my seat and glanced over at me.
    Clare smiled and waved at the camera. “Thanks for meeting face-to-face tonight. You all look beautiful, and you smell fantastic.” I pinched my lips between my teeth. People in the audience adjusted themselves in their seats and looked around.
    â€œThe DS Dropouts took the liberty of interviewing a few students enrolled in your program. Here are
our
thoughts. We thought you should know, since this system affects us more than it’s affecting you.”
    The image switched to a girl, young, probably in her early teens. Just like Clare, she was shot in front of the gray backdrop.
    Am I happy? Well, according to my social sites, I rank in the top eighty-fifth percentile of my peers when it comes to popularity and group involvement. I had eighty thousand social invites this month! I had more than a hundred thousand messages. I don’t have the time to
not
be happy.
    People looked around the room with confused expressions. My dad’s eyes were pointed dead center at me. I looked back at the screen, where another teenage girl was being interviewed.
    According to my online dating program, my boyfriend and I are completely in love. We’ve passed eight out of our ten relationship compatibility exams. We scored nine point three out of ten for a match rate. He’s already proposed, but we haven’t met in person yet. I’m waiting for our next exam, which is a DNA study to genetically screen for our kids. There’s no point in meeting face-to-face until we pass all of our exams. I don’t want to get emotionally involved until our numbers score high. What would be the point?
    The image switched to a young man, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, still carrying baby fat in his cheeks.
    Do I have pets? Yeah, we have a dog. I think.
    A couple of people in the audience