Every bait and switch was a work of art

 "What are you talking about?" Frankie was in disbelief. No way could Heather be NOT REAL.

She was very real. Her words were like heaven sent. Well, he wouldn't say that aloud, but he could feel them. She cared about him. She was his best friend. And well, he would ask nothing of her. She gave so much of her time to him. He wouldn't want to mess that up.

"It can't be." He shook his head no. Their relationship was so much more. Wasn't it? Although, to simply look at the words in a text it was rather black and white to the normal person. He shook his head. He had to be normal. Wasn't he?

He sighed with sadness. Was Megan right? 

"Look," Megan gave him a pat on the back. "Maybe, she's just hiding something from you. She might not think you would like the real her."

"Do you think her name is Heather?"

"I doubt it." Megan shrugged.

Frankie didn't know what to believe. He so wanted to be on Heather's side. He couldn't hate her. He couldn't. She'd been there for him during the whole Melvin crisis. She'd been his GO TO when there was no one else. He looked back at the photos. Was he in love with a Sex Doll? Somebody would go this far on a dating app? He grimaced. 

"I want you to be wrong. You have to be." He stood up as if he'd find the real Heather right now. But he didn't know where to start. He knew it was his problem. Still, there had to be a girl out there who looked like the girl in the photo. Right? But what if she wasn't the Heather he thought she was?

His brow furrowed. He was in a stomp, kind of. But he sat back down. He knew he was a fool.

"How come I'm like this?" There was a certain sorrow he could not rid. What if he wasn't even supposed to playing this game. He was supposed to be on some team he wasn't aware of. He was certain they were all wearing a Unicorn on their jersey.

"Stop making it out to be just YOU," she told him. "I'm sure this person has her own problems too. You're probably good for this person."

"You keep saying it's a person? What does that mean?" He looked at her as if this was more puzzling by the minute.

"Well, it could be a guy. Some guy could be in love with you, but he's afraid for you to know." Megan told him. Frankie nodded, but then shook his head, no. It made him squeamish.

"Why am I so different?" He found himself wondering about himself. "Am I really that odd?"

"No." She sounded worried when she said it. "You have to be you. No one else."

"I dunno what to do," Frankie was practically in tears. "I want to keep the Heather that I know."

"OK." Megan put her arm around him as if he was the big giraffe on her couch that needed love and understanding, yet he felt he needed to love and to understand this Heather who he couldn't stop texting.