"You, Sir," the woman said, appearing to grow, swelling with indignant rage. "You, Sir, are nothing but an unpleasant lump!" The man she was talking to stepped back, shock on his face. He opened his mouth but appeared unable to reply. The woman stepped forward, perhaps sensing her advantage. Her finger prodded the man in his chest, sinking into his flesh.

At first, when I wake, I don't remember where I am. I don't know what woke me. I lie still trying to see something in the darkness, listening. "Peel the skin off!" I try not to move, even though the sound of the voice - shrill and harsh - seems to be coming from just behind my head.

The party was dull. Music thudded, making the glasses on the table jump and it was impossible to dance to (some weird kind of beat that made him feel sick). The volume meant that conversation was also difficult. He was glad, he didn't feel in the mood to talk to anyone he knew and the people he didn't know looked like arseholes. The one person he had been introduced to - out in the hallway where the bang-bang-bang of the music was just at the level that you could shout over it - was up his own arse and expected everyone else to be up there with him.

I felt as though I'd been coasting through the day. As if someone had put set some internal speed control on the lowest setting as possible. I say "someone" because it didn't feel like it was me. Like it wasn't choice. I wanted the day to zoom past.

"Bury the evidence," he said, turning to leave. "But..." I began. He swung round, his face was red, angry. "But, what," he spat. Unable to hold his gaze, I looked away. "Nothing," I mumbled. "Get it done," he said, the door ending the conversation with a bang.

My phone beeped and I grabbed hold of it. A notification from the new app APPROVE of Me. I grinned and opened the app. The smile fell from my face with a disappointing clatter. You are NOT APPROVEd! the message said. Another rejection. More points taken from my ever more pathetic APPROVE-al Rating. I was heading towards being blacklisted by even the people who had previously APPROVEd me. Mary looked over the desk at me.