Nobody

Overheating

Internet wasn't that different from the military. The more you liked someone, the more elaborate the insults. When I realized that, I also realized that if you got offended or got your feelings hurt, they just mocked you harder.

It was a lot of fun. They were patient with me, explaining what I'd done wrong. When I didn't make the same mistakes on the second run, or the mistakes I made on the second during the third run, they were a lot more forgiving.

It was four in the morning by the time we got done.

I ate more casserole and fell asleep on the couch.

When I woke up I, reaching for Pru, I sat on the couch, weeping. Once I got control of myself I showered, put on boxers, and went back to playing. I switched to the superhero one. This one was a lot more relaxed. I spent time drawing maps, looking at the pages on the internet that argued over what was the best build, and exploring.

I went out, ate some casserole, and went to sleep on the couch again. When I got up, I sat on the couch, crying after the dreams of Pru. I went back to the fantasy one, eating casserole when I got hungry, sleeping when I got tired, and crying over Pru when I woke up.

I alternated between the fantasy one and the superhero one, taking breaks to read web pages, draw maps, or sketch stuff to help me figure out the math. Thankfully, more than a few of the web pages had the raw math behind the game listed down, which let me draw the formula in pen with the variables blank so I could put it in pencil.

I sunk myself into it, twice falling asleep at the computer. The UPS and mail truck kept showing up, bringing me stuff I had ordered on eBay or Amazon. I'd take a break from playing to set everything up or put it away, and made a list of stuff I was missing.

When I wasn't playing either the fantasy or superhero online game, I was sleeping or shopping for the stuff to add to my collection. When I'd get done, I'd eat out of a can or eat some of the casserole, then go back to playing, often talking to people on the voice chat.

One of the times, I woke up and stretched, seeing where Miss Lily-Rylee's notebook had fallen on the floor.

I flipped through Miss Lily-Rylee's notes until I saw something I'd missed.

A way to get a hold of her without a phone.

I booted up the program, signing in, and sending her a message.

>You there? Wanna meet in one of the games?

No answer.

I had mental image of her, sitting up till 2AM, playing a video game, only in her underwear, sweating in the summer heat and cursing into her headset.

The idea thrilled me, more than on a sexual level, but the idea of company, someone alive besides myself in the house.

I started playing the multiplayer game again, exploring the world, keeping an ear out for the chime of the messenger service. I lost myself in exploring the world, marvelling at the details and the little things.

I got in with a group on each side that were willing to do raids of the harder.Once I'd done all the raids I could, on both sides of the game, I started running dungeons. I got with a group that wanted to cruise them, doing them back to back.

We'd finished the fourth run when I heard the chime. I told the people I was running with I had to go then swapped screens to the chat program.

BlackSox> You there?
BlackSox> Hey, KY, you there?
BlackSox> Dude, quit jerking off answer me
BlackSox> Are you all right? what's going on
BlackSox> Fuck it. See u in 20