The Bad Boy Computer Programmer At Wattpad

DELTA FORCE (Part 2)

**Amanda**

Amanda stared at the monitor, embarrassment blocking her abilities to decode Delta's words.

She's reading your lust letter to Ian, Amanda thought. Wattpad life. Officially. Over.

[[Delta] Delta nodded to something or someone on her left and waved. Clearing her throat, she turned her attention back to Amanda. "Let me rephrase my question. How would you say words and stories have changed you as a reader?"]

Amanda placed her fingertips on the temples of her glasses and took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Where do I even begin? Words have--they've literally saved my life."

[[Delta] Delta picked up her feather pen and hovered its tip over a notepad. "Can you explain what you mean by that?"]

Anxiety swelled from the spot just below Amanda's heart--near the stomach--where it felt like her soul should be located. Her fingernails dug hard into the flesh around the cuticles causing them to bleed. Words had saved Amanda's life on several occasions, but explaining how or why groups of random letters prevented her from falling into permanent darkness was a vulnerability she didn't know how to verbalize.

"Uh--," Amanda began, uncertain what was about to fall out of her mouth. She squinted and looked up towards the ceiling on her right. "I'm not sure what I mean, exactly. I just know--sometimes--when things get--fuzzy--I want to push everyone out of my life. I'm not sure why. Maybe I can't handle the lectures. Or maybe looks of pity grate on my nerves. I don't know. I just know when things get fuzzy, I want to be alone because I feel so--fucking shitty about myself."

The last words to fall out of her mouth made Amanda's eyes double in size--like she was caught red-handed farting on the Pope.

[[Delta] Looking down, Delta scribbled furiously in her notebook.]

Amanda covered her nose and mouth with tented hands, then said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean--. It just slipped out!"

[[Delta] "Don't even worry about it," Delta replied, waving a hand at the camera. She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb and said, "I'm pretty sure our engineers program in C-cuss-cuss." She glanced over her shoulder, then with a smirk added, "I probably shouldn't have said that. We adore our engineers--and you. We adore everything associated with Wattpad."]

Amanda smiled and released a breath containing trace amounts of awkward tension.

[[Delta] Delta's eyes softened as she tilted her head while looking into the camera. "Do you feel isolated--now?"]

It took a moment, but when Amanda's brain finally picked up what Delta was throwing down, a tidal wave of embarrassment pricked across the surface of her skin. Shaking her head and waving her hands at the laptop, Amanda pleaded, "Oh, gosh--no! I'm fine. I don't need any 1-800 numbers. I swear!"

[[Delta] Shaking a finger at the camera, Delta joked, "No more swearing! I'm supposed to keep this interview PG." She giggled, then continued, "I kid, of course." Pausing for a beat, she added, "Do know I'd be more than happy to listen if you ever need someone to talk to."]

Amanda felt the temperature rise in her face as her head bobbed, lips pressed together in an awkward smile. She wanted to respond with something like, 'that's so sweet of you to offer', but embarrassment hijacked all knowledge of the English language from her mind.

Insert awkward silence.

[[Delta] Delta glanced at something on her left and gave a subtle nod. Turning her focus back to Amanda, she said, "So words and stories have saved you from--unhappy outcomes. How or why do you think they were able to do that?"]