you look so good [h.s]

Arnold's Singularity Theory III

I'm back!

Here's another update. Please comment on your fav parts it lets me know what more to write of! Vote, maybe?

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October 27, 2019

"It's stupid, Gen." The clicking of a game controller didn't halt. The animated character on the screen ran towards a glowing torch. Jonah adjusted the headpiece he had on over his ears, probably muting himself so the other kids wouldn't hear Genevieve lecture him. Beside him sat a bowl of finished popcorn on the sofa, like his player two, and unpopped kernels rattled every time he enthusiastically surged towards the TV screen.

"This is due in two days, Jonah," Genevieve emphasized. She had unzipped his backpack. His agenda was hard to read, his chicken scratch writing almost made Genevieve mistake a significant date for scribbles. It was for his English class, something that he had yet to mention, which Genevieve found odd because he always told her about his school work. Okay, it was more like Genevieve made sure he told her, but same thing regardless. "How are you planning on starting and editing and finishing it?"

She knew better than to talk to boys in the middle of a game. There was no use. Her experience regarding it only went one way, everything went in one ear and out the other. It was fascinating, really; their eyes would glaze over and for a short ten minutes the real world wouldn't exist. They would become so immersed in whatever universe was in front of them. It had been once explained to Genevieve as almost the same thing as reading a good book, but with the exception that the player was put in charge of the main character's decisions.

His tongue poked out at the side and the Playstation keys were innocent victims to his quick jabs. His shoulders deflated when the message on the screen informed him of the scoreboard. He grumbled something under his breath before his miniature joystick highlighted the option to opt for another round. "I'll edit it while I'm writing it." He shrugged mindlessly.

"I'm being serious."

"I am too."

"What's up with you? You usually love finishing your assignments for Mrs. Yu's class."

"Look how stupid the prompt is," Jonah grumbled. Genevieve's fingers were already pulling out a crumpled rubric and pressing it flat so it stayed without folding in on itself. Eyes scanned the short blurb of instructions which Jonah soon summarized. "Pick a month and personify it. What type of pretentious––"

"I think it's very neat. Creative. Have you selected a month yet?"

"Sure." His flat tone said otherwise.

Genevieve rolled her eyes at his antics. "If you don't spend enough time on this, she will give you an easy fifty. That will bring down your average and universities look at that. What will you do then?"

She reached over to the table to take a sip from her water bottle.

The Smalls residence was the same layout when compared to her flat, so it didn't take long to get familiar to it. Granted, it was more furnished and had Jonah's gaming consoles already hooked up to use. The latter being the deciding factor of Jonah's executive decision to procrastinate his work for another week. Usually, Jonah would pop in after school to Genevieve's, but she had just returned from a shift at the diner and his door was cracked ajar.

Like many days, his father left for the construction site and wouldn't be back until after dinner, and the only appliance Jonah knew how to use was a microwave. Genevieve had some food which Walter packed for her and it was more than enough to share with a growing boy. His diet was worse than hers. He could go weeks on Pop Tarts and Twizzlers from his cafeteria vending machine. Plus, he wasn't bad company to have around.