"Is that so? Then according to Qoogle, then yes. You were indeed doing something. Want to do something different or something better?" he typed with his head feeling like it has a wet and hot towel wrapped around it, his cheeks so red that you'd think he is sick or ate something very spicy, and his thoughts aren't any better either. Multiple endless thoughts are rushing inside his mind as he typed that response for her, imagining different scenarios and perspectives all at the same time; they all overlap his mind. This young man ought to thank Frank Canova and Murray Turoff for their creations of smartphones and instant messaging for letting him hide his hideous face and messed-up self at this very moment.
"Different, huh? Like what? Want to play something together? I would be down to, you know?" She responded to him. But though at this moment she may seem calm, collected and in control, in reality, that is barely the case.
She is turning on her bed, her legs kicking the air and her suffocating herself through her pillow, out of embarrassment. Her cheeks are as red as his, her mind is as terrible as his right at this moment, they are both a mess, and they both ought to thank those guys that I just mentioned and many more for allowing them to hide from each other's gaze right at this moment.
"Y-Yes! I think there's a good game that is very popular right now; it's a multiplayer game, and it's called Digmake. It is apparently very good and calming…"
"Is that so? Hm, I can remember my friends talking about it, and apparently they all played it during their childhood. It must be that good for them to remember it that well and talk about it so fondly, though they don't usually share that fact with other people, because apparently, it is considered childish and bratty."
"Yes, probably. I mean, it is a block game after all, right? I've seen some images of it too, and it looks very cartoony, to say the least."
"Yes, but nonetheless, do you want to try this so-called childish game out? You know, it's always nice to try new things out even if people don't like those things, and besides, this could actually be a good excuse to just relax, you know? School has been stressing me out lately, ugh."
"Yes, you're right, I absolutely agree with you, like… school is so professional for some reason: 'You have to act like this, act like that, do this; you're an adult now, so be modest.' Ugh, if only I could convert every conversation I have had with my teachers, including those words, I would be hella rich right now."
"LOOOOL! You're so right. It is so annoying and tiring, like I just want to rot in my bed all day and watch movies. Is that too much to ask? I could barely use our 40-inch these days, ever since class started."
What in the actual heck?! Did she just say 40 inch? Ohh hell no! Who the heck just casually has a 40-inch TV in their house? Just how poor are we?! Just how much did my parents mess up when they were kids? Just how stupid were our ancestors for us to be this poor?! Fucking hell, will I even be able to be with her? What would her parents think if they saw us together? Do they see my clothes as nothing but rugs? Shit, what do I do?
He thought to himself while typing on his computer's keyboard with his eyebrows twitching due to his disbelief.
"Damn...that sucks...I can only imagine how painful that is; it's like being pulled away from your bed while you're glued to it with gorilla glue."
"Yes! LMAO. But anyway, want to download it now? It doesn't really cost that much, huh?"
"Yes, apparently, it's only $20, pretty cheap for a supposedly good game. I am excited to try this out."
"Lol, me too! I'll update you when it's downloaded on my computer! And also, would you like to call while we're waiting for it to install and while we're playing? We might have to communicate well for us to be able to cooperate; after all, we're both beginners here." Her head is getting hotter every second, her hands trembling, her consciousness fighting against her urge to just shut up because she couldn't bear the embarrassment any longer, but fortunately, her desire to simply spend time with him as much as possible is way too strong for her embarrassed side to fend off.
"Yeah, sure, I don't mind; this game could be very difficult as well, I heard," he replied with a rageful wave of embarrassment running through his skin and flesh, his fingers barely having the strength to press his keyboard while trying, the front of his head hurting from deep within out of excitement.
They both lied. They both know what DigMake is; in fact, they know it so well that you could call it their childhood playground. That is where they grew up. Their pride as individuals is currently overpowering their desires to be truthful to each other and be accepted for who they truly are inside, but nonetheless, it is completely valid; after all, this is their first time talking to each other officially.
Marlan initiated the call first; he pressed it with his fingers shaking, his body feeling as cold and wet as a soft drink from the table at 3AM. His sweat feels so cold to him that it makes him feel like he's inside a well-covered refrigerator.
She immediately accepted.
"H-hello?" she asked, with her voice so low that you could even technically recognise it as a whisper. You can even feel her voice shaking right at this moment. And he noticed that.
"Hello, may I first confirm if the one that I am currently in contact with at this very moment is none other than My Lady, Iris?" he responded to her with a chivalrous knight accent and a hint of a sarcastic tone, attempting to embarrass her even more because embarrassing an already embarrassed cute girl is simply the best thing you could do in this rotten piece of world.
"Dummy, yes. It is I-I...Iris...your...l-lad-dy..." She could not handle the embarrassment any longer; her will to fight it any longer simply died out, like a pile of sand suddenly losing its backbone after you remove the bucket on top of it that's keeping it standing. Slowly, smoothly, cleanly and very satisfying to watch.
"O-oh…I didn't expect you to get flustered that easily. I thought you would have resisted even more. Not gonna lie, I thought you were gonna respond to me in character; after all, that's what you did earlier, right?" He answered her, with a sign of arrogance in his voice, finally realising that he currently has the upper hand against her.
"You dumbass! I am not! I only got embarrassed because saying that thing out loud is so fucking CRINGE! EW! How did you even manage to say those words with complete confidence?! Are you some kind of normie or something?!" She snapped at him, yelling at him as loud as she can to hide her embarrassment, to protect her pride from his arrogant and dominating personality, while also having the brightest cheeks that you could ever see in this world; they are so red that you would think that there are two giant, fresh red apples coming out of her.
"Oh? 'Cringe', you say?…" A genuine sign of deeply hurt feelings lingered with his voice as he muttered those words to her, like a horse suddenly losing its ability to run because it got injured. It would seem like Iris had accidentally struck a nerve on him with what she said. "Well, it was indeed cringe, I guess, so I cannot really blame you," he added, with his voice seemingly losing all of the energy and power it used to carry earlier.
"Oh, no…T-That's not what I wanted to say…I-I thought...we...were just joking around...I am sorry for what I said…I didn't really mean it," she said with a voice carrying a gigantic wave of guilt with it. Her voice and tone are cold and serious, with no hint of playfulness, just direct, like a giant tsunami as huge as you can even imagine it swallowing an entire country.
Noticing the awkward path their conversation had led to because of how he reacted to her reply, Marlan immediately took the initiative to turn their dying conversation upside down once again. Ignoring his personal feelings at the moment with a piercing pain in his chest and his mind, he forcefully regained the arrogance he once possessed earlier.
"You actually fell for that?!" He replied, with his usual arrogant and cheerful tone, laughing hysterically at her. "I appreciate it though, you caring about my feelings. Thank you. I actually didn't expect you to be the type to fall for that."
"What?! Did you just laugh at me for expressing genuine care for you? You found that hilarious enough to laugh like a kid in front of me after that?!" She responded to him, her voice now sharp, filled with anger and a feeling of pain and betrayal.
"What? No..No.…That's not what I meant. That isn't what I was trying to do!" He replied, immediately rushing to respond to her to clear the mess that he created.
"What do you mean 'no'? Oh, wow. Do you think of me that low? You think I am a fool and I won't pick up what you're trying to do? For your information, mister, I literally heard you laugh and say those words. Clearly. What are you trying to say next? That I misheard or I was hallucinating it all? Huh?"
"No, wait—" Before he could finish what he was about to say, Iris terminated their call without saying a word.
Marlan immediately tried to message her, explaining to her what he meant and what he was trying to say, to no avail. His messages were merely "Sent", not "Delivered", meaning she has probably logged off immediately after terminating their call. He spammed her, messaging her multiple times, writing long paragraphs of apologies and explanations. He kept doing this for at least half an hour, but his efforts were not rewarded; she is not responding.
"Did she restrict me, or is she just offline right now?" he panicked. He could not contain and organise his thoughts properly; his head was so hot that he couldn't even think of his next action logically. He checked her profile picture to see if the option to message her account disappeared, meaning she had indeed restricted his account, but fortunately for him, she had not; it was still there. So for a moment, that granted him a little bit of peace and cool in his head, giving him more space and the ability to think more logically. But then, an idea crossed his mind. He knows where she lives now, so he planned to sleep early tonight so he could also wake up early. It is Thursday today, so she would have to go to school by then. That's his plan: to wake up early and dress up early so he could go to their place and talk to her there. Thankfully, even though he has only went there once, he only memorised the area, so then his plan began.