The next few days were honestly some of the best I've had in a long time. I always had someone to look forward to seeing at school now-Alex. And on top of that, my game was starting to get some real traction. Four days in, and we'd already hit 5,000 downloads. Not bad for a couple of high schoolers with a laptop and too much ambition. I kept refreshing the stats every hour, watching the numbers tick up. I knew that once we crossed 50,000 downloads, it would probably go full viral and reach 1 million in no time. I got a quest for 1 million downloads which will give me hefty XP and bring me to the next level. I couldn't wait for it.
I was already planning my next game, sketching ideas in the margins of my notebooks during class. But I also knew that basketball tryouts were coming up in the second week of November. That gave me exactly one month of freedom before practices would start eating up my afternoons and weekends. Yes I was that confident to get selected for the team. But I also knew that my game development time would be seriously limited, so I was determined to make the most of every minute.
But it wasn't just coding and basketball. Lately, I've gotten really into chess. Like, not just "play with friends for fun" into it-I was considering playing professionally. I'd been scouring the internet for open tournaments nearby and finally found one happening in two weeks. My chess.com rating was sitting at a solid 2500. I'd learned that, in chess, most people rise quickly to their natural level, but after that, improving is a grind. Some players never break through, no matter how long they play.
Kids have the advantage-they don't have fixed patterns yet, so they adapt fast. That's why you see prodigy kids beating grandmasters sometimes. Eventually they also reach their limit. But my skill will level up eventually and surpass even the best of players.
At the highest level chess is all about talent, intuition and mindset. The game is also played off the board with tactics. For example for classical chess you have to be physically fit to sit for hours and be in optimal mind and for blitz type competition every millisecond movement counts. You can not afford to panic but I didn't have to worry about these things because of gamers mind and body.
I know I will eventually be the best in this game and like other games I don't have to hold back after a time.
At school, Alex and I were basically inseparable. Between classes, during breaks, even at lunch, we'd find a spot to sit together-sometimes with our friends, sometimes just the two of us.
Our friends didn't say much, but I caught the knowing glances they exchanged. Leonard, of course, just shrugged it off. I was a little curious about Debbie's reaction, but she didn't seem to care much. Maybe she was just playing it cool.
One afternoon, I decided to tag along with Alex to the library. She wanted to pick up some books for her calculus homework, and I figured I could use some new reading material, too. We wandered through the stacks together, the quiet hum of the library making everything feel a little more intimate. She grabbed a thick book on differential equations, while I picked out two psychology books and plopped them down on the table. She started on her homework.
She looked at me, eyebrows raised. "Are you trying to impress me, mister?" she whispered, a playful smile on her lips after seeing me with those books.
I grinned back. "You're already impressed by me, miss."
She rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was amused. "Talk quietly, or you'll get us kicked out of here." There was no one around us but I didn't correct her because I knew better. Like my dad says 'Woman are always right'.
We settled in, sitting close enough that our arms brushed every now and then. I opened my book and started reading, flipping pages at a ridiculous pace. My reading speed skill was at level 52 now, which meant I could devour about 1600 words per minute with comprehension. Yes, 'I am built different'. The only thing slowing me down was having to physically turn the pages. Alex glanced over, watching me for a moment, then giggled softly. She probably thought I was just messing around and would get bored after a few minutes. But when she saw me finish one book in under half an hour and immediately start on the next, she couldn't help herself.
"Why are you fooling around? Are you making fun of me because I wanted to come to the library?" she asked, sounding a little hurt.
"What? No! Where would you get that idea?" I said, a little louder than I meant to. A librarian looked at us but didn't care much because we were the only ones there.
"Then why are you flipping those pages like that" she pressed, lowering her voice.
I realized what she was getting at and decided to just be honest. "I just read fast. You can quiz me on anything from that book if you want."
She narrowed her eyes, then started firing off questions. I answered every one, word for word, and she just stared at me, mouth open. So I told her about my eidetic memory. She was jealous, but also kind of happy for me. Then it hit her-I'd been faking confusion in class just to get her to help me. She didn't know if she should be annoyed or flattered, but I could tell she was secretly pleased. I told her to come with me behind the bookshelves where the librarian couldn't see us. She complied with me. Then gently I put my hand on her cheek, looked into her eyes and whispered
"You look cute when you get mad"
She blushed and looked down but I made her look me in the eyes and then kissed her. She was definitely not rejecting me. She used her tongue and I was surprised a little and then I devoured those lips like a Japanese kisser. We were totally in the zone and made out until that librarian came and shooed us away.
Another thing changed between us when our Biology teacher announced a group project. Naturally, Alex and I paired up. We made plans to meet at her house after school to work on it-and maybe do some "extra-curricular activities" if we finished early.
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Today after school, Leonard and I met up in my room to brainstorm ideas for our next game. He was sprawled out on the beanbag, scrolling through his phone, while I lay on my bed, tossing a stress ball in the air.
"So, what's next? Do you have any plans?" Leonard asked, glancing over at me.
I had a bunch of ideas, some from my own head, some from the memories of the dead Lucas. I wanted to challenge myself, level up my skills, and still make something fun to play. I debated between starting a long-term project or sticking with something short and sweet. If I went long-term, I was thinking about a game like 'Vector'-something with parkour and slick graphics. But if I wanted fast results, maybe a 'Subway Surfers' style endless runner would be the way to go. I wasn't sure what my schedule would look like in a few months, so for now, I decided to go with the endless runner idea.
I shared my plan with Leonard, explaining the mechanics and what made games like Subway Surfers so addictive. He listened carefully, nodding along. He was surprised by my idea as there were no Subway surfers in this world.
"That could definitely work," he said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "You're a genius, man."
I grinned, feeling that familiar rush of excitement. We started sketching out the framework for the new game, bouncing ideas back and forth, already imagining the leaderboard, the power-ups, the skins. It felt good to be building something new, and even better to have a friend who was just as hyped as I was.
Life was good. And I had a feeling it was only going to get better
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