Waiting

Standing around in the dark, chilly forest in cotton shorts and a tank top isn’t your favorite thing to do. These are your people, but you aren’t close to most of them. Your only real friends here are Aria and Grace.

Grace comes over to stand beside you. She had a little more sense and wore black leggings and a long-sleeved top. She adjusts her round glasses and leans over toward you.

“You liking Mass Effect?” she asks.

“It’s OK,” you reply.

“Doing any romance?”

“I just had sex with the white girl,” you tell her.

“Was it romance sex or just…”

“I think not romance.”

Grace nods. “I did that too. Spanked her hard. I’m getting serious with the blue girl.”

“I have not met her yet.”

“She reminds me of you,” Grace says.

“Oh?” You snort. “It’s your turn next. What will you choose?”

“I don’t know. Probably another game. It’s hard to find the quiet time to watch a movie, and there just isn’t time for books. I think Max is going to make us read Dune.”

“I love Dune,” you say.

“I like the movie,” Grace replies.

“Such a difficult story to adapt because there is so much inner things,” you say in your imperfect English, pointing at your head. Grace smiles.

“I get it. What should I pick? Hey, maybe something co-op. We could play it together,” she says, nudging you with her elbow. “Is there anything like that you want to do?”

Is there?