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[Summer Writing Contest Entry] A Surreal Summer Experience

Lt. Rand0m · 2012-07-01T04:29:58+00:00

(This edit has been conducted with the permission of Cinia Pacifica. 7/14/12, 10:36 p.m.) It all started a few months ago, when I decided to browse through the Video Games section of the Fakku forums in search of a new, free-to-play MMORPG to try out in an attempt to cure myself of terminal boredom. After reading a few rave reviews, I was led to an ARPG whose selling points were beautiful graphics and unique and intense gameplay. Several hours into the game, I entered a party with someone named “DeathEnvy”; a battlemage, which was one of the more complex character classes. However, her fierceness in combat and her ability to toss out buffs and heals in the heat of battle quickly impressed me. But what really got me was when a woman’s voice rang out into my earphones, cheering in celebration as we ended the life of the dungeon’s final boss. “You didn’t know that microphones could be used with this game? Ahaha, that’s so cute!” That was the first thing she said as we set up a campfire and had our avatars sit down after the battle. I had decided to introduce myself to her, and she agreed to do the same. Her name was Sarah, and she was a pure delight. She had many of the same interests that I did, had similar tastes in music, and shared some of the hobbies that I pursued in real life. She was surprisingly not judgmental as well; when I told her that some of my friends thought of me as a big weirdo, she didn’t mind. When I told her that I was 5’4” at age nineteen, she didn’t think it was a problem. And when I told her that I was a pervert who frequented a hentai website, she simply said, “Well, guys have their urges, after all.” She was, in short, the most amazing woman that I had ever met. A few days after getting acquainted with her, we decided to exchange our Skype usernames and we began chatting via text. After using a bit of light persuasion, I managed to convince her to enter a video chat with me. The face that I was met with was beyond my expectations; yes, she was slightly chubby and the part of her bedroom that was visible through the web cam was decorated in a manner too girly for my tastes. However, her countenance was that of a cute but simultaneously beautiful woman, and her eyes radiated kindness and affection towards me as we chatted face-to-face. Her voice was music to my ears, and her smile lit my heart ablaze. It was probably in that moment that I fell head-over-heels in love with her, although I didn’t immediately realize it. It was after a few days, when I couldn’t get Sarah out of my thoughts, that the truth finally dawned upon me. In spite of our busy schedules, we managed to meet each other on Skype’s video chat, staying up until the wee hours of the morning talking about our lives, our interests, and the odd little quirks that we each had. She became the person I looked forward to the most when I woke in the morning; she became the person that I spent the most time with; she was my confidant, my battle partner, and my best friend. However, being as spineless as I am, I was never able to properly profess my affections for her. Until one day, when she said out of nowhere: “You know, it’s odd… But there are times where I just can’t stop thinking about you.” Before I could stop myself, my fingers typed a certain group of words into the message bar and hit enter. And without thinking, I told her that I liked her a lot, and that she meant a lot to me. Her response made my heart jump, and for a moment I felt as if I was soaring through the skies. “I feel the same way, Leo. I like you a lot, too. =)” In real life, I whooped, rolled around on my bed, and squeezed the life out of my pillow as joy coursed through my veins and filled every inch of my body with warmth. However, on Skype’s text chat, I expressed my joy in a calmer but equally excited manner. Despite my restraint however, her final message of the night expressed her ability to perceive my happiness. “Btw, I can tell that you’re really happy about this, Leo. ;D I’ll see you tomorrow sweetie.” After that night, I began courting her in my own uncertain way; I gave her a nickname, I did what I could to spend as much time with her as possible, and a few months later, when her birthday came, I called upon the knowledge of her favorite colors and the fact that her two favorite animals were cats and pandas, and made a special birthday greeting drawing tailored to her tastes. Naturally, the moment that I sent her the scan of the picture, she made it clear that she loved my creation and that she greatly appreciated my efforts. “It’s so cute, Leo! I love it, thank you! =DDD” With all of the time that we had spent together, with all the emotions and effort that I had poured into our relationship, and with how close I was with Sarah… It never dawned upon me that she could be stolen away before I asked her to be my girlfriend. It the middle of my summer vacation, a few days after we had entered a new MMORPG together since the computer that she had been using the play the previous game was out of commission. We made the acquaintance of a fellow newbie by the name of “David Angleblood”; and although he initially seemed like a good and sociable person, he quickly began prodding Sarah with risqué comments; and although I made every effort to make him stop, Sarah found David’s comments “cute and charming”, and allowed him to continue. Nevertheless, upon my insistence, David toned down the flirtatious remarks. A few nights later, a message from David (whose real name was Gabe) appeared on my Skype: “Dude, Sarah’s totally got the hots for me.” Disgusted but curious at what he meant by his comment, I immediately typed a reply. “…What do you mean, Gabe?” His response… both shocked me and punched a hole into my chest. “We hooked up, dude.” My blood froze when I saw that comment. Since I didn’t see Sarah online, I furiously questioned Gabe for an explanation. “What do you mean, †˜we hooked up’!?” “It means what it means, dude. She’s absolutely wild for me ;D” “When did this happen!?” “About two days ago lol. To be honest, once I got her to give me her Skype address I knew she was mine. XD” To say that I was crushed would have been an understatement; it felt as if my heart just vanished from within the center of my chest. I turned away from the computer for a moment to let the tears out, but a chime indicating that I had an unread message sounded from my speakers and I turned to read the words on the screen. “If you want, I can text her cell phone and ask her to choose between you or me right now ;P” A small spark of hope flickered to life within my chest, but I should have known better. He had already made it clear that he had sunken his teeth into Sarah and that she had become just as attached to him. The reply that came a few minutes later was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “She said that she loves me with all of her heart, and that I’m the most important person to her right now.” A flood of tears filled my eyes as I shut the screen on my laptop, and I spent the next twenty or so minutes allowing the waters of searing sorrow to flow from my eyes. I didn’t know how this could have happened to me, but I felt furious, saddened, and above all, like I was at the bottom of the pit of despair. I looked up to see that he was still online, and sent him an angry message. “How could you do this? I thought Sarah told you about everything I've been through to try and win her love!” “She did. I’m just using her to fill myself with the thrill of a new relationship in order to improve relations with my girlfriend. ;P” “… You… what?” “Oh yeah, don’t worry; after I’m done with her you can have her back. Hahahaha!” With that last, mocking message from that disgusting example of a human, I turned my laptop off and cried myself to sleep. As I slowly and painfully drifted into the numbness of slumber, I realized that somehow, despite the differences between reality and fiction, that I had been netorared. And it burns, even today.