School ended, and to my surprise, nothing bad happened. I started enjoying school after a long time. As I was about to leave the classroom, I heard Mia calling out my name.
"Hey Alex, wait!"
I turned around. "Yes, what's up?"
"How are you going to get home?"
"My dad is going to pick me up."
"Really? Then can I come with you to meet your father? I want an autograph from him."
"Why not? You can come with."
"Great, let's go then." Mia said, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the parking lot. She was a huge fan of my dad, who is a famous writer.
I didn't mind her enthusiasm, though. She had become my first friend here, so how could I reject her small request? But there was a small problem with how she was pulling me, grabbing my hand. The truth is, I had never been so close to a girl before, and on top of that, she was beautiful. It made me a little flustered.
We reached the parking lot and saw my dad's car waiting for me. He waved at us and smiled. He was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.
"Hey, Alex. How was school?" he asked as we got in the car.
"It was great, dad. Thanks for picking me up," I said.
"Well, I can already guess how great it would have been by seeing your friends over there," he winked at me.
"Hey dad!" I glared at him, signaling him not to make anything up.
"Okay, okay, don't glare at me like that. So, what's your friend's name?"
"Hi, Mr. Jones. I'm Mia, Alex's friend. I'm a huge fan of your work. Can I have an autograph from you?" Mia said, nervously.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have a pen and pa-"
"Here," she quickly put forward a pen and paper.
"Wow, that was quick," my dad said, kindly signing.
"Wow, thank you," Mia said, gazing at the signature with sparkling eyes.
My dad chuckled. "Mia, should I drop you home?"
"Is it really alright with you, Mr. Jones?" she asked.
"Well, I can do this much for my son's girlfriend, right?"
"Sorry, what?"
"Dad!" I was going to hit him.
"Well, I mean to say, I can do this much for my son's good friend, right?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then what are you guys waiting for? Get in the car."
We got in the car and my dad started driving. He put on some music and hummed along. Mia looked at me and smiled.
"So, Alex, how do you like the new school?" she asked.
"It's not bad. I mean, it's better than the last one," I said.
"Where did you go before this?"
"I went to a boarding school in England. It was very strict and boring."
"Wow, England? That's so cool. Why did you come back?"
"My dad wanted me to spend more time with him. He said he missed me a lot."
"That's sweet of him. He seems like a nice person."
"He is. He's the best dad ever."
"I can see that. You two look very close."
"We are. He's always there for me, no matter what."
"That's awesome. I wish I had a dad like that."
"You don't have a dad?"
"I do, but he's not around much. He's always busy with his work. He doesn't care about me or my mom."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay. I'm used to it."
We fell silent for a while. I felt bad for her. She deserved better.
"Hey, Mia," I said.
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, anything."
"Do you… do you like me?"
I blurted out the question without thinking and yes, I regretted doing it.
" I mean to say as a friend" I quickly rephrased my my words.
She looked surprised and flustered. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it.
My dad glanced at us from the rearview mirror and smirked.
"Uh-oh, looks like someone's in trouble," he said.
"Dad!" I shouted.
He laughed and turned up the music.
Mia looked at me again and then leaned closer to my ear.
She whispered, "Yes, I do."
my ears were red my checks started to burn up in heat and my heart was going up and down. 'Aaaaaaaaaaa' she is very close to my ears, i can feel her breath . Calm down! calm down! she meant as a friend!! you stupid!.
I was panicking inside.
"Mia!" Dad called out. He saved me from the awkward situation. 'Thank you, dad.'
"Yes?"
"Where do you live, by the way?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention that."
"It's okay, just tell me."
"I live at 22 East Round Street, Valent Road, mansion number 404."
"Wow, what a coincidence! haha!!"
"What do you mean, Mr. Jones?"
"Yes, dad, what's so funny?"
"Well, Alex, don't you remember our address?"
"Dad, I'm not a kid who forgets where he lives."
"Then tell me."
"Fine, fine, we live at 22 East Round Street, Valent Road, mansion number 40 - oh no!"
"Oh, yes, mansion number 405. We're her neighbors."
"Is that true, Mr. Jones?"
"Yes, and it means that from now on, both of you can go to school together. It will be a lot more fun, right? Hahaha!"
"For you, right?" That was my thought. Now, Dad was going to tease me every day.
.....
We arrived at our house, and my dad invited Mia to stay for dinner. She agreed, and we went inside.
We had a delicious dinner and a fun conversation. Mia told us funny stories from school. We laughed a lot and enjoyed each other's company.
After dinner, we went to my room and played video games. Mia thanked me for inviting her over and said it was the best day ever.
I smiled. "You're welcome, Mia," I said.
"Alex, what is that?" she asked, pointing at the VR-RPG set.
"That is the VRRPG set that Dad bought for me a while ago."
"Is it the VR set of the new game called Realm of Ascendance [ROA]? I heard it gives a realistic feeling."
"Do you want to try?"
"May I?"
"Yes."
"Thanks, Alex."
She put on the VR RPG set, but it didn't turn on.
"Alex, it's not turning on."
"I just played with it yesterday."
"Did I break it somehow?" Mia asked worriedly.
"Wait, let me try it." I took the VR set from her and put it on myself.
"Mia, it's working."
"Then why didn't it turn on when I tried it?"
"I don't know, maybe something happened."
"Because no one can use it other than its first user."
"Oh, Dad, you're here!"
"Why is that, Mr. Jones?"
"I don't know that myself."
"Is that so?"
"Here you go. Take this."
"Dad, you have another VR set?"
"Ah, yes, I brought pairs of VR sets so that Alex and I could play together. Mia, take it."
"But, Mr. Jones, you brought this to spend some time with your son. How can I have this? I will feel bad if I take this from you."
"You don't have to feel bad. I can just buy another. You kids have your fun; I will have my fun later."
"Thank you, Mr. Jones. I am really grateful."
"Don't mention it," he said, heading towards the door.
While leaving, he whispered something in my ear, "This is your chance, grab it and don't waste my sacrifice, okay? I'm waiting to hear good news from you."