•CHAPTER 4
Just how deep do you have to dive into danger before realizing its presence?
Andrew knows not just how exactly Caitlyn does it. Caitlyn is a fun person to be with, and for a change, she's considered one of his friends. The guys. And that badge was pinned when she made her mark by helping his squad defeat another in PUBg. And all these she combines with the need to step out, party, and do the craziest of things.
Speaking of crazy, it's the incomprehensible way in which she balances this boisterous lifestyle with academics so perfectly it barely affects her grades. Andrew groaned tirelessly, staring at the huge pile of books before him. If he could wish for anything to be wiped out of existence, then he would gladly select any sort of academic activity.
He clasped his manual shut and stared at his phone.
It's been a long time, friend. He chuckled as he started the PUBg game.
* * *
Another morning comes by, and the same ritual happens as thus: waking up to the sight of the gamebox, hugging it tight, staring at it as he prepare for lectures, giving it a little dust and brush, a little blow kiss with a whisper:
My $500,000 baby. He would say and laugh.
Andrew shared a little cuddling moment with his cats before bidding them goodbye. Having his apartment close to the college building has made him too lazy to get up early and worry less about getting a cab in time and bursting into a classroom with an undone tie, a handful of books hugged to his chest and a face that's been sleep-deprived for weeks. It would have been a silent walk, or one where he would have my headphones, but today, Andrew wanted to feel different.
He wanted to feel intent about how the morning air smells and feels. He wanted to smile back at whichever human recognises his existence. Wave at Mama Pico if she saw him today.
And he did just exactly that as he journeys to college.
A text from Caitlyn pops in:
Caitlyn
Don't tell me you are boycotting another lecture :(
He scoffs. That was expectant of Caitlyn. He never told her, but he hates being reminded about school.
You
Worry less. Would be in class in a min.
He slid his phone back into his pocket, mentally preparing himself to face a perhaps frustrated teacher and a class filled with annoyingly inquisitive eyes.
He couldn't tell which overrides the other, but the day went by real fast without him realizing it. Caitlyn was quick to chip in about a sudden change in his demeanor.
"You seem really happy today," she chimes as they walk out of college, "what are you hiding?"
Andrew chuckles softly, "Nothing."
"Nothing? Andrew Thorpe wouldn't just wake up one morning all smiley," she nudges him by the shoulder, "tell me what's going on."
A part of him was quick to open his mouth and let the beans spill.
I found the gamebox, Caitlyn. I am $500,000 rich!
"Well, I'm deciding on going in search of the gamebox."
Caitlyn stops in her tracks. "You can't be serious." She had an evident smirk on her face.
"It's 100% legit, Cait. I searched the web to get all the information I need."
"Listen. We do not know these people. You don't even know what you're up against. The whole of this country? For what?"
"Cait, you should be supporting me," he muttered, stiffening his expression so as not to appear sulky.
"That's what you want? Fine. My mind just doesn't go well with this," she turns around and walks away.
Andrew felt a sharp blow to my gut. He wasn't expecting this. Not from her or Allen.
* * *
Andrew closed the coarse-textured gray curtains, shielding his eyes from the hue of sunset. Scents of Mama Pico's buttermilk pancakes fill the room as he tries to concentrate on reading. Maybe Caitlyn was right. This could all be a prank. How stupid could he have been not to check the gamebox ever since he brought it back from the antique shop?
Maggie slips off my grasp as he walks up to my study desk, his head scrambling through conflicting thoughts, wondering if his dreams of getting such a huge amount was just all a silly prank. He took a quick glance of the carton, sitting still exactly where he placed it. And there it was again.
It was glowing.
Andrew wasn't sleepy this time, neither was it dark. Staring at the pink glow sort of erupted an aura that made the room fall silent and drop by a few degrees too. He walks towards the carton just like he would whenever a pissed Axle doesn't feed in time – cautiously.
The shimmer made a funny ringing sound, and the only thing in Andrew's head at that moment was the last paragraph of the announcement he saw in the Discord group.
DO NOT play the game.
Andrew opened the box, and the shimmer vanished. There it was; the dating simulator game branded with the name Sexcapade. Old fashioned designs of girls in bikinis and a guy who seems to be the lone casanova spreads all over the boxing, engulfed in a pink-themed background. Dating simulator games piss the hell out of Andrew, though they've got a large number of girls that swoon at the idea of living in pure fiction. What's crazier is that someone had actually thought of creating this before the year 2000.
Andrew could no longer hear those little tiny voices in his head. Caitlyn's judgemental remark seems to fade away into a black hole. He couldn't hear Allen's laughter either. If he was keeping something that could make him earn $500,000 or make him be the victim of an expensive prank, it was worth checking out the content of the game box, right?
It doesn't hurt to pry a little, does it? He asks himself.
He makes up his mind and opens the box, and there it was; a simple disc with a tape running through it. It was stained with a marker, and Sexcapade read the words written on it. Condoms, a syringe, Viagra and a note were nearly placed in the box. He picked up the note gingerly, careful not to leave an imprint of dirt.
There's no leaving until you explore.
Andrew got curious. Was this going to be just a dating simulator game, or a game filled with girls posing naked and ready to be fucked? With inquisitiveness high in the air, he slipped the compact disc into his laptop.