Jake woke up early in the morning and did some physical exercises. Even though this world is digitized, that doesn't mean the usual workouts would be wasteful. They are very helpful, atleast until you reach the level, when the powers you posses in Yaros would project back in Tarro.
Moreover, without proper stimulant, the body can grow weak. Going to the survival world and leveling up is important but so is taking proper care of the body. It doesn't matter, what level you reach in Yaros if your body back in Tarro becomes weak.
So making sure one's body is fit enough, is a definite thing to do. This stands true for everyone.
After the exercises were done, he took a bath and was about to hop into the device, but his phone rang.
After his parents died, there weren't many who visited him or speak with him directly, much less called him to speak over the phone. So, the phone became a device for him to browse the internet for information on what's happening across the world.
There were only two who would call him. One was Thea, his benchmate and the other one who usually speaks with him was his old childhood friend, Selena, who was one year older than Jake.
Selena used to live next door when they were children but because of her father's death, her mother and she moved to another city to live with her grandparents. After that, they kept in touch by phone but never were able to see each other as they were still too young to travel by themselves.
When he heard the phone ringing, he went to see who was calling. It was Selena. A smile crawled onto his face when he saw the name.
He picked up the phone, and said, "Hey Sel, How are you?"
"I'm fine, how are you?" asked the voice from the other end.
"I'm good Sel", replied Jake, "Why the sudden call?"
If it was about the awakening, she should have called ten days ago, when the awakening ceremony took place. The ceremonuy is not a secret. Everyone knows when the ceremony happens long before the ceremony takes place.
If she wanted to know about that, she would have called days before not now.
Jake wondered why she is calling now and he got the answer to that question.
"I'm in the city. We should meet", Selena said.
Jake was rather joyful that he could meet his childhood friend again, "You know my house. You could have just swung by".
"Yeah about that", Selena answered sheepishly, "I don't remember the location properly. So you have to pick me up".
Jake laughed when he heard that. He remembered that Selena would always get lost when they were young. So they always went to school and returned together, until her family left.
"Hahaha, it looks like you didn't improve in that category. Tell me where you are and I will come and pick you up", he said.
"Hmph", Selena snorted, "Homeland Delicacies", she said and turned off the call.
Jake just laughed it off.
"She didn't have changed a bit but I shouldn't have said that. Hmm, how should I make her less angry?" Jake wondered in his mind, "Ice cream would always cool her down whenever she was in tantrum mode. Hmm, Homeland Delicacies, hahaha, no wonder in that".
He changed his clothes and exited his house to meet Selena.
Jake took a cab and arrived at Homeland Delicacies, within twenty minutes. The place would usually be packed with people, but as it was still early in the morning, and so there were only a few customers.
Jake looked around for a minute before he found Selena, most probably her. He hasn't seen her in eight years. The last time they saw each othere was when she was nine and he was eight, just when Selena's family left the city. To this day, he only remembers her like that and using that mental image he could only guess what she looked like now.
He approached the girl who could be Selena, and said, "Sel?"
"Hmm", Selena who was immersed in her food, didn't even see a stranger approach her. She looked when she heard her name and saw a boy who looked like Jake.
"Jake?"
The boy breathed in relief, "It is you. It's good to see you again, Sel", he said.
The girl stood up and gave him a hug, "It's good to see you again, Jake", she said. When she gave a hug, it was supposed to be innocent but what Jake felt was different.
He is sixteen and is in his hormonal teenage. When she hugged him, he felt her big melons against his chest and felt arousal. He never had thoughts of her like that before, but it all changed with a hug, which was supposed to be an innocent hug.
Jake did what any teenager would do in his situation. He took advantage of the hug. He hugged her tightly, making her melons compressed against his chest.
Selena was surprised by the act but didn't think much of it. She knew in what circumstances he lived in. He was alone at home for two years after the old man died. She just attributed it to loneliness.
She rubbed his back, as a gesture of saying that she understood of his inner turmoil.
Jake, on the other hand, was clouded by desires he never felt before and it was intoxicating for him. If she could hear his thoughts, she would know she didn't understand his inner turmoil at all.
Jake started to rub his hand over her back, and she felt that he was just imitating her and wanted to laugh but held herself back.
Jake felt how well her body was developed, and she... he suddenly jerked himself and pulled away from the embrace.
"Shit, what am I doing? Is it because I'm a teen and it's just a stage or is it because of my loneliness? If it was first, it would phase out but if it is the latter, I should be careful. I shouldn't do this. I have never felt like this. I need to go out more often and hang out a bit with others", Jake chided himself internally.
Selena just assumed that he was a bit ashamed to show his inner turmoil to her without thinking. So she just broke the awkward ice by saying, "I want a Vanilla tub".
Jake who was ashamed of how he acted, forgot about it when he heard her speak. He laughed out. This is his same old friend, who has not changed at all, but he was happy nonetheless.