Back at kindergarten, when the trees were still sampling, Roli Gray was crying. It was his first time going to school. He begged his parents to go home, but they wouldn't have it. They told him it was a chance to make 'real' friends and stop playing games all day.
But that never happened. Years went by like leaves in a storm, yet Roli stayed stationary.
It's not like he didn't try; he believed. Its just people will find out how lazy and boring he is, he would say. That, however, wasn't all incorrect. He tended to be passive and let others talk over him. He didn't feel bad about it. He just wanted to fit in.
The teacher later caught on to his anti-social tendencies and asked him to join a club. It was one where kids around 8–10 learned everything about computers. Roli didn't like it. Not because he didn't understand it—quite the contrary. He knew every component that made up the computer and what each was specialized for. He knew what it meant when the screen started beeping and how to replace a chip in the motherboard, if it was modular, of course.
The real, unsurprising reason for his distaste was the club's frequent group projects. You can see where this is going.
After only participating for two days, he felt. Sure, he tried helping out during his stay, but his head kept flooding him with thoughts the more he interacted with them. He felt alone again, and he thought he deserved it.
The sound of the final bell freed the learners from the school's lawful chains. Roli raced to his usual spot, where he awaited his mom's arrival. There, unusually, was a girl. She was Sarah Hive from the computer club. Her long, red hair swayed in the wind like roses after a rainy day. Her eyes, bright and cheery, found his. He turned his head to the side and started retreating.
Sarah saw this and approached him. "Hold up. I wanna talk to you," she says. Me? Why me? She must be talking about someone else. Roli started pacing faster and faster. Soon the floor he stared at was now a blur until he made it to the bench, his common residence at lunchtime. He wiped sweat from his forehead and gazed at the sun. It always seemed to calm him down. Maybe he'll wait here. At least until Sarah--
"Where you avoiding me?" Sarah asked while standing perpendicular to him. Roli froze. All the peace he felt seconds ago raced away from him and left despair in its tracks. He tried to take deep breaths, but anxiety wasn't going to allow it. Before he could faint, he felt a soft, warm aura sheltering him.
She was hugging him! Roli tensed at her touch. It was different, pristine. Like he had discovered the cure to all pain. It was both scary yet welcoming. He wanted more of it desperately. He relaxed his shoulders and allowed this exqusitic feeling to melt his anxiety away.
Seconds lapst, and they part their arms. Everything felt colder. Sarah then settled right beside him. "Kay, are you cool now?" she asked. "Y-Yeah. T-thank you... " Roli looked up, trying to search for her name. "Its Hive. Sarah Hive. Girl from the computer club. Remember?" Roli's face flushed, "O-Of course I remember. B-But why did you follow me?"
"Oh. Didn't mean to be a stalker," she started, "You left the club the other day and things have been hard without you."
"What? I-I don't understand," he said. Sarah seemed more puzzled than him. "You kinda were the Steve Jobs of the group. You seemed to have all the answers to the things we were stuck on. I just... wanted to know why you left."
Roli hesited. What was he supposed to say? Would she even understand? Would she listen? Roli searched Sarah's eyes, which hide nothing. Her pupils, iris, and elcerta were on full display. They were present and inviting. They were more caring than any person he had ever met so far. So with a heavy heart, he opened his mouth and said...
...
Sarah is a bit tech-savvy and comparable to some, she might be a genius. But she could never get to the level of technological proficiency of Roli, who allowed her into his well kept room. "S-So this is a guy you have been talking to for a long time, and his profile name is 'Stephan'. I-I'm I correct?" Roli asked. "Well, actually, I don't know if he is a he, "she admitted.
"How come? Don't you two t-talk like a lot?"
"First of all, only every second day, and secondly, he dodges the question."
Roli's baggy yet sharp eyes suggested that she elobrate, which she read perfectly. "Well, I would ask him, 'Hey man, I'm sad.' and he would say, 'I could be a girl, yk ;) but y r u sad' and I will be like,'because you're being so ambiguous with me >:<' and he will be like,'gtg'. "
Roli gave her a sympathetic look and said, "Maybe he is a bot."
"No, no, no. He is real. I swear, I heard him talk once." Roli raised his eyebrow.
"Okay, he was using a voice changer." she admitted. Roli almost says the words catfish before Sarah thrusts her index finger towards his mouth. "No! There must be a more plausible reason for his movements," she insisted. "Movement. That's an interesting way of putting it," Roli said as he typed away. "R-Regardless, I found two people that could be your Stephan," he says. Sarah waited for him to continue. "Y-You might not like it," he warned. "And? I could be talking to a toddler, for all I know. Tell me!" she said.
"Okay," Roli gestures to two pictures on his screen. On the left was a young man, about Sarah's age, with a muscular build that had a mustache to complete it. His face was angular yet soft, like the face of a caring young father. His eyes were sapphire and his peach skull was bald. "I. Like . Him," Sarah says while eyeballing the picture. "It must be him," she insists. Roli only taps the picture on the right.
It was a girl, also around her age. Her skin was light brown, which contracted to her haunty yet anglic white hair. Her eyes shone gray, which added to her appeal. However, with all her grace, Sarah had mixed feelings about her. She looks like the perfect model yet...
Roli caught on to her distress but decided not to press on. He says, "While then. T-The man's name is Roylyn Armstrong." Fitting, Sarah thought. "The woman's is Noel Hatcher." he concludes. Sarah comtemplated. Who should she choose? What are they like in person? What will their encounter lead to? Are they even Stephan?