Thank the Great Plumbob, the midterms were finally over! Some students might celebrate by throwing house parties or going downtown to drink and have fun but Reginald Orbinson had a different way to celebrate. He was going to go back to his apartment and play in a Rush Hour tournament that was supposed to last until dawn.

First, though, he needed caffeine to help him stay awake. He d been at a three-hour midterm since six o'clock that evening. He had written so much on the essay portion that a dull ache had formed in his wrist. Holding a mouse for the next few hours wasn't going to help it. It'd be surprising if he didn't get carpal tunnel before he was 25.

"Hey Blue Eyes, the usual?" the barista asked.

He pressed his thumb into his wrist to try and soothe the ache. He nodded and got a bit flustered at hearing the nickname said in a flirtatious tone. He didn't engage with the barista usually, she had dark eyeliner and dyed hair, was too unpredictable for him to return any interest, and besides, wasn't she supposed to flirt with the customers? Isn't that how she got more tips? He wondered about that as he eyed the glass jar full of single simoleons and concluded it to be true.

So he didn't think much of her words. He'd come into the SSU coffee shop enough times and ordered the same cup of cappuccino that she knew him, though she referred to him as 'Blue Eyes' since he never introduced himself. At least it was better than 'four eyes' which his childhood bullies had called him.

She handed him his cup of cappuccino and he paid without a word or a thank you. He found it best if he didn't speak at all.

It was frustrating how he could be eloquent and self-assured while debating or speaking up in class about a subject, yet when he found himself speaking to women, his words and mannerisms took a turn for the awkward.

He turned around, ignoring the wink that the barista had given him, despite not leaving a tip, to search for an open chair in the joint while simultaneously blowing steam off his cup. As his eyes scanned the room they abruptly halted on a figure sitting on one of the sofas.

His heart did a little flip-flop.


Now why did it do that? It had been years since he last spoke to Alanna Thackery. He knew her to be a manipulative tease and a liar. So why did he still feel drawn to her?

Why were his feet walking toward her?

Why was he sitting down next to her?!


He tried to calmly sip his cappuccino and not be so obviously interested in what her reaction would be to his presence. She had been reading a book and briefly glanced at him in a warm smile of greeting, the same one she had always worn. It's what made her so approachable, so very likable—one of the many things he had liked about her in high school.

At recognizing him, her smile retreated to something else—something almost...sad; she laid her book down between them, turning her body and attention toward him.

"Reggie?"

"Hey..." he responded and couldn't find words to follow up with.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. She was clearly bemused. He was the one who couldn't figure her out though. Was she expecting him to explain himself? He couldn't even explain to himself why he was sitting there.

"Um..." he burbled before taking another sip, trying to gather his words, "How have you been?"


He could have cringed at himself for how stupid he sounded. She had once been the easiest person for him to talk to. It all changed at the Battle of the Bands when he found out she had only pretended to like him. He shouldn't still be hung up on this girl who had lied to him, played with his heart, and never had the decency to apologize.

"I'm doing fine," she answered after a long moment of studying him, "Though you haven't spoken to me since high school and I can't imagine you really care."

Why did she sound so bitter about it? He was the one who should have been bitter. He had been, actually. He felt he had been robbed of a happiness that only she could have given him.

How could he tell her what was on his mind and ask her the questions that had been plaguing him for years? It was fate that they were here at the same time on the same day. Something was surely supposed to happen.

He set his empty cup down and balanced the side of his face on the edge of his fist, unable to meet her bewildered stare, "You know, I really liked you in high school. I just never thought you would turn out to be such a liar."

Alanna crossed her arms and all warmth in her face was replaced with hard offense, "I don't have to sit here and be judged by you, Reggie. You can think of me whatever you want but I'm not the liar."


She stood abruptly, reaching for her book; he did also but blocked her from obtaining it, "What do you mean?"

"Maybe you should get all the facts before taking your sister's word for it," she said. She was growing more irritable now. She snatched her book up and marched out of the coffee shop. He'd never see Alanna so angry before.

He had to wonder what she meant by that. His sister, Evelyn Jane, was the one who had discovered the truth about Alanna. Then again, Evie could be quite the manipulator. He frowned as an awful feeling of regret suddenly spread through him. What if she manipulated me too? He adjusted the strap of his book bag and went after her.


"Alanna! Alanna wait!" he called out and jogged to make up the space she'd put between them. She was already down the sidewalk but slowed her pace.


"What?" she sighed and turned to face him with a hand on her hip. She sounded so exasperated, but he was determined to understand.

"I'm sorry," he found himself apologizing. He didn't handle that well at all, "Can we start over?"

"Why would you want to if you think I am such a liar?"

The issue was, he genuinely didn't want to think of her as a liar. He never in his life wanted to be proven more wrong than in that moment. He wanted Alanna Thackery back—the kind, smart, and beautiful girl he had known her to be.


"Tell me what's true then. I'll listen," he promised with a hint of a plea in the tone.

She flipped the book over in her hands, considering his request.

"Fine. Meet me tomorrow morning at my usual place. We can start over there," she finally agreed. She didn't bother elaborating on what her 'usual' place was, but he could figure it out. She knew he could too. "Goodnight."

She strode off into the darkness. He'd known she attended the same campus, but this was the first time he had actually seen her around. He tried not to think about her too much, but she was just so appealing that he couldn't stop, even when he convinced himself that he was out of her league—he being the Mayor's son.

The sad truth of it was, that being the son of the mayor didn't bring him as many perks as he would have liked. He had applied to the Hoh Fruhm fraternity at Sim State only to be rejected. His father had attended before him, which Reggie thought would surely guarantee him a spot. Maybe if he'd had been allowed to join he wouldn't be so hopeless and socially awkward either, maybe he would have grown out of it by now.

He checked his phone and found out that his chat with Alanna had been longer than he anticipated. His tournament would be starting in five minutes! With no time to spare he broke into a jog and headed back toward his apartment.

Upon entering, he kicked off his shoes and threw his book bag to the floor. Then he was greeted with a loud 'squawk!'. He'd bought a bird, whom he had named Kissinger, to keep him company while he went to school. Usually, Reggie would take Kissinger out and pet him when returning from class but there was no time if he needed to sign in and play the first match. Kissinger let out another squawk; offended by the break in routine.


A chat box popped up as soon as he was logged on and his status was set to online.

Violet_Fire: I thought u were gonna give up b4 it started

Reggie smirked at the taunt and keyed in a reply. Just in time too, the user names were being shuffled into brackets. If he won two games, and they did too, he'd come up against Violet_Fire in the third-tier match.

MegaZoom: No way. You are going down! If you can even stay awake long enough.

Violet_Fire: we'll see