“Exhausted. Poor guy drove six hours after a full day of classes.” She perches on my bed, tucking her feet under her. “How’s the story coming?”
“Good, actually. Really good.” I save my work and turn to face her. “I think I might actually pull this off.”
“So, you do realize you’re basically writing about you, right?”
I hesitate, then decide honesty is worth practicing. “It’s about me and Ethan. Sort of. But yes, basically.”
Riya grins. “Subtle.”
“I’m not exactly known for my subtlety.”
“True. But you’re known for your honesty, when you finally decide to use it.” She sips her tea, studying my face. “Are you going to let him read it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. If I don’t die of embarrassment first.”
“You should. It might be easier than trying to explain your feelings in person.”
The thought terrifies and thrills me in equal measure. “What if he thinks it’s stupid?”
“What if he thinks it’s brilliant?”
From the bedroom, Declan’s voice calls out “Ry? Did you fall asleep out there?”
She laughs, setting down her tea. “I’m coming, babe!”
I’m struck again with how wrong my compatibility program is, considering these two scored lower but are clearly perfect for each other.
She disappears back to her room, leaving me alone with my laptop and the weight of possibility.
I have twelve hours until the assignment is due. Twelve hours to finish a story that might be the most honest thing I’ve ever written.
Time to find out how it ends.
“Roxie deleted the compatibility algorithm at 3 AM on a Tuesday, watching months of work disappear in a cascade of emptied folders. She felt lighter than she had in months.
Some things, she realized, were worth the risk of being unpredictable.”
36
ETHAN
The beta feedback starts rolling in Thursday morning.
I’m sitting in my room with my laptop balanced on my knees, refreshing the Discord channel every thirty seconds like a maniac. I didn’t need to send out another build—the beta phase officially ended last week. But after the guys helped me implement the choice system, I couldn’t resist. I had to know if it actually worked, if giving players agency in their destruction made the ending feel earned instead of cruel.
Some of the students might have already seen the new ending if they came to the showcase, but I wanted to give them all a chance to play the final version.
Plus, if I’m being honest, I wanted to see what one specific person thought.
The first review pops up.
ShadowMage47: Holy shit dude. The CHOICES. I tried all three paths and even though they all led to the same place, it felt completely different each time. Like I was choosing HOW to face the inevitable. Brilliant.
My chest loosens slightly.
The conceptworks.
People get it.
