Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

"Ivory!" Freya called as she kept knocking. "Come on, it's time to eat!" What the hell? I checked the time and it seemed like I've been playing this MMO game with the guy I like for two hours! Damn, it's already dinner time but we're still going into domains together. Honestly, I'm already getting hungry. But Dylan is more important! I'm worried that he would cut me off if I suddenly ditch him. I mean, the guy is nice, but there's no telling if he will ghost me before I realize it or not. "Later! I'm still playing with Dylan!" I shouted back. "Whatever! Stop forcing yourself to do s**t for him!" I'm not really forcing myself because I found myself liking the games that I played. Besides, I'm not desperate enough to change my whole personality for a boy. Although I must admit that the only reason I played is because of Dylan. What's so good about him? Everything. That guy is every teenage girl or guy could dream of. First of all, he's very good-looking! He's handsome, but he can be pretty as well! His sweet smile could definitely knock anyone off their tracks. But that's not all! He's also a varsity player of the basketball team, and a very good one at that! He's always led his team towards victory, and he plays fair! I have never seen him cheat whenever they play. Dylan isn't just sporty! He's also a top student of his class. I've never seen his rank go down. Like, ever! I'm amazed that he can maintain his grades despite being busy with his sport. That's something I'd never be able to do in a million years. Even if I somehow pulled it off, I would look haggard! But he always looks good. Ah, what a dreamy guy... "Also...don't get hurt!" I pursed my lips, trying to ignore what Freya said. Instead, I continued attacking the monsters even though I'm pretty sure that he's just carrying me. Well, it's not like I'm bad at games...but I'm definitely mediocre at it. To be honest, I feel ashamed about this. What I'm doing now, I mean. Ah, seriously... Sure, I didn't force myself to like this. However, I forced myself to stay up late for weeks just to grind for this and play with him. There are plenty of terms that are used by gamers and I knew nothing about them! That's why I made an effort to learn them. I'm not really stupid, so I slowly learned them one by one. It was embarrassing at first, but I'm able to take it easy now. "Hey, Ivory. Are you tired? We've been playing for two hours already," he asked when he noticed the time. We're in a call in discord right now because he said that it's better to play that way. I turned my camera and audio off earlier, so I had to turn it back on. Dylan has been helping me with domains and telling me how these things work. It was so hard for me to understand how it works in the beginning! "Ah, no. Not at all," I replied with a passive tone. Oh, gosh. I can never bring myself to use a sweet ass tone. I'd cringe to death if I ever did that for him, and I'm pretty sure he'd feel the same. Damn, just thinking about it gives me the creeps. But I'm worried! He must be thinking that I was bored because of the way I talked. "But it's late already. I think we should stop here. You should eat now." Was it just me or did he say that in a very sweet way?! Oh my gosh! Maybe I'm just delusional, but that made me feel butterflies in my stomach. His voice sounds so good and it makes me feel all sorts of things! I bit my lower lip as I tried to stop myself from screaming. I cleared my throat. "Ah, yeah. You should eat too. Goodbye." "Yeah, I will. Goodbye. See you tomorrow." We left the game together and ended the call after saying goodbye once more. As soon as I made sure that I had already ended the call, I shrieked like some dumb b***h. Girl, everything about him is just...cool! His voice, the way he talks...everything! I almost fainted, but I'm glad that I didn't. That's another embarrassing moment added to the pile that I made if I ever did... I heard Freya's aggressive footsteps and aggressive knocking. Oops. My screams probably disturbed everyone inside the apartment, so she was furious. I pursed my lips as I slowly opened the door. Oh, maybe I was mistaken. Instead of anger, she displayed a worried expression. I smiled at her when I saw how she looked at me to check if I was hurt. "Sorry..." I murmured. "What the hell are you screaming for?" she asked, still holding my shoulders. I smiled sheepishly. "I'm just, you know, happy." She rolled her eyes when she realized what the reason was. "Yeah, I get it. Go downstairs and eat your dinner now. You should sleep early today. It's Monday tomorrow and I bet you don't want Dylan to see you looking all stressed." I pouted and looked at myself in the mirror to see how I looked. Hmm, I still look as pretty as ever, so I don't think it matters. Although I know that I'm no match for all those cheerleaders and models in Dylan's circle. That made me feel a bit insecure, but it doesn't matter! Freya looked at me as if she was regretful of what she said, but I only smiled at her. To me, Dylan is everything! He's handsome, smart, athletic, has a good voice, and is practically good at whatever he does! And he's also very sweet and is so damn attractive. That's why I'm doing everything to make him like me. I've mentioned this a bunch of times, but I will never get tired of it! Well, it would be very difficult for someone as ordinary as me. But I still want to try my shot because there's absolutely no reason for me to back down. I mean, I'm pretty and I'm quite talented. However, I'm not someone who can earn other people's respect and admiration...unlike him. Even if I say that other people's opinions don't matter, they're like a slap of reality to me. Oh, well! There's no use in worrying about stuff that isn't even happening. I'm having the best time of my life, and I'm not about to ruin everything by worrying about other things. Right now, I'm putting my own happiness before anyone else! Whether other people like it or not, I will not let anyone interfere. Freya sat in front of me as I started eating. "You know what, I'm quite amazed that he actually talked to you. You're pretty average and...very ordinary. So I didn't expect you two to suddenly be this close." Damn, she's so blunt. But I'm used to Freya being like this, so it's not really a problem! In fact, I like that she's completely honest with me. She doesn't sugarcoat her words when it's necessary, so I often get a reality check. I must admit, it always hurts...but that's better than being fed by lies. I'd rather have the truth told to my face. "We're not that close yet. I think he's just being nice because he found someone who likes the same thing as he does." She sighed. "Just make sure that you don't get hurt." "Why? I think getting hurt is fine, though. At least I was happy." Freya doesn't look like she agrees with me because of her expression. Hmm, I understand her because I'd hate it if some guy hurts her as well. Despite that, I still want to go with this. I'm aware of the consequences, and I have prepared myself for the worst. Even if it meant getting hurt, I have no complaints. "You know what, just do whatever you want. I'll support you with it." I grinned like a child. "Thank you." Ah, I can finally sleep tight. I smiled to myself as I made my way to my bed after cleaning up. Maybe I've gone crazy because I'm feeling extra euphoric. How am I going to sleep at this rate?! It's already night, for Pete's sake! I sighed and closed my eyes even though all I see is his handsome face. "Hurry up!" Freya shouted from downstairs. "Wait for me!" I groaned and ran outside after picking my things up. Freya woke me up earlier than usual but we're still running late. Well, it's my fault for taking my sweet time in front of the mirror. "Hey, how do I look?" I asked when we got in the car. "Just fine." I frowned. "Just fine? You won't say that I'm so pretty and that Dylan would finally fall in love with me?" I asked dramatically. "Dream on." "Oh, come on!" She ignored me and drove towards the university instead. Oh, no! I'm starting to become nervous now that I realize that I'm actually seeing him in person. Especially after remembering how much I embarrassed myself while playing the game with him. Freya parked the car and looked at me, asking why I was not getting off yet. I shut my eyes tightly and tried some breathing exercises to help me calm down. Heck, I even slapped my cheeks a few times. "Uh, Ivory? Are you okay?" "I'm nervous. Should I greet him? Or should I pretend that we're not close? Freya, what do I do?" "Just be yourself. Act normal." I blinked a few times. Normal? What normal? Like how I usually talk with my friends? But wouldn't that make things awkward? I mean, I can be really weird with the people I know. He would be turned off if he saw me acting like that! Ah, whatever. I'll just try to act normal and smile at him when I see him. And it's not like it's guaranteed that I would see him just because we go to the same university. He didn't even know me before we started talking in discord, so I bet we wouldn't see each other. "Yeah, let's just go," I said and got out of the car. Freya laughed and playfully pulled my hair. "What are you even worrying about?" "What? You can't blame me!" "Sure, sure." I quietly sat in my seat inside the classroom and took my phone out. These past few days, I have been writing notes about gaming terms so that I won't embarrass myself too much when talking to Dylan. Since our professor isn't here yet, I decided to try memorizing them again. I may seem ridiculous for doing all this but if we have the same interests, I can talk to him more. So, even though I had zero interest in games before, I started getting into it. "Hey, Ivory," Blake called me. He's my classmate and he's always liked me. Although, I'm not sure if he's being serious or he just likes messing with me. Either way, I don't like him. "What?" He raised a brow. "It's too early to get mad." "Seeing you makes me mad," I replied with a blank expression. "Oh? I'm hurt," he said in the most dramatic way. This guy... I rolled my eyes and decided not to pay attention to him and his stupidity. It would only ruin my mood and that's something I can't afford. What if I suddenly bump into Dylan looking all stressed because of this guy?! Big no. "I heard you've been playing virtual games a lot these days," he said as he leaned on my table. My brows furrowed and I couldn't help but respond. "Who told you that?" I asked sharply. "Oh? So it's true? I thought you didn't like games and gamers? Why did you change your mind?" he asked, mocking me. "Why do you care?" Ah, this guy! If only I could stop myself from getting worked up just by his teasing. He's really having fun messing with me, huh? I wish I could tape his mouth to make him shut the f**k up. "Because I like you? You know what, I can help you with games. I'm pretty good," he said smugly. I rolled my eyes. "I don't need you." "Uh-huh. I bet you will." "That'll never happen." "It will." "Why won't you shut up?" I asked with furrowed brows. Freya laughed. "Why don't you just kiss him? I bet that would do the trick." I looked at Blake to see if he would get flustered, hoping that he was finally going to shut up. But to my surprise, he looked at me like he was taunting me to do what Freya had just said. What the hell is wrong with him?! Instead of paying attention to them, I decided to just check my phone for any texts from Dylan. Blake wasn't leaving but he had stopped bothering me already. Peace at last! Dylan Hernandez: Good morning, Ivory! Are you in your classroom rn? :) My mouth went agape as I stared at the message that I received from Dylan. Oh my gosh. Why is he asking? Don't tell me he's going to come here?! Gosh, if he actually does...that would be the end of me. I just knew that everyone would be jealous and girls wouldn't stop attacking me! I looked around to check if he was around but there wasn't any fuss at all. That means he's not near our department. But that doesn't put me at ease! Me: Good morning, Dylan! Yeah, I am. Why? Dylan: I was just wondering if you're free after your first subject? Wanna grab lunch together? Oh, damn... I looked at Freya and she was also looking at me, weirded out by my expressions. But I didn't really know what to do so I asked her to lean in so I could show her the text that I received. She smirked and gave me a thumbs-up. "Go ahead. That's quite a good opportunity right there." Oh, well. I guess she's right. I might as well seize the opportunity, right? Besides, who am I to say no to Dylan Hernandez? Me: Yeah, sure! Dylan Hernandez: Alright, then. I'm looking forward to it! :) Me: So am I :)) I pursed my lips to stop myself from smiling like an i***t. Could this be a date? Damn, how lucky can I be to score a date with The Dylan Hernandez! "Full-dive VR? Are you sure that it's legit?" "Yeah! I know some people who have already bought it." "Like who?" "You know that famous Hernandez guy? He did." What the hell are these boys even talking about? It must be Dylan because he's the only famous Hernandez guy around the university. And what VR could they be talking about? If he bought one, I would do the same! "Freya..." I called. She sighed. "I know." I smiled. "Thanks."