Social Interaction: A Horror Game

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Read the Exposition of this fabulous Twine!

Here's a quick brief: Your name is Nathan Redmond. You are 16 years old and currently a sophomore at Broadside High School in Western Washington. You have a few friends online, though you are not close to anyone at school. You're not great at introducing yourself, as you can probably see right now. <<set $isLooped = 0>> [[START]]

... [[WAKE UP]]

...mmph... [[NO, WAKE UP]]

...huh? [[FINALLY]]

Shouldn't your alarm have gone off? [[REALIZE YOUR ALARM SHOULD HAVE GONE OFF]]

... [[LET IT SINK IN]]

...shit. [[LEAP OUT OF BED]]

<<if $isLooped is 1>>You awake with a start. What a mundane yet horrifying dream! At least there were no velociraptors in this one. <<endif>>You half-leap, half-stumble out of bed with a start. Realizing that school starts in half an hour, you hurriedly run through everything you need to do this morning in your head: <<nobr>> <<set $clothes = "none">> <<set $hair = "none">> <<set $deodorant = "none">> <<set $clothesDone = 0>> <<set $hairDone = 0>> <<set $deodorantDone = 0>> <<endnobr>> [[GET DRESSED]] [[DO YOUR HAIR]] [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]

You run to your closet to pick your clothes. Out of the [[pile of shirts]], four stand out to you as possibilities. <<set $clothesDone = 1>> [[DINOSAUR SHIRT]]: A dinosaur? What are you, eleven? I mean, [[you like dinosaurs]], but there's no way anyone's going to take you seriously in this. (MATURITY -2) [[SPORTS SHIRT]]: You're not really a big fan of the Seahawks. People are gonna know. You'll look like a jackass. (INTELLECT -1, TRUSTWORTHINESS -1) [[LARGE COAT]]: You could be hiding anything under that coat. People are going to think you have something to hide. (TRUSTWORTHINESS -2) [[SOLID COLOR TEE]]: Yeah, because the guy in the solid-color t-shirt is SO interesting. (Interestingness -2)

You run to the bathroom and look in the mirror to see the scraggly, incomprehensible mess that is your hair after a good night's sleep. You grab a comb and some [[gel]]. <<set $hairDone = 1>> [[SLICK IT BACK]]: As cool as you think it is, the American Psycho look doesn't really leave a good impression anymore. You'd probably just look like an asshole. (LIKEABILITY -2) [[JUST RUN A COMB THROUGH IT]]: This might not be too bad. You've never particularly liked the look of your hair unstyled, but at least this way you'd look like you put some effort into it. (INTERESTINGNESS -2) [[LEAVE IT AS IS]]: You want to look like you care at least a little, right? Couple this with the bags under your eyes and you look like a fugitive. (MATURITY -1, TRUSTSWORTHINESS -1)

You look under the sink and find three sticks of deodorant. [[STRAWBERRY-KIWI]]: Strawberry kiwi; the manliest of smells. No one's going to make fun of you for this. (RESPECT -2) <<set $deodorantDone = 1>> [[OLD SPICE]]: As much as you enjoy the sound of Terry Crews screaming, you're a bit worried that the strong smell will put people off. (LIKEABILITY -2) [[UNSCENTED]]: The vanilla ice cream of deodorant. If someone notices you're wearing doedorant at all, they'll probably wonder why you bothered. (INTERESTINGESS -2)

<<set $clothes = "Dinosaur">> You sigh and put on the dinosaur shirt. You like dinosaurs, so why lie, right? So what if you look like a ten year-old? They probably didn't think you were the most mature person anyway. You close the closet and think about what else you need to do. <<if $hair is "none">> [[DO YOUR HAIR]]<<endif>> <<if $deodorant is "none">> [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]<<endif>> <<if $hairDone is 1>><<if $deodorantDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $clothes = "Sports">> You pull the Seahawks shirt over your head. You've never been asked about football before. It probably won't happen today. You think about what else you need to get done this morning. <<if $hair is "none">> [[DO YOUR HAIR]]<<endif>> <<if $deodorant is "none">> [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]<<endif>> <<if $hairDone is 1>><<if $deodorantDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $clothes = "Coat">> You put on the coat and try not to imagine what could possibly fit in it. It's worth it not to be cold, right? You don't actually have anything to hide, so if someone searched you, there'd be no issue. You consider what else you need to get done. <<if $hair is "none">> [[DO YOUR HAIR]]<<endif>> <<if $deodorant is "none">> [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]<<endif>> <<if $hairDone is 1>><<if $deodorantDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $clothes = "Solid">> You slip into the solid color tee and try not to fall asleep at the sight of it. At least it won't start any awkward conversations. You try to remember if there's anything else you need to do. <<if $hair is "none">> [[DO YOUR HAIR]]<<endif>> <<if $deodorant is "none">> [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]<<endif>> <<if $hairDone is 1>><<if $deodorantDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $hair = "Slick">> You try not to think about how much of a criminal you're going to look like today. <<if $clothes is "Coat">>I mean, this with the coat? Jesus.<<endif>> At least you think it looks cool, right? You try to remember if you're forgetting to do anything. <<if $clothes is "none">> [[GET DRESSED]]<<endif>> <<if $deodorant is "none">> [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]<<endif>> <<if $clothesDone is 1>><<if $deodorantDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $hair = "As Is">> You sigh and put the comb and gel down. Why bother? It's not going to look any better than it does now. You try not to think too hard about that little revelation of yours as you try to remember if you're forgetting something. <<if $clothes is "none">> [[GET DRESSED]]<<endif>> <<if $deodorant is "none">> [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]<<endif>> <<if $clothesDone is 1>><<if $deodorantDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

You run through your schedule in your head one last time, trying to remember if you've forgotten to do anything. You can't think of anything, so you walk out the door. The cold late-January breeze cuts through the trees as you dash down the sidewalk towards the school. It's a new semester, but most of your classes are year-long, so there wasn't much of a change to your schedule from the last few months. The upcoming events of the day run through your mind. First is English class. It's technically your first day in that class, as you transferred at the end of last semester, but you think it should follow the same basic trends: teacher asks questions, no one answers, teacher answers questions, rinse and repeat. Art class is in the middle of the day. You're doing paintings in partners today. They're supposed to be of something meaningful to you. Your last class today is your Interactive Media class. You have to give a presentation on transmedia storytelling with two other students. This is what's been haunting you all weekend. You reach the front doors with five minutes to spare and heave a heavy sigh. Oh well, it could be worse, right? Right? [[GO TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

<<set $hair = "Combed">> You run a comb through your hair just to get some of the knots out. You guess this is okay. It doesn't draw attention to you, so at least it's not bad enough to be a conversation starter. You think about if there's anything else you need to do. <<if $clothes is "none">> [[GET DRESSED]]<<endif>> <<if $deodorant is "none">> [[PUT ON DEODORANT]]<<endif>> <<if $clothesDone is 1>><<if $deodorantDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

Your shirts are collected in what you like to call "the pile." This bizarre mishmash of t-shirts, sweaters, underwear, and the occasional dress sock was born from your desire to have everything right where you'd want it. Unfortunately, what you wanted was a lot of clothes, and where you wanted them was outside of your drawer. [[GET DRESSED]]

Yeah, you use gel. [[WHY?]]

You saw Grease at a young age and thought it was cool, okay? [[HA HA OKAY]]

Stop it. [[DO YOUR HAIR]]

<<set $deodorant = "fruit">> You put on the strawberry-kiwi deodorant, enjoying the smell as much as you can through the crippling dread of facing your classmates smelling like a fruit shop. At least you won't sweat while they're making fun of you. You think of what else you need to do. <<if $clothes is "none">> [[GET DRESSED]]<<endif>> <<if $hair is "none">> [[DO YOUR HAIR]]<<endif>> <<if $clothesDone is 1>><<if $hairDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $deodorant = "Old Spice">> You decide to give in to the advertising machine and put on the Old Spice. You look at the tube. You look at the mirror. You look back at the tube. You look back at the mirror. Nothing has changed. There is no truth in advertising. You stop your bizarre monologueing and consider what else there could be to do. <<if $clothes is "none">> [[GET DRESSED]]<<endif>> <<if $hair is "none">> [[DO YOUR HAIR]]<<endif>> <<if $clothesDone is 1>><<if $hairDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $deodorant = "unscented">> You try not to fall asleep as you put on the unscented deodorant. You tell yourself that at least you won't smell like sweat, but you realize that even sweat would be more interesting. Oh well. It's already on and you don't have time to wash it off in the shower at this point. You try to remember if you've forgotten anything. <<if $clothes is "none">> [[GET DRESSED]]<<endif>> <<if $hair is "none">> [[DO YOUR HAIR]]<<endif>> <<if $clothesDone is 1>><<if $hairDone is 1>>[[LEAVE FOR SCHOOL]]<<endif>><<endif>>

You're walking through the hallways when you're approached by [[Dave]], in a solid black t-shirt and jeans with chains on the side. He walks up beside you and tries to strike up a conversation. [[TALK TO DAVE]]

Who the hell doesn't like dinosaurs!? They're these giant lizards that ran around millions of years ago! Feathers or none, you just think they're so cool! Unfortunately, someone somewhere decided that wearing an article of clothing with dinosaurs on it was tantamount to running around making airplane noises. This is the sad world in which we as a species find ourselves. [[GET DRESSED]]

Dave's that guy. You know that guy. That guy who's always smiling, always seeming to have a good time. He looks SO interested in whatever you have to say, but you know it's bullshit and you're pretty sure he knows you know but just doesn't care. He's not a bad guy, but he has no idea how uncomfortable every conversation with him is. [[TALK TO DAVE]]

"Hey," he says, <<if $clothes is "Dinosaur">>"like the shirt." Oh, shit. He's talking about your dinosaur shirt. [["Thanks."]] [["Ha, yeah, it's pretty lame."]] [[Say nothing about your dinosaur shirt]]<<endif>><<if $clothes is "Sports">>"like the shirt. Hell of a game last week, huh?" Oh, shit. Oh God, no. Oh, Jesus Christ. [["Yeah, we really trounced the other guys."]] [["Yeah, too bad we lost."]] [["Yeah, edge of my seat shit there."]] [["I'm actually not a huge Seahawks watcher."]] [[Say nothing about the Seahawks game]]<<endif>><<if $clothes is "Coat">>"big coat there. You selling?" It's probably a joke. Probably. [["Haha, yeah."]] [["No, no, God, no. Just a coat."]] [[Say nothing about the coat]]<<endif>><<if $clothes is "Solid">>yawning slightly, "that a new shirt?" You wonder if he's yawning because of the shirt. He probably is. [["No, had it for a while."]] [["Yeah, pretty boring, huh?"]] [[Say nothing about your shirt]]<<endif>>

He grins widely. "I used to have a shirt with a pterodactyl on it when I was nine." That stung a little, but his heart seemed to be in the right place. At least you don't feel like he's completely mocking you. He says goodbye and walks down the hallway in the other direction. You think you hear a couple of people whispering in the halls, but honestly, you're just stoked that no one's made fun of you yet. You guess there's always time for that later, though. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

Dave sneers a little. "I guess. I used to be really into them, but they're kinda kids' stuff now, right?" Even though you were the one who started it, that still hurt a bit. You walk away feeling pretty down on yourself. At least he doesn't think you're wearing it earnestly, right? That doesn't change the feeling you get of people watching you in the hallways. You can't make out the side conversations, but you're pretty sure you know what they're about. You think you'll wear the plain shirt tomorrow. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

You steel yourself and walk on. Dave throws up his arms slightly in a gesture of annoyance, but walks off a couple of seconds later. Just as well. You don't think you could have dealt with a conversation with Dave anyway. You think you hear some laughter off to the side, but you ignore it and keep walking. If you don't show weakness, they can't hurt you. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

Dave looks slightly confused. "Pretty sure we lost, bro." Oh God. It's all falling apart. [["Uh, yeah, I knew that. That was a joke."]] [["I'm actually not a huge Seahawks watcher."]] [[Say nothing and walk away]]

Dave looks at the ground. "Yeah. We'll get 'em next week, though. Got to, right?" He glances behind him. "It's getting late. I gotta get to class. Don't miss the game next week!" You have no plans to watch the game next week. Frankly, you're just glad that this interaction is over. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

Dave grins. "Yeah! Dude, that pass at the end, though!" He audibly groans. "Anyway, I gotta get to class. I'll see you later!" You assume the Seahawks lost, but with Dave, you never really know. With all of your knowledge on football, the [[Mariners]] could have won that one. You don't really care who won all that much. You walk on. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

You say nothing and walk away. Dave stands still in the hallway for a moment, shrugs, and walks in the other direction. Could have gone better, but could have gone a lot worse. You're starting to wish you'd worn a different shirt. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

Dave fakes reaching into his pocket. "I got a 20. That get me anything good?" You don't remember most of the drugs you learned about in health class, so you just stand there and force yourself to laugh. Dave looks at his watch. "Well, I need to go. Keep your supply open." You're pretty sure he's joking. Pretty sure. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

Dave scoffs. "Yeah, I know, man. Just a joke. Anyway, I need to go. See you later!" You were pretty sure he was joking, but why risk having the dogs sent in to sniff out your locker. Not that there's anything in your locker that they would find. Honest. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

You force a small laugh out and keep walking. Dave looks over, shrugs, and walks in the opposite direction. You don't feel like you could have dealt with a conversation with Dave today anyway. You think you hear some whispering in the hallways, but no one pulls you aside to search you, so you figure it's probably fine. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

"Oh," he says, "just never noticed it, I guess." He looks down at his shoes for an uncomfortably long time before abruptly looking back up. "Anyway, class is starting soon. I need to go." He walks away in the opposite direction. Wow, that was awkward on both sides. But hey, if both people are being awkward, is anyone really being awkward? This philosophical question keeps you busy all the way to the English classroom. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

You make a noise that most closely resembles a grunt and walk away. Dave looks over, shrugs, and walks in the opposite direction. At least he probably won't be able to pick you out of a crowd in this shirt. You feel like that could have gone better, but why take the risk, right? [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

He laughs a little. "Yeah, I guess. Doesn't draw the eye. Sorta' like aerodynamics, right?" You have no clue how this is anything like aerodynamics, but you nod anyway. "Anyway," he says, "class is starting soon, so I gotta go. See you around!" You remember that he's wearing a plain t-shirt as well. You feel kinda bad, but he's already gone. Oh well. You head off to English class. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

You enter the classroom and sit down in your regular spot. On the board, you notice that the teacher has written some words: [["English Class Intro"->English Class Intro]]

You can tell right away that didn't work. Dave laughs a little. "Bullshit. You missed the game, didn't you?" A pang of shame travels through your body. Dave grins. "Don't miss the next one, man. Last chance to make it out of the playoffs." He walks away, still laughing. You've never been the best liar, but even this wasn't a proud moment for you. You think you hear some scattered laughing in the hallways as you walk onward. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

Dave laughs and puts his hand on the back of his neck. "Oh man, where do the lies end with you?" You think it's a joke. "I gotta get to class. I'll see you later." He walks off down the hall. You're starting to wish you'd worn a different shirt, but at least you told the truth. That counts for something, right? [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

You steel yourself and walk away. You hear Dave laughing a bit behind you, but you keep walking and try not to think about it. You have plenty of other worrying things to keep your mind occupied. This definitely could have gone better. [[PROCEED TO ENGLISH CLASS]]

Oh, God, how embarassing. The Mariners are a basketball team, not a football team. You swear, how little you know about sports. BACK TO [["Yeah, edge of my seat shit there."]]

You enter your first period class, which consists of [[English]]. Not [[everyone->Everyone in Class]] in here are people you can seem to connect with; hell, they might be judging you right now for the getup that you’re wearing. You also take a look at the English teacher, Mr. Cobbe, sitting at his [[desk]] in the room. He seems to pay no heed to what you are all trying to do at the start of class, where now you need to figure out where to sit really. <<nobr>> <<set $ReadAloud = "none">> <<set $classmate = "none">> <<set $Pornhub = "none">> <<set $Gamehub = "none">> <<endnobr>> Go to the [[Front of Class]]? Go to the [[Back of Class]]?

English is not really your strong suit in school, some books and texts have so many words and confusing sentence structure that you get some mild dyslexia. You don't even have dyslexia! You just can't get your head around paragraphs and paragraphs of a reading where the author repeats the same idea over and over. Writing is also just a chore as well, You just can't seem to get the right answer when analyzing something. Maybe theres something else you can look into at school? [[Back->English Class Intro]]

<<set $TeacherTalk = "Done">> The teacher isn't much of the boring guy you thought he was. He has some books from various game series, and some Tokian Books messed about his mahogany desk. He seems interested in Halo, Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, and even has some manga on his desk. Maybe you can strike up a conversation with him later on them? [[Back->English Class Intro]]

<<set $classmate = "Nerd">> You sit down in the seat nearest to the whiteboard, and find yourself with a nerdy looking guy who has his phone out, and seems to be looking at a game of sorts. He must be someone who doesn’t really interact much does he? Well the same can be said for [[yourself->Your social life]] really. He seems to be looking at something on his [[phone->Nerd's Phone]]. Wait a minute, if you’re sitting in the front, people must really think you’re a big nerd or teacher suck-up. Well it can’t be as bad being up front than being in the back where all the delinquents are, wonder what people would think of you then? [[The Teacher comes up to the front of class]]

<<set $classmate = "Greaser">> You sit next to a guy that wore a leather jacket and jeans, maybe he is a greaser? Nah, there can’t be any gangs around the school at all. Why should you be the one judging him for being part of something that fits his [[build and personality->Greaser's desription]], you’re not off good either at all being alone and part of nothing. He seems to be looking at something on his [[phone->Greaser's Phone]]. But you realize something, you are sitting in the back of class, where all the incompetent and [[troublesome students->Back Students]] go to avoid the teacher’s attention. After all, since you’re in the back of class, maybe the other classmates will think that you’re a delinquent like him. Still, can’t be as bad “hanging” out in the front than with the try-hards and nerds up front? [[The Teacher comes up to the front of class]]

wait, how can you judge yourself to someone else who you just met. I mean the dude must be accomplishing more than you. He might be a future genius that saves the world from a meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs! You yourself just sticks to your computer and to yourself when outside of home... [[Snap back my dude->Front of Class]]

As you peer over into the guy's phone, you see him browsing on some sort of Videogame group. the name of the website is called Gamehub. Wonder if you can meet some more people on there to play some of your games at home? Maybe even mingle with the dude over games? You see his username is "BlastosaurusWrecks". <<set $Gamehub = "Yes">> Back to [[Front of Class]]

As class starts, you see the teacher look around, but then seems to give you a stare for a bit. Does he already think that I’m up to no good in the class? How can I really connect to him at all?! You aren’t sure whats coming up for class, but you’re not prepared for what the teacher has planned for you. “Alright now, introductions should be in order. I’m Mr. Gordon Cobbe, as in corn on a cob. And you’re here to fulfill a general requirement for highschool, as at least being introduced into the world of interdisciplinary arts. I would first want you to introduce yourself to your neighbor to make yourselves aware of each other if you have not already.” Oh crap, Now I got to talk to people? What can I really say about myself? <<if $classmate is "Nerd">> [[Talk to the Nerd]] <<endif>> <<if $classmate is "Greaser">> [[Talk to the Greaser]] <<endif>>

Dude is pretty well-built, He's not particularly menacing that you would think of stereotyping him as a greaser. you're not too well off yourself, not really too skinny or too beefy. You feel less inclined to speak to them just because of the uncomfortable and aura thats just in the back. (-2 Confidence) Back to [[Back of Class]]

As you peer over into the guy's phone, you see him browsing on a website called Pornhub, and seems to be looking over some forums of the website. You quickly snap back to your normal position, and wonder from your glance, what is Porhub? You'll probably look it up later after school. <<set $Pornhub = "yes">> Back to [[Back of Class]]

You look around you and you know you are indeed in a miniscule hive of scum and Villiany. Most of the other students back here aren't really socializing, and they all look pissed as hell. You make eye contact with one dude, and quickly look away. You're not sure if you wanna look up really Back to [[Back of Class]]

He puts his phone away and looks to you. “Good Morning, I see you're new to the class, how are you? interested in anything outside of school?” What do you say? [[Try to be cool as a Gamer]] “I like playing league of legends too! I like it when I get a kill on the little minion dudes.”(-2 Likeability) [[Try to be a Scholar]] “I just came to school for school you know.” (-2 Interestingness) [[Just be Real Honest as a gamer]] “I’m not really into anything, just casual videogames. Not sure what really piques my interest.” (-2 Confidence)

He puts his phone away and looks to you. “Ay man, what’s up with you? Why’d you go to this school? You any interested in anything, huh pasty?” What do you say? [[Try to be cool]] “I’m a fan of cars you know, like how the exhaust makes the car go vroom more!”(-2 Likeability) [[Try to be Scholarly]] “I just came to school for school you know.” (-2 Interestingness) [[Just be Real Honest]] “I’m not really into anything, just videogames. Kinda why I am a little pasty.” (-2 Confidence)

"Oh really? Well I'm kinda a avid plaer on the game, i'm in the diamond ranks of competitive, but I have a pet-peeve with communicating with teammates." You feel a little uneasy, I mean you just tried to be cool with a nerd, but a nerd that could be one of the legendary toxic players you hear about from league videos. You probably snapped a string with him and triggered him. so much for a safe space. Why not ask him a Question? [[Ask him a question now?]]

"Oh so you're a tryhard like me? Well thats fine and all, I'm just like to get work done and all, and I hope you do the same since you did choose to be closet to the teacher and all. I'm hoping to get through Highscool and go to a prestigious University like Univerisity of Washinton, more so at it's Bothell Campus to be a Electrical Engineer." You’re not sure about how he thinks of you, but you seemed pretty damn boring for just going to school “for school”. Though you do feel like you know the guy isn’t really looking for that gang life, but hoping to do something he loves. [[Ask him a question now?]]

Oh, so you're more of a casual gamer than I am huh? Well I do have my fair share of zen gaming, but i like the thrill and tactics involved in more eSports games, such as my favorite being League of legends. Though I would stray away from playing alone, the community can be really toxic. [[Ask him a question now?]]

“Oh, well that’s alright I guess, I’m more of a motorcycle guy you know?” You feel a bit uneasy, as if you just kind of just turn him off Because of the obvious lie you just did, and the fact that you just kind of stereotyped him to make conversation probably. (+2 Asshat) [[Why not ask him a question?]]

“Well aren’t you the little try hard in the back? Well I’m just trying to slog it through high school for any chance at being a mechanic at a Harleys or sumthin.” You’re not sure about how he thinks of you, but you seemed pretty damn boring for just going to school “for school”. Though you do feel like you know the guy isn’t really looking for that gang life, but hoping to do something he loves. [[Why not ask him a question?]]

“Videogames huh? I’m not really a hardcore player, but I do dabble in some small games like CoD or some Forza. Only big game I like to mess with is Mechanic Simulator, but that’s just a personal favorite of mine you know?” Well at least he wasn’t a big ass on you for liking games, but that’s just you being a little rough on yourself. [[Why not ask him a question?]]

As you snap back to the conversation, you wonder what you can ask him? [["So what else do you like?"]] [["Class is pretty boring huh?"]] [["What do you think of the teacher?"]]

<<if $classmate is "Nerd">> "I don't know if I stated before, But I am a avid gamer. Although I mainly just stick around one game of league of Legends. I'm not really into any of the more casual indie games or any of those typical JRPGs." The dude kinda makes you feel a little uncomfortable that he doesn't like your types of games, or understand the point of zen gaming...(-2 Trustability)<<endif>> <<if $classmate is "Greaser">> "I'm not realy into anything else besides motorcycles my dude. *he looks away from you* 'Though I can see that there are a few babes in this class. Wonder how they doing in this bore of a place called highschool. *Turns back to you* Well anyway my dude, seriously, I think that I am into art right now, maybe I can draw some Bat-bike or a hot babe!" You're not sure if the dude wanna hang out more and talk about girls or what.(-2 Trustability)<<endif>> [[The Teacher comes to the front of class]]

<<if $classmate is "Nerd">> "Not really? I mean I would prefer to play some League at the moment, but I know that education is more important than play. I hope that if we get to cooperate on a group project, that you don't take this mindset to work for the sake of yourself and others..." Now you just feel like an asshat.(-2 Trustability)<<endif>> <<if $classmate is "Greaser">> "Yup, english and all kinds of writing ain't really my skillset, I'm more of a guy that likes to get his hands dirty and his body workin'. Though I need to get through this class to get at least somethin' that helps my elementary com-pree-hen-son(?). I hope that you're not gonna be a weight if we work together with that attitude though." Now you just feel like an asshat.(-2 Trustability)<<endif>> [[The Teacher comes to the front of class]]

<<if $classmate is "Nerd">> "He seems nice. Though I can see that he is a little mundane and monotone about the whole class, I hope its not as boring as I perceive it to be. Do YOU trust him with our education? I'm sure hes a good guy." What?(-2 Trustability)<<endif>> <<if $classmate is "Greaser">> "Dude already seems like he doesn't like us or anything, hes probably looking straight at us all in the back. Not sure if I'm gonna like this class or what." You can't help but feel like he is right, what if this attitude is with all the other new teachers you have...(-2 Confidence)<<endif>> [[The Teacher comes to the front of class]]

As you snap back to the conversation, you wonder what you can ask him? [["So what else do you like?"]] [["Class is pretty boring huh?"]] [["What do you think of the teacher?"]]

Immediately "Alright, I think all introductions are good by how eveyone else is finishing up their conversations with silence. We'll be going over the syllabus of the class for this semester, and we'll have people read out sections." I really hope that I won't be called up to read. No wait, its alright, its just reading a paragraph. Easy peasy, right? "Any volunteers?" No response "Alright then......" <<print either("[[Mr. Parker?->listening to intro to class]]","[[Ms. Aki?->listening to intro to class]]","[[Mr. Redmond?->Talking in front of class]]")>>

You heave a sigh of relief. Although you wanna get this out of the way, You do wanna try and make yourself apparent to people, maybe... You listen to the intro of class, "Any volunteers?" No response again... "Alright then......" <<print either("[[Mr. Bell?->listening to assignments of class]]","[[Ms. Robinson?->listening to assignments of class]]","[[Mr. Redmond?->Talking in front of class]]")>>

<<set $ReadAloud = "Read">> Ah shit... You read out loud the section you had to read, but you mess up on a few words. "Pear-ren-tha-sis?"..."Extra-Curr-ric-cu-lor"...."Anal-sis" You forgot you have a speech impediment from a bee-sting in the neck when you were only 10-years-old; it hurt like a bitch, and affected your speech. You hear a few snickers from the students in the back and silence from the students in the front.... You must really look like an idiot now...(-5 Intellect) [[Blank out for a bit->listening to standards of class]]

You heave a sigh of relief. Although you wanna get this out of the way, You do wanna try and make yourself apparent to people, maybe... You listen to the various assignments of the class, and have a good idea of what to prepare yourself for all the writing reports, book reports, reflectons, and worst of all, class discussions and seminars. "Any volunteers?" No response again, class must be pretty shy to the teacher... "Alright then......" <<print either("[[Mr. Hernandez?->listening to standards of class]]","[[Ms. Numbani?->listening to standards of class]]","[[Mr. Redmond?->Talking in front of class]]")>>

<<if $ReadAloud is "none">>You heave a sigh of relief. Although... you wanted to at least participate, you do wanna try and make yourself apparent to people, maybe... <<endif>> "Alright then, we've just about covered most of the class with the syllabus, we'll read the book next class, and I expect more participation from all of you." <<if $ReadAloud is "none">> *Whew* You're glad you didn't get called on, But you just wished that <<endif>> <<if $ReadAloud is "Read">> You feel so nerve-wracked about the whole thing with reading the part out-loud. I'm sure there is people in the class that can't have been able to pronounce some words in the syllabus. It doesn't really matter, someones gotta be the class clown...(-2 Confidence) <<endif>> You're about to head out of class, got anything else to do? [[Nothing really, time to head out->Go to Art Class]] <<if $TeacherTalk is "Done">> [[Talk to the Teacher about his desk]] <<endif>>

<div></div><img src="http://pre14.deviantart.net/6ada/th/pre/f/2014/139/f/b/art_class_day_shot_by_ahmadturk-d7ixbw9.jpg" height= "320" width="611" alt ="An derelict spacestation"> “Okay folks! Let’s have some fun today! We are going to draw a portrait in 30 minutes and have them hand in out at the end of class. You can choose a partner to do so or do a self- portrait with a mirror. There’s no restriction, you may draw it in any art form. We will gather all the work and share comments and feedbacks anonymously next class! Again, this is just for fun! No score would be counted!” [[Continue]]

You remember about the teacher's desk full of sci-fi and fantasy books, and you feel really inclined to talk to the dude. You apporach him as everyone is leaving and packing up. You ask him about the various book series he owns and if he plays any games. "I'm really not too much of a gamer now, but you're interested in these silly books? Well, I can't deny a students yearning for learning. I'm happy to see a student come up to me for some recommendation for reading!" You can't help but feel better that you got the chance to notice this small detail. Its nice to meet a dude that looks eye to eye with ya. Welp better rush to Art class. [[Go to Art Class]]

You know that you are pretty good at Art, especially in sketching. Yet, you never tried to draw a real model in person… you look around and you see [[Tommy]] sitting at the back of the room alone. Do you want to go over there and invite him to your group? [[Yes]] Feeling brave today are you? Let’s see how long that lasts. (INTELLECT -1, TRUSTWORTHINESS -1) [[Work Alone (Self-portrait]] Yea, everyone will think you are a weirdo who is forever alone and pathetic (INTERESTINGNESS -2)

Tommy is a guy who always chooses to sit at the back of the room. He often wears the same plain outfit and wears big black glasses. He is quiet; you often see him alone during Art class. In some sense, you feel like you and him have so many things in common but you don’t know since you two haven't spoken before. [[Back->Continue]]

“Hi, there!” you say. He gently greets you and smiles back at you. “Do you have a partner yet? Would you be my partner?” you ask and he says yes. It’s kind of awkward but at least you did your best today to talk to someone. [[Start Drawing]]

You are able to draw freely now. What a relief for not over caring how other thinks about you… [[Start Drawing]]

[[Done]]

“30 minutes is over… everyone should be finishing their work now!” You are done with your drawing just right at the time. Some classmates are wandering around. There’s two classmates looking at your work and whispering behind you. You don’t know what they are they talking about. You feel like they are judging and criticizing your work. You do not feel good at all. Your heart is pounding hard. Do you want to: [[Ask them to leave]] Rude and disrespectful (TRUSTWORTHINESS - 2) [[Open your work and ask for advice]] This is too embarrassing… (INTELLECTUAL -2) [[Do nothing]] You will feel worse… (INTERLLECTUAL -1,INTRERSTINGNESS -1)

*They glance at you and walk away* . You do not feel good, neither do they. You gain more enemies now and probably they will spread rumors on you. Suddenly, there’s too many negative scenes popping up in your head and you cannot just clear up your mind. “Help!” You scream in your mind. You want to run out of here and hide in the bed and never face anyone again. Still, you have one last class to go. [[Go to Interactive Media Class]]

“Well, I like your work. How could you do that within 30 minutes?” You don’t know what to say at that moment since you've never received a complement on your artwork before. You keep silent and they walk away. Well, another voice from your head tells you that it is not true. They might only be trying to be nice. But, why would they want to be nice to you? What do they want? Still, you have one last class to go. [[Go to Interactive Media Class]]

You want them to leave but you are too scared to say a word. You don’t want to be judged and rejected the same time. Yet, you cannot do anything. You are too scared. Your heart is pounding hard and you are holding your breath. “Help…” You scream loud in your mind…. You want to run out of here and hide in the bed and never face anyone again. Still, you have one last class to go. [[Go to Interactive Media Class]]

Your stomach twists around in knots as you approach the door to your Interactive Media class. This is the class that you've been worrying about all day. You knew you were no good at presenting; that's why you chose the last possible day to present. But you know what they say, ask not for whom the bell tolls and all that. [[TWIST THE KNOB]]

You open the door and are met with a familiar sight: rows upon rows of seats with, like, fifteen people in the front. You sigh and move to the middle of the room to join your groupmates. [[Alexa]] is sitting to your left, and [[Michael]] is sitting to your right. Alexa leans over. "Okay," she whispers, "everyone remember where they're starting and ending?" Shit. You don't remember exactly where your slides start. Alexa is the business end of the group. There's no way she's not going to give you a hard time about this. [["Uh, yeah, I remember." (wing it)]] [["No, actually, could you remind me?" (admit you forgot)]]

You're glad that points are handed out equally, because otherwise, Alexa would've gotten about 80% of them. She's the one that was always bugging you guys to work on the project (even though it didn't really happen until last night) and giving you all a hard time when your slides didn't meet her expectations. You feel like she probably made the presentation a lot better, but... Damn. [[Go back->TWIST THE KNOB]]

<<set $reminded = "false">> Alexa smiles. "Okay, good. I think we're up in a couple minutes." Great. The teacher walks up to the front of the room. "Okay," he says, "to start us off today, on the topic of transmedia storytelling, we have a presentation by Alexa Simmons, Nathan Redmond, and Michael Fredericks." It feels like there's a knife in your gut when the teacher mentions your name. You walk to the front like a prisoner to the gallows as your groupmates flank you on both sides. Alexa is walking with an air of confidence, and Michael seems to be pushing new bounds of carelessness with his gait. You're pretty sure your walk looks like a toddler continuously falling uphill. As you reach the front of the class, one thought permeates the panic in your mind: What kind of class has a presentation on the first day of the semester? [[PREPARE YOUR SOUL]]

<<set $reminded = "true">> Alexa groans. "Oh my god, you told me you memorized that last night." You did tell her. You didn't memorize it. Alexa speaks to you in the tone of a mother chastising her child for pissing on the floor. "You go right after Michael does the slide about appealing to different audiences. It's not hard to remember." Jesus, you feel embarrassed. Alexa looks back toward the front of the room. "Sounds like we're all good. I think we're up in a couple minutes." Great. The teacher walks up to the front of the room. "Okay," he says, "to start us off today, on the topic of transmedia storytelling, we have a presentation by Alexa Simmons, Nathan Redmond, and Michael Fredericks." It feels like there's a knife in your gut when the teacher mentions your name. You walk to the front like a prisoner to the gallows as your groupmates flank you on both sides. Alexa is walking with an air of confidence, and Michael seems to be pushing new bounds of carelessness with his gait. You're pretty sure your walk looks like a toddler continuously falling uphill. As you reach the front of the class, one thought permeates the panic in your mind: What kind of class has a presentation on the first day of the semester? [[PREPARE YOUR SOUL]]

You feel like you would've liked Michael better if you didn't have to work with him. He showed up late to your big work-a-thon last night, barely put anything on his slides, and is currently in the process of madly scribbling down his notes for the presentation. Aside from his problems with laziness and procrastination, he seems like a pretty good dude. He's laid-back, fun to be around, and genuinely pretty funny. That being said, at the moment, you kind of want to punch him. [[Go back->TWIST THE KNOB]]

Alexa starts talking. "Hey everyone. I'm Alexa." "I'm Michael." [["I'm Nathan."]]

Alexa picks up from that. "And we're here to talk to you about transmedia. No, it's not the act of using movies to get from home to school." No one laughs at that. She clears her throat. "Anyway, the way it works is that..." Alexa continues giving the presentation. You realize you're just staring at her. Is that what you're supposed to do during a presentation? Stare at the person who's talking? [[YES IT IS (continue staring at Alexa)]] [[NO, PROBABLY NOT (stare at the board instead)]] [[NO, DEFINITELY NOT (stare at the audience)]]

This feels weird, but you think it's proper presentation etiquette, so who are you to question the PowerPoint gods? She's pausing before she makes each point, as if she's waiting for the audience to chime in. Is she waiting for a response? She seems almost taken aback when no one in the audience reacts. Of course, these aren't obvious signs. Something just seems off in her face. Michael starts talking. Oh God, you're up in a bit. [[FOCUS]]

No, staring at the presenter would be weird. What if they looked back? Were you supposed to look away when that happened? Too many factors. The board is better. Alexa's slides are very well put together. The combination of font and color give off an air of professionalism, but not of corporate soullessness. It looks like she must have spent an hour picking out fonts. Each page is only up for about a minute. Why bother? Michael starts talking. Oh God, you're up in a bit. [[FOCUS]]

You're supposed to be facing toward the audience, and it would look awkward having your head craned over to look at the screen. You guess the proper thing to do is look out into the audience. You notice immediately that no one seems to be paying attention. Everyone stares up at the screen with glassy eyes, some half-closed. One kid has his head on his desk. You feel a little annoyed. Your group put all of this work into their presentation; the least they could do is watch the damn thing. They don't seem to notice when Alexa pauses as if to invite them to chime in. She waits for a couple seconds, then continues on, albeit a little shakily. Eventually, she stops and Michael takes over. Oh God, you're up in a bit. [[FOCUS]]

Okay, you just have to remember when you start. When was it? <<if $reminded is "true">>Right! It's just after Michael stops talking about appealing to audiences. You have a little bit before that happens. You relax a little. Not much, but a little. Okay, Michael's stopped talking. Time to go.<<endif>><<nobr>> <<endnobr>><<if $reminded is "false">>Oh, God. When was it? You knew last night, but you can't remember what it is right now. Okay, think. Is it after he talks about Star Wars? Wait, you're talking about Star Wars. Shit. You're getting the presenters mixed up. If you're talking about Star Wars, who's talking about Pokemon? Oh wait, that's also you. WHAT THE HELL ARE THE OTHERS TALKING ABOUT!? You tune back in to your surroundings and realize that it's completely silent. You look up at the board and see that one of your slides is up there. Guess that answers that. You hope you weren't zoned out for too long, but you can gather from the people around you that it was long enough to be awkward. (CONFIDENCE -7)<<endif>> [[PRESENT]]

You start talking about Star Wars. The words you've rehearsed in your head fly out almost automatically. You talk about the movies, the games, the books, all of the stuff that's now non-canon because Disney wiped it from the universe, everything Star Wars-related that exists in the realm of merchandising. But how do you end it off? [[MAKE A DUMB JOKE]] [[ASK FOR QUESTIONS]] [[MOVE ON WITHOUT A WORD]]

"And now let's move to a galaxy not so far, far away." Damn. You can feel the air get colder after that one. "Okay, so... Pokemon." You talk about Pokemon. You talk about the games, the TV shows, the manga, everything. It feels too similar to the last slide. You feel like you're just repeating your points. Someone raises their hand. It's Dave. [[CALL ON DAVE]]

"Okay, any questions?" Silence. Absolute silence. How long do you wait for someone to ask a question before you move on? Someone could be considering whether or not they should ask their question. You don't want to take that away from them. But you shouldn't wait too long either. That completely stops the presentation, and flow is very important to this kind of presentation. You wait about five seconds. The silence is so thick that if you tried to cut it with a knife it would bounce off. You move on to the Pokemon slide. "Okay, so... Pokemon." You talk about Pokemon. You talk about the games, the TV shows, the manga, everything. It feels too similar to the last slide. You feel like you're just repeating your points. This time, when the slide is done, someone raises their hand. It's Dave. [[CALL ON DAVE]]

You immediately switch over to the next slide. The transition is jarring, but it gets the job done. "Okay, so... Pokemon." You talk about Pokemon. You talk about the games, the TV shows, the manga, everything. It feels too similar to the last slide. You feel like you're just repeating your points. When you're done talking about the slide, someone raises their hand. It's Dave. [[CALL ON DAVE]]

"Yeah?" You say, pointing to Dave. Dave looks up at the board. "Don't you think it could be a little much? Like, someone who likes to see everything in a series might look at one of those transmedia series' and go 'oh, that's too much'?" You've never even considered that. Oh, no. Oh, NO. This isn't even a farfetched question. It's something pretty standard. Nevertheless, you never even considered that that kind of thing could be a problem. How could you never have considered that? Everyone else probably has. Your mind races to come up with an answer, but it's drawing a complete blank. You have no idea how to respond. [[TRY TO IMPROVISE AN ANSWER]] [[TRY TO DUCK THE QUESTION]] [[COME CLEAN]]

It's at this moment that you feel incredibly glad you didn't sign up for improv class. <<set $out = "improv">> This is because you're now almost certain that you would fail it miserably. Your answer starts off going into an experience you had with Pokemon as a ten year-old, veers into how you got into Doctor Who in eight grade, jumps around in the realm of various marketing campaigns you saw on Steam, then pile-drives its way into the Republican National Convention. You have absolutely no clue how you got from each topic to the next, but somehow, you did. Silence fills the room after your answer. You feel like you just sentenced someone to death. (LIKEABILITY -5) There's no way anyone thinks you knew anything about what you were talking about. (TRUSTWORTHINESS -7) There's no way you're getting a decent grade on this. (CONFIDENCE -15) "Okay, anyone... else?" Alexa asks. No one has any other questions. You slink back to your seat and put your head down. [[WAIT FOR CLASS TO END]]

Your ducking skills are about on par with Franz Ferdinand's. <<set $out = "duck">> You try to redirect the question by talking about your experiences with Pokemon at a young age, but the question does a 180 and comes right back at you. Dave isn't buying it. "Okay, but couldn't that be a problem for someone else?" Your mind is still a blank. You stand there until a weak "I... guess?" sputters out from between your lips. An uncomfortable silence falls around you like a wool comforter made of spiders. You glance down at the ground and back up at the group of people, and see that most of them still aren't paying attention. This is a small comfort, but unfortunately, you have the teacher's full attention. (RESPECT -5) The teacher clears his throat. "I think what Nathan is trying to say here is that while this is a concern with transmedia storytelling, most writers will try to..." You heave a sigh of disappointment. It never looks good when the teacher has to save you. (INTELLIGENCE -7) Aside from all that, it's very obvious you just tried to duck the question to save your hide. (TRUSTWORTHINESS -15) You slink back to your seat. You look down at your desk. [[WAIT FOR CLASS TO END]]

They say it takes a big man to admit his mistakes. <<set $out = "confess">> You think "they" must be liars, because you haven't felt this small in months. You say that you never considered that, and you don't say anything else. Silence like no other hangs over the room as you glance around. You take some solace in the fact that Dave and two other people seem to be the only ones paying any attention. Unfortunately, one of those other people is the teacher. (CONFIDENCE -5) Your mind races. You hope someone else will say something. Fortunately for you, the teacher clears his throat and starts speaking. "This is a concern with transmedia storytelling, but ultimately, many companies will structure their stories so that..." It's never good when the teacher has to jump in to answer a question you can't. You stand there awkwardly as he explains what you know you should have been able to. You're pretty sure that if anyone thought you knew what you were doing in this class, they certainly don't now. (INTELLIGENCE -7) The teacher finishes talking and Alexa speaks up. "Okay, any other questions?" There aren't. You slink back to your desk with the rest of your group. You look down at the table. [[WAIT FOR CLASS TO END]]

The rest of the class is agonizingly long. When it's finally over, you almost heave a sigh of relief. You grab your things and start to leave the classroom. On your way out, you notice that Alexa is just sitting there and looking at her desk. You're not sure what it means, and you're not sure if you should care. More than anything, you just want to go home. [[ASK ALEXA IF SHE'S OKAY]] [[LEAVE]]

You quickly walk out the door and stare straight ahead as you make a beeline for the front doors of the school Behind you you hear a voice. "Nathan!" You glance behind you and see Dave running up with a stupid grin on his face. <<if $out is "improv">>"What the hell kind of answer was that back there, man?"<<endif>><<if $out is "duck">>"Glad to hear you liked Pokemon, but what did that have to do with anything?"<<endif>><<if $out is "confess">>"Dude, how could you not have thought of that?"<<endif>> You can tell he's doing what he thinks is "joking around." You can tell he's just trying to be affable. You know you shouldn't be bothered by what he's saying. But you are. You really are. [[TELL HIM YOU'VE HAD A ROUGH DAY AND DON'T APPRECIATE HIS JOKE]] [[TRY TO GO ALONG WITH THE JOKE]] [[LEAVE WITHOUT A WORD]] [["Fuck you."]]

You've had enough. <<set $insulted = "false">> You keep walking, picking up the pace so Dave lags behind you, just trying to make your way to the door. You just don't feel like you can deal with him today. You hear a voice behind you. "Dude, wait." [[BE DAVE]]

"Just... fuck you." <<set $insulted = "true">> You leave it at that and walk away. (LIKEABILITY -20) You pick up the pace, hoping to leave Dave in your tracks, and head for the door. You hear a voice behind you. "Dude, wait." [[BE DAVE]]

Here's a quick brief: Your name is Dave Ryman. You are 17 years old and currently a junior at Broadside High School in Western Washington. You have a couple of friends at school, but you get the impression that most people don't really like you. You've been trying to make friends with this kid named [[Nathan]] recently, but you're starting to get the impression that he doesn't really like you either. [[TRY TO APOLOGIZE]]

Nathan's a pretty interesting dude. You have Interactive Media class with him. He seems to like a lot of the same things you do: video games, movies, <<if $shirt is "dinosaur">>dinosaurs, <<endif>>and the like. His presentation didn't go too well today, and you felt like he could use some cheering up, so you tried cracking a joke, as you usually do. It didn't go too well. [[TRY TO APOLOGIZE]]

"Dude, wait." Nathan turns around a little, and looks at you with a tired<<if $insulted is "true">>, slightly spiteful<<endif>> expression. You try to explain. "Look, I was just trying to make a joke. You looked like you'd had a rough time, and I felt kinda bad for being the one to ask the question, so I wanted to cheer you up." Nathan looks at you skeptically. There's no way he believes you. (TRUSTWORTHINESS -5) [[BE NATHAN]]

He was trying to cheer you up? That's pretty thoughtful, even if the execution was a little poorly thought-out. You're starting to think that maybe Dave isn't such an asshole after all. [[BE DAVE AGAIN]]

He must think you're a complete asshole. (LIKEABILITY -10) "Anyway," you say, "it was a good presentation, even with what... happened... at the end." Even if he believed what you said before, even you wouldn't believe that. (TRUSTWORTHINESS -5) (LIKEABILITY -10) [[BE NATHAN AGAIN]]

You don't think he meant that, but he's obviously trying to make you feel better. "Thanks, man," you say. "It's just been a rough day. <<if $insulted is "true">>I'm really sorry I snapped at you.<<endif>><<if $insulted is "false">>I'm sorry I walked away like that.<<endif>> I just felt like I had to get out of here, you know?" You think Dave may understand. [[BE DAVE ONCE MORE]]

You understand. "Well," you say, "I won't keep you then. See you in class tomorrow." You walk away. It sounds like he might not want to talk to you any more right now, so you figure you should leave him alone. You walk to your locker to pick up the rest of your stuff. [[SWITCH BACK TO NATHAN]]

You're not sure, but you think you may have made a friend. Well, that was your day, for better or for worse. You brought all your stuff to all your classes, so you don't need to go back to your locker. You walk out the door and start to [[HEAD HOME->Heading Home]].

Theres not really too mch mingling going on in class, they all seem very new to eachother. Most seem to be looking at all the supplementary Cliche posters that teachers put on the walls to support you. You're also just trying to distract yourself from the others with them. Maybe thats their real purpose? Though you can see that there are a couple people talking already. You really hope that theres going to be some people to talk to. [[Back->English Class Intro]]

As you leave school, you can't help but feel some relief, but also some remorse. There have been many interactions with people, but did they really turn out the best that they could have? You wonder if this will stick out for the rest of the year. You can't but feel so uninteresting that you turn everyone off of you by talking to them. You just seem so untrustworthy that Dave might as well be picking on you for being that guy. Though you can see now that he is not such a bad guy at all. You can't help but act like a child, so people outright can't see you as a real person to converse with. You're not as smart as you used to be in middle school; how can you work with people that are much better than you? It indeed is a wonderful world for many, some, not for others. Are you an other? Or someone lost? Maybe a extrovert will pick you up and adopt you. Maybe- [[Pick yourself up dude, Its done->Home]]

Moving has always been a common thing for you to go through. Your parents have always had trouble finding a good, stable home that wouldn't go up in price. With all the moving ever since you were a kid, how would you have been able to find any sort of social circle or build any childhood connection with anyone? You hope that this doesn't hold itself to your little sister who is just getting situated as the role model of her class. With the recent promotion your parents got, they've been able to have you settle in one highschool for once. Although you don't really have any childhood friends, You do have a feeling it could turn out for the better... [[Back->Home]]

You can't help but appreciate the little cat you have at home that is your sister. She has a really bubbly personality, and you can't help but find the joy in her squishy cheeks. She's also a rising artist due to the work you've been doing at school. She seems to be inspired mainly by you and even looks up to you for help at school. She can be clingy, but you can't help but have her around, even if things get a little rough sometimes. [[Back->Home]]

You haven't dabbled much into cooking that would make you one of the best 5-star chefs, but you definitely know what most people don't know. You learned how to cook after taking up a low-wage job as help at a Cafe. The chef there was friendly enough to pique your interest as you watched him cook soup, work the knife on the cutting board, and put together some of the best sandwiches you have ever tasted. After a while, you took an interest in cooking, and the chef was happy enough to provide his teachings and recipes to you. You've been taking this as a hobby for several months now, and have developed a good sense of how much salt would be needed in a omelette, and that feta cheese goes really well with a bunch of veggies and anything else with it. Maybe you'll cook something tonight? Angel really loves your chicken salad sandwiches. [[Back->Home]]

You swiftly dodge the attack, but she notices your movement, and quickly does a counter-dodge and lunges at you. You are defeated. "Yayyy! Brother is home," she shouts as she buries her face into your chest. You can't help but feel some joy. She is your blood. You guys get up, and you decide to head to your room to vent a bit. Angel goes onto her room to get homework done. [[Enter your lair->Your Room]]

You know its unavoidable because she is a relentless force, but you prepare for the force of cuteness coming towards you at a deft pace. "Rawrrrrr!" she cries out as she plunges into your arms. You feel the force of a loaded shopping cart onto you, and can't help but let it happen. You fall down and she jumps off happily, and leaves to go to her room, leaving you on the ground bewildered. She has always been like that, chasing after prey and playing with it. [[Enter your lair->Your Room]]

As Angel lunges toward you, you stop her instantly by holding her forehead with the palm of your hand, making her wave her arms towards you. How the weak fall under the mighty... "Budder! Why won't you let me hug you!" she says with a pouty face. "I'm tired at the moment and need to play video-games, young one. Let me regenerate my energy." You're not really in the mood for a little wrestle with her, but you'll probably find some time later. She begrudgingly walks away and heads into her room. [[Enter your lair->Your Room]]

You reach your home. You forget your thoughts for a bit, as you roll up to a [[little 2-story home->When did you move?]] in the suburbs. The house is a nice shade of beige, with white paint covering the outlines of the windows. Those contractors must have done a nice job, huh? You go through the side door to the garage, instead of the front door. Home is usually quiet; Mom and Dad are often at work, and your [[little sister->Angel]] Angel stays over at Grandma's when the house is empty. How lucky are you to live next to her? The place is clean as usual, though you probably tear up the [[kitchen->a Rising Chef?]] a bit when you get to dinner. At least when your little sister isn't home. "Budder! Where is my budder?" You hear a high-pitched cutesy voice. You can't help but look over to the hallway where your little sister is running towards you for a hug. Today has been a rough day, but for her... [[Dodge her attack!]] [[BRACE FOR IMPACT!]] [[Hold your hand out and stop her]]

As you head into your room, you find the usual place without any changes. You find your room's walls plastered with many posters of videogames, comics, and even the occasional Anime. Some of these you were able to get signed at conventions. You find your shelfs filled with books of various fantasies and series. You even have some figurines that you collected over the years from your parents. The bed you sleep on is pretty sturdy; its not a Tempur-Pedic, but who cares about the mattress if you don't have a sturdy bed? Though... You did wish you didn't have clothes strewn about in the room, and "the pile" that you got our clothes from this morning. Hope no one finds themselves in here. Though, the real jewel in your room is your gaming computer. You managed to save up enough money over the years and buy some of the best components from 3 years ago. Amazing that PC's can last so long and can hold their power through so many generations of videogames. Well... time to login! <<if $PornHub is "Yes">> [[Turn on your PC, check out what that greaser was looking at...->What is this?!]] <<endif>> <<if $GameHub is "Yes">> [[Turn on your PC, check out what that nerd was looking at...->An okay community?!]] <<endif>> [[Turn on your PC, and start up Insurgency->Game time!]]

So you decided to look up Pornhub.com from when you saw the greaser's phone... What you find is a very...embarrassing site... You found something that you've never have realized you needed until you have found it. You... you... Angel then bursts into your room. "Budder! I need help with something!" You find yourself ducking to close the tab off of the window. She looks in confusion, but you can't help but just tell her to go do her homework and you'll be there in a bit. She heads out with a pouty face. You think it's time to play some video games... [[Start up Insurgency...just.. later alright?->Game time!]]

You find yourself among a community of League of Legends players who not only built a website about League of Legends and it's strategies with characters, but a selective group of people whom you could meet up at school! Including that nerdy guy you met in class. [[Start up Insurgency...just.. later alright?->Game time!]]

This game, Insurgency, has recently been your favorite game. It's a very tactical, fast-paced, and somewhat realistic shooter that you found from a Kickstarter ad. THe developers have been working hard on the game, and you can't help but be part of the development of a game, even if you're just a player. You join your usual server, and you're greeted by a few members of the community. You can't help but feel light-hearted from the welcome. Theres Ichimo, Duckie-Kun, ItakitoXD, and even DarkMage, who is not on as much as you guys. The whole crew is here. You all have a lovely chat about how the course of development for the game is going. Ichimo is a foreign student from another highschool in the states, who likes the game, but hates the use of explosives. Duckie is a dude that seems to have attracted a lot of attention to himself; you think he might be a jock or something. he isn't much of the tactical type, but loves to run in with C4 or an IED in hand. Itakito's usually helpless, but you enjoy his conversations with the others. DarkMage is some college dude that seems to like the companionship of a few youngsters, and he is pretty chill so far with the shenanigans you pull in your games. The match starts, and you all rush towards the objective. There are 2 objectives total in this map, with a final needing to be blown up. Its a very open map, and there is a specific chokepoint that you need to cover with a smoke grenade. [[You throw some smokes down to cover the street->Tactical decision!!!]]

As you cover the chokepoint with smoke, you find that enemies are confused and are not sure where to shoot. Your friends pass by and as you watch the smoke for any daring enemies, Ichimo gives you some recognition over the comms. "Nice job JorKon! I can't seem to find the perfect way to push this map before, I'll definitely try this smoke next time we get this map." You definitely feel a little smart about yourself there... As you push onto the objective, you can't help but hear the enemy team closing in on the building. Grenades are being thrown in, but you rush out of the room and out to... [[Flank the enemy!->a bold move!]]

You go around the objective to where the enemy seems to have set up a defense; they haven't noticed you yet, and so you sneak around and gun down almost about half the team. You then get stabbed in the back by some guy who's carrying some ridiculous loadout of only a souped up pistol... How embarassing.. "Thanks for the assitance Jorkon! That was a pretty confident move trying to get behind them! I wouldn't even dare to do that!" You hear from Duckie. You can't help but feel more confident in yourself. Your team manages to cap the objective in time before the next wave of enemys were able to come near. You can't help but hear the cheers from your team's communications, some even congratulating you for your effort on pushing the enemy back away from contesting the objective. You feel slightly more respected. You look forward to the next objective, but this next one is even harder than the last. The buildings surrounding the objective seem to have snipers in all the windows. The team is all disorganized, but you have found a way through the smokes. [[This can work!->Building trust!]]

You can't help but put out some orders for the team to follow. You repeatedly tell them that the team needs smokes to make a wall of smoke along the buildings, blinding the snipers and creating a direct path to the objective! After a couple of waves of friendlies wasted, people actually start throwing some smokes, and to your surprise the plan is working! You are able to bring the front to the objective, and some friendlies are already heading inside and clearing it out! "Thats something I don't see everyday, kid." a gruff voice you hear. Why, it's Darkmage! "Thats some nice work there being a leader. I almost doubted your plan there, but hey, it worked out, didn't it? Hope I can trust you later!" He heads off to push on to the final objective. Are you actually someone a person can trust? You doubt that thought, maybe you can be something to others. You snap back to the game. The second objective is taken, and your allies cheer once more. This map is usually defense-sided, but you're helping turn the odds! You head towards the final objective. It's pretty difficult with the bottle necks that lead into it. Truly a very defense map. Bullets are hailing from the other side of these bottlenecks. Duckie dies in front of you, but he has not used his C4 that was in his kit. You pick it up, and see an opening leading onto the other side of the wall. You run foward, jump, and throw the C4 through the narrow hole of the wall. It slides through... [[Press that Detonator->A decisive, likable victory!]]

That C4 you throw wipes out the other side of the wall. a quarter of the enemy team yell through server chat of hacks. You can't help but be at awe for getting the team through on its last wave. You all cap the objective, and someone plants another C4 charge, ending the match. Everyone heavily congratulates you for your efforts, chanting your username. You feel like you're welcome here. You hear your mom call for you and your sister to eat. You feel overwhelmed by how well you did and the recognition you got from everyone. You head towards the door. You know today had it's ups and downs, but is it all really today that holds the rest of your image for you? [[Maybe life isn't too bad afterall...->Epilogue and afterthoughts]]

A Twine created by Alexander Jerry Pawloski, David Hudson, and Donna Wong //"A person with social anxiety disorder is afraid that he or she will make mistakes, look bad, and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. The fear may be made worse by a lack of social skills or experience in social situations."//- WebMD on Social Anxiety. Thank you whoever decided to play this twine game. We hope you "enjoyed" the experience of being someone with social anxiety. This was our mix of interpretations of having social anxiety, and how some choices are very weighted by how self-conscious people can be of their personalities, what they like, how they sound, how they look, and how they are perceived by others. Sometimes this stops a person from being able to communicate at all, disconnecting them from the social circles around them, and isolating them from themselves and society. We would like to say that there are some luxuries here that we presented that not everyone with social anxiety has. We presented a character that does have something to look foward to in his connections with his family, even with the hardships that he faces with being disconnected at school. There are other people out there that you can meet, and it only helps to keep trying, even if your confidence is wavering. You will eventually find yourself among a group of people who have the same problems as you, or the people with the same interests. For more information about social anxiety, go to http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-social-anxiety-disorder

<img src= "http://i.imgur.com/BIMRmMS.jpg" width="680" height="984"> [[Read the Exposition of this fabulous Twine!->EXPOSITION]]