Chapter 71: As Good As Any
[Ding!]
[Exclusive Quests Updated!]
⸢Exclusive Quests
› Well, well, well...
└ Aid the academic decathlon team in securing victory – [2 LP]
-
Aiden wasn’t even surprised by the quest, and neither was he surprised by the trolling it was doing considering he’d previously vowed to blitz away at any mention of the decathlon.
Still, his lips twitched in slight amusement as he made his way back to his seat, his head shaking softly as he dismissed the panel.
Though there were a few important details regarding the event he was yet to discuss with Mr. Lazlow, they’d both opted to put it on hold for now in consideration of the class that was about to start.
About an hour later, Aiden stepped out of the class later than the others whom had left fifteen minutes earlier, textbooks in hand as he made his way over to his locker.
Now that his AP class had ended and he’d sorted out the deets with his homeroom teacher, it was time for him to head home.
Returning the books and retrieving his bag, he promptly did, leisurely walking down the halls as he retrieved a little, vintage-looking pocket watch from his pocket to check the time.
He wasn’t halfway through the hallways though when he heard a quiet sob coming from one of the corridors leading up to one of the lesser used staircases in the building.
More than that, the voice itself was familiar, further tugging on Aiden’s curiosity as he branched in.
There, seated on the stairs, was Lizzie, head buried in her palm and tears streaming down her eyes.
Unaware of the youth’s presence, she kept bawling to herself... well that was until he spoke, his tone gentle;
"Hey."
Lizzie’s head instantly snapped up in surprise, the lady quickly wiping her eyes.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected anyone to show up around here, not after most AP Classes had ended and most students had headed home.
Upon seeing that it was Aiden though, her eyes got even more misty, her lips trembling as she went into a new round of sobs.
Judging by the slight redness of her eyes, her flushed complexion, and the fresh tracks of wet tears on her face, this seemed to have begun only a couple minutes ago.
Without saying a thing, Aiden slowly made his way up and sat next to her.
Though he could’ve asked what was going on, he felt it would be a more considerate thing to do if he offered her a form of quiet support.
An honest gesture that only served to make Lizzie bawl even harder.
Quietly, Aiden waited, allowing her to release whatever it was she was dealing with in a safe space.
Roughly five minutes later, after she’d managed to gather herself, she managed to choke out the words;
"My parents are... their getting a divorce..."
Hearing that, Aiden quietly took a deep breath in.
"I... I don’t know what to... I, don’t know how to make them... I don’t want..." Lizzie tried to get out the words, only for her to choke on it every time, beads of tears forming on her eyelids once more.
Through it all, Aiden simply remained quiet.
He wasn’t well equipped for this, and neither did he have the right words to say.
Still, now that he was hearing this, he was starting to piece a lot of things together.
The comment Luke--Lizzie’s little brother--had made a couple months back at Haute Cuisine.
Her gradual evolution from introverted to a rather popular student in her own right.
Heck, even why she’d led him on for so long when she clearly knew that he was interested.
Not that it justified her actions.
Still...
Lizzie was starved for attention... the kind she really couldn’t get from her home anymore.
So... she turned outward, hoping to fill the gaping hole it was leaving in her. Sadly, that was the worst possible coping mechanism she could have turned to.
Once again, Aiden let out a deep breath, this time audibly. Then he spoke, his voice tentative yet empathetic;
"I know this might not be my place to say, but it’s not your fault, Lizzie."
"When all’s said and done, it really isn’t. And I know, that you may be thinking that everything you’ve known if falling apart but it’s not." Aiden turned to face her, his expression genuine.
"But you also don’t have to pretend like it’s not a big deal, because it is," he gestured vaguely with an open palm, then added as she stared at him with reddened eyes, her eyes watering yet again;
"You don’t... have to try to numb your emotions and feelings about it by distracting yourself with other things,"
"And most of all, you have to speak to someone who actually has an idea of what to say next, ’cause I’m not well-equipped in any way, shape, or form for this," Aiden admitted, a light smile forming on his lips.
Lizzie found herself smiling a bit at that, a something between a choked chuckle and a sniffle escaping her.
Then, patting her gently on the back, Aiden said with the warmest and most supportive of smiles;
"See Dr. Kowalski when you can. She’s more than just the woman who sorts out our academic schedules."
"And if you ever need someone else to talk to, I’m just a call away." he added in a further gesture of genuine support.
To that, Lizzie bobbed her head in appreciation with a little sniffle, her ocean-blue irises reflecting something that was more than just that as her feelings unraveled into something new in the moment.
The lady didn’t quite realize it herself... but before she knew what was happening, she found herself leaning over with slightly parted lips.
Aiden on the other hand, picked up on it far faster than she had.
As a result, a light smile touched his lips as he slowly stood up and broke the momentum of things. Then he adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulders and said;
"Trust me, it’s not what you think it is,"
"Especially when you already have someone of your own." he added to give her some more clarity.
A clarity that immediately washed over Lizzie in a tidal wave of embarrassment as evidenced by the way her face flushed a deep shade of red.
"I’ll see you around, Lizzie." Aiden whom had already walked down the stairs waved her goodbye and proceeded to leave the corridor.
As he did, a genuine smile remained plastered on his lips and his heart felt a genuine sense of pride as he let out a relaxed sigh.
Now he was certain. He was completely over the lady that was Lizzie Montgomery.
*
The next four weeks passed by in a blur.
Through it all, Aiden and his buddies had made substantial progress with the videogame, with so many of their ideas incorporated into it.
[Crashout: Sin City] had gone from being just a road-raging arcade style game, to a genuinely solid crime simulator in a vibrant semi open-world map.
Not only had Aiden improved the sim mechanics, but he and Theo had ended up adding several new points of interest on the map in the form of bigger businesses and factories the players could buy to earn money faster.
This in turn would then tie into a liberation of a region, which would offer perks of its own as the story unraveled.
Speaking of story, Casper had completely finalized the story and they were now working towards making the mission structures varied to keep things fresh for players.
At the same time, Clyde, Larry and Benjamin were rounding up the game’s sound design, with only a select few here and there they were yet to touch upon.
All in all, things were coming along smoothly, and all that was really left was working out the kinks, ironing out a few janky parts and playtesting the game themselves from start to finish before they released the polished product for the world to see.
But for now, they all had to press pause on the whole game development so they could prep for their coming exams.
As for Aiden, he had managed to accumulate 3.5LPs over the course of that time.
Which was why, as he was currently seated by his desk, he pulled open his system panel to purchase the skill he’d been vying for.
-
{Video Editing} – [3 LP]
└ Claim using 3 LP?
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A familiar sense of wooziness washed over him briefly and this time, Aiden didn’t bother to comment on it.
A couple seconds after, his senses snapped back into clarity with newfound knowledge equal to that of a professional video editor.
Flipping open his laptop, a palpable excitement on his features, the youth proceeded to begin working on the promotional videos for their game.
Given he himself was bound to be swamped with his academics and the decathlon in the coming weeks, it was a time as good as any to start.