When someone says "I'd rather be at school than here," then you know that something's horribly wrong.

That being said, I'd rather be at school than here.

In all seriousness, on a Monday, I'd rather be in school. As awful as Monday is, running around in gym and having my brain thrown into a meat grinder in Algebra, I'd seriously choose it over laying in bed, sick as all hell with strep throat. It wasn't worth it. I'd be grateful for a cold, maybe, but this was not worth it. I felt like my throat was being boiled in lava, and not to mention how hard it was to eat. The only positive outcome in this, perhaps, is that I'm allowed to play on my laptop while I writhe in agony on my bed.

That was all I'd had the energy to do, since I slept for about 17 hours from Sunday to Monday and my body refused to accept any more rest. Careful not to jostle around too much, I eased the laptop onto my lap and arranged my pillows to where I could sit up without difficulty. I opened the laptop, booted it up, and set to the amazing world of the internet, going between games, role-playing, and art browsing. Finally, after brief consideration of whether or not people cared, I opened up Facebook and clicked the status bar.

sick. strep throat. dying. send help. pls. - feeling sick :dead:

I goofed around on Facebook for awhile, playing minor, time-wasting games and chatting with a bunch of family sending me "get well" messages. It wasn't much, but the sympathy made me feel loved. I was just about to exit out of the tab, my eyes happened to flit down to the task bar, where Notepad was opened. I dug through my tired mind but I couldn't remember opening it myself. With a little caution, I clicked it and the document spread across my screen.

hey bb i heard you got hella sic and i was gonna ask if u were ok :0

This was...weird. Very weird. How the hell? I mean, if it were Skype or something, I wouldn't be shocked, but anything written on Notepad should only be accessible from MY computer, so whoever wrote this had to have done it from my computer. Unless they planted it here, which seems much more likely. I began to type a response into the document, hoping that was how I was meant to respond.

Hi, yeah, how did you access notepad?

I watched the screen for a few moments, and I watched as the response was typed. It was slow, as if they were taking extra care to make sure they spelled everything right, or that they were saying the right thing in the first place.

well i saw ur status on fb and i wantd to chat but i got nervous cuz i wanted to b anonymos so i kinda hacked ur comp :'''( sorry

*anoymous
*not me

Uh-huh. Right. Someone who was stalking me on facebook saw my status, so they hacked my computer to comfort me under an anonymous identity. Sounds about right. I should just take this all in stride and accept fate. Mhm. Yep.

Riiiiight. You hack my laptop just to tell me to get well soon? Did you really think that'd be a good idea?

not really but i srsly wanted to talk 2 u

As I thought to type a response, they continued, but their typing manner turned much more serious.

I kno this is really weird to the MAX of the weirdness scales so if you want me to leave I can do that.

Well, they seemed to be sincere, almost brutally so. Of course, thecorrect course of action would be to tell them to get lost and recheck my firewalls. But, if I was being honest with myself, I was lonely. All my friends were in school, so all I had was family who had no interest in me besides their pity sayings. So, against all thought and good reason, I typed out my response.

Whatever, you can stay, but you have to tell me your name.

I tapped my fingers on the keyboard, and after a few seconds, I got my response.

i cant tell u :'''( im in some of ur calsses so you would kno its me

*casses
*asses
*lol

I chuckled a little bit, rubbing the sweat off my forehead.

Well, you can't stay if I don't know your name.

I waited, and they quickly typed a response which was, as expected, riddled with typos.

ok ok i xnat tell you btu you can cll me tipsy beucasue my pesterchum name is tipsynstallgic donnt make me leave pls

...Repeat that?

i cant tell you my name but my pesterchum is tipsygnostalgic so u can call me tipsy

Well, THAT made a lot more sense. They were obviously very inclined to stay, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and typed.

Alright Tipsy, how about you get out of my computer and I'll add you on pesterchum, eh?

The response was simple, but immediate.

:3

Quickly, I clicked the close button on Notepad and opened up pesterchum instead, typing tipsyGnostalgic into the search bar. It popped up, the name in bright pink text, and almost as soon as I clicked "add chum" it was accepted and a chat opened up.

-tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering chumHandle [CH]-

TG: hi :3
CH: Hi Tipsy c:
CH: So, since you can't tell me your name, can you tell me a little about yourself?
TG: oh yeah
TG: im a boy im 6teen and im cute af ;3
CH: *eyerolll*
CH: I bet you are. I'm guessing you know me if you've seen my facebook.
CH: Wait actually.
CH: If you're in my classes, how are you messaging me right now? Aren't you in school?
TG: yea but i was in tech so i just kinda used some tech WIZARDRY and got on fb from there
TG: but rn im headin to gym and i can just chill bhind the bleachrs and message u on my phone.
CH: You do that a lot?
TG: hell YES i do gym class sux :^P

I was trying to gather what I could from what he was telling me. First, he was on my friends list on Facebook, but I added pretty much everyone, so that wasn't helpful. I knew he had gym class with me, since I would be going to gym at this time too, and he hid behind the bleachers a bunch. But if that was the case, that'd probably mean I didn't even see him in that class, meaning I was right back where I started. Clueless. Continuing on my Sherlock Holmes journey, I continued to be completely not obvious as I questioned him.

CH: So you're good with computers, huh?
TG: u know it
TG: ive been told i hav mad haxxor skillz
TG: yknow who said that
TG: me :3
CH: Do you have my computers class with me?
TG: nope
TG: im in adv tech

That hardly narrowed anything down.

CH: Hey Tipsy...
CH: Why were you so concerned with wanting to talk to me?
TG: what do u mean :^?
CH: Like, when I posted my status and all.
CH: Why couldn't you have just said "Get Better" without hacking into my computer?
TG: oh
TG: well
TG: ive been like super hella nervous to talk 2 you in school and whatev
TG: so i kinda saw this as an oppurtunty
TG: oppurrtunity :33333
TG: to try and say hi
TG: and that i kinda like u :/0

I felt my face heat up, and it wasn't from a fever. This advanced tech boy just hacked into my computer to tell me he likes me? If I didn't get to know him in the little time I did, that would've been the pinnacle of creepy stalker behavior. But, after talking with him for a bit, that just...didn't seem like Tipsy. It was probably more shyness than anything, like he said. Of course, I couldn't just say I liked him back, I didn't even know who he was.

CH: You like me? o 0 o
TG: kinda
TG: and by kinda i mean hell yes i do
TG: its weird bcuz i kno ur all KINDS of wacked out by this but
TG: id be v happy if u gave me a chance
TG: to prove it and that stuffs
TG: /watch?v=QOngRDVtEQI

I chuckled as I clicked the link, noticing how well the song seemed to fit him. He was like that head-over-heels in love fool you see in movies. It was precious.

CH: Well, of course.
TG: huh
CH: Of course you get a chance!
TG: omg
TG: omg omg omg thank u i promis i wont let you down
TG: i mean ive never done this kidn of sutff before but sitll ill try
TG: oh wait tho
TG: u said you were sick with strep rite
CH: Mhm.
TG: hold up
TG: but like dont actully hold the up key just w8

I sat there, still smiling from how adorable he was being about the whole thing. After a couple minutes, he popped back in the chat.

TG: 2012/09/11/natural-remedies-for-strep-throat/
TG:
TG: oral-health/tc/strep-throat-home-treatment
TG: oral-health/tc/strep-throat-treatment-overview
TG: oral-health/understanding-strep-throat-treatment

One after another, he pasted them in our chat until it was filled with remedies and treatments for my illness. I felt that familiar heat in my face again, creeping from my cheeks throughout my whole face.

CH: Aw, you're too sweet!
TG: but u have to get better super speed x4 fast forward quick
TG: bcuz i miss u in class already 3:
CH: Aww

I don't know why I put the heart there, but I guess it was there now. I didn't really have time to question my own actions, because my Mom opened the door with my antibiotics for the strep. One hastily typed farewell later, I was gulping down two pills and laying back down to rest. But now, with how excited I was, I doubt I'd fall asleep.

Days were passing quickly, ever since I met Tipsy. Well, as we grew closer, he began to let me call him R, or even Ro-Lal. These would've been vital clues to me before, but now I hardly cared about discovering who he was. I could worry about that when I got better, and that time was approaching quickly. I could sit up without the assistance of pillows, I could speak, albeit hoarsely, and most importantly, I could stay up without naps to speak with Ro-Lal.

It was odd, at first, thinking I could befriend someone who hacked into my laptop. But that just seemed...well, silly, now that I've really gotten to know him. I haven't shared an ounce of physical interaction with this boy (that I know of) and I still find that I can chat with him as if we were childhood friends. I wouldn't be ashamed to say it if I was asked; I've grown to love this pink text on my computer screen, but I love the person behind it even more.

As we opened up to each other, we began to grow comfortable with each other. I was less wary about his anonymity, and he stopped correcting his typos, and allowed himself to speak freely and quickly, without fretting over every error. In the short week we spoke, we grew attached like we were this close our whole lives. We spoke during school and after, and when he had more than just his phone, we goofed off on the internet, doing whatever we pleased.

Some of the time, we just chatted about ourselves, and sometimes we played games together over Steam or otherwise. But every time I asked him for a picture of himself, he'd deny me every time. I figured it might be because he thought himself unattractive, but the more obvious reason would be that he didn't want me to recognize him. That'd make the most sense, but it still didn't stop me from bothering him about it.

That, however, was also pretty far from my mind, because I could see for myself tomorrow. My mother had finally deemed me healthy enough to go back to school, and tomorrow was Friday, so I could go in the last day of the week and see my mystery boy in person. I didn't want to scare him away, so I didn't tell him, deciding he wouldn't avoid school if he didn't know I was coming in. His initial shyness made it to where I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to avoid me in person after our chats. Keeping it in the back of my mind, I opened up pesterchum and clicked his name.

-chumHandle [CH] began pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]-
CH: Ro-Lalllllllll
CH: Laying in bed all day sucks :C
TG: gurl
TG: im spendin my percious time in class doin fukin work
TG: and u complain about layin in bed
TG: thats like if u were this queen (which u are btw)
TG: and im this vilager
TG: and im sittin here eatin this moldy cheese
TG: and u just like
TG: ugh this cavier and fresh lobster asses are MAD nasty
TG: rite in my peasant face
TG: im OFFNEDED
CH: Sorry hun, but at least you're doing something.
CH: All I can do is just sit here and fuck around on my computer.
TG: psh
TG: PSH
TG: i wish i was alowed 2 do that
CH: No you don't.
CH: My legs feel like jelly X(
TG: that means u need 2 get BETTAR
TG: so i can see ur pretty face again ;3
CH: Aww, you're such a sweetie, Ro-Lal.
TG: shit
TG: teacher cauhgt me on my phone
TG: ttyl bb
-tipsyGnostalgic [TG] went idle!-

I laughed quietly, careful not to strain my fragile throat. Our day of meeting was tomorrow, and only one of us knew it. I was so excited I could hardly handle it, but I kept myself contained for tomorrow. I didn't want to wear myself sick again and have to wait until Monday. So, I just opened up a gaming website and waited for another message from Ro-Lal, excited for what was soon to come.

All my excitement and confidence drained away to anxiety the second I stepped into Gym class the next day. I tugged on my gym uniform standard shorts and shuffled around aimlessly as everyone else filed in from the locker rooms. The gym teachers liked to take up as few periods in the day as possible, so there were no less than 4 classes in gym at a time. With all these people running, playing sports, and goofing off, how was I ever supposed to find Ro-Lal?

I tried to stand on the bleacher step and look over the throng of people, seeing if I could find him. Of course, it occurred to me only a second later that I had no idea what to look for. He never gave me a single detail about himself, other than that he was "cute af ;3" and that he was 16. With all the 16 year old cute guys in here, I had serious doubts I could find the Hacker Extraordinaire among them. I dug through my mind, trying to find any clues as to where my Tipsy Gnostalgic was. It clicked, and I looked behind me.

The bleachers.

I jumped off the bottom step, running around the side and looking in the space between the outstretched bleachers and the wall. Sure enough, there was a boy standing with his back turned to me, his blonde hair puffed up and his gym shirt tightly fitting his surprisingly muscular frame. For being a hacker who spent most of his time on the computer, he had some decent muscle on him. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was holding a phone, and the most brilliant idea known to man popped up in my head. I whipped out my own phone, ever grateful that it was on silent, and pulled up pesterchum.

-chumHandle [CH] began pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]-

CH: Hey, Ro-Lal!

I watched as he visibly jolted, shoulders hunched up and a small "squee" erupting from his mouth. Damn, he was cute.

TG: hey gurl
TG: u still boohooin in ur bed while im in gym
TG: workin my BUTT off
TG: and its a gr8 butt btw
TG: gyms makin me lose my butt

I resisted the urge to laugh, looking over my phone at his butt. I could confirm, it WAS pretty nice.

CH: I don't think you're working your butt off.
TG: what do u mean
TG: my butt is on the floor rite now
TG: and i am weeping
TG: the loss was tragic
CH: Turn around.

I lowered my phone just in time to see him freeze in place, hand covering his mouth. Quickly, he spun around on his heel, and I was greeted with a pair of insanely bright pink eyes, not unlike his text. I gasped quietly, my own eyes widening as I recognized my online sweetheart.

"Rory?" I asked, sure to keep my voice down. He covered his mouth, obviously still in too much shock to answer me. Rory Lalonde, one of the most popular boys in the school, known for throwing the most legendary parties on this side of the Earth, was my secret admirer? I mimicked his actions, throwing my hands up to cover my mouth in shock. We stood there for a second, not saying anything, before he leaned forward and took my hands in his, a shy smile covering his usually confident face.

"Hi babe," he said simply before closing the distance between us and claiming my lips as his. The kiss was sweet, gentle, and a little shy; all the things I came to love about my Ro-Lal. It lasted for a little while, before we finally parted our lips, and he smiled at me again. We just stared into each others eyes, silently appreciating each other, before I spoke.

"Now I REALLY wish you would've sent me that picture."