I wake up to the shrill beeping of my digital alarm clock, its red numbers burning into my retinas: Wednesday, March 20, 2030, 7:00 AM. I reach out to slap the snooze button, and that's when the pain hits.
Every. Single. Muscle. In. My. Body. Is. Screaming.
"Oh god," I groan, my voice coming out like a dying walrus. "Did I get hit by a truck? Did someone beat me with a baseball bat while I was sleeping? Is this what death feels like?"
Then it clicks. The workout from yesterday. I'm just feeling muscle soreness.
"This sucks," I mutter, staring at a water stain (that looks suspiciously like Abraham Lincoln) on my ceiling like it has personally betrayed me. "People willingly go through this? Multiple times a week? For fun?"
The jocks at school suddenly make even less sense than they did yesterday.
I roll onto my side with all the grace of a beached whale, each movement sending fresh waves of agony through my arms and legs. My abs, or well, the general area where abs would theoretically exist if I had them, feel like they're on fire. After what feels like an hour but was actually just thirty seconds, I manage to sit up.
"Okay," I say to my empty room, because talking to myself is totally normal and not at all a sign that I'm losing it. "Please let yesterday be real. Please don't tell me it was just some weird fever dream about a magical system that's going to fix my life."
I take a deep breath and think the command: System.
The familiar translucent blue interface materializes in front of me, and I feel my face split into a grin that probably looks completely unhinged. It's real. It's actually real.
My eyes immediately dart to the quest menu.
Available Quests:
Acne Begone! Get a skincare routine! - [1 Evolution Point]
Workout II - Electric Boogaloo - [2 Evolution Points]
Be an Active Participant in Class! - [3 Evolution Points]
Make a Friend! Reach out and make your first friend at school! (Sisters don't count!) - [5 Evolution Points]
Find a Part-Time Job! Must be service-related! (One month minimum) - [10 Evolution Points]
"Yes!" I pump my fist, then immediately regret it as my shoulder muscles start yelling at me. "Ow. Worth it, though."
The workout quest from yesterday has changed. I mentally click on it, and a more detailed description pops up:
Workout II
Description: Often, it's easy to gain a quick burst of motivation and work on something for a day. However, as with many things in life, working out a single day won't change you significantly. So, let's make working out a habit!
Quest Details: Workout for 5 days in a row!
Quest Progress: 0/5 workouts in a row
Quest Rewards: 2 Evolution Points
Five days in a row. I look down at my body, which currently feels like it's been through a meat grinder, and try to imagine doing this four more times consecutively.
"I'm going to die," I announce to no one. "This is how I die. Not in a sudden act of heroism, pushing a woman out of the way from an oncoming truck. No, I'm going to die from five consecutive days of the world's saddest workout routine."
…Two evolution points, though.
I shake my head. Future Adam can worry about that. Present Adam needs to investigate these other quests.
I click on the skincare one next.
Acne Begone!
Description:You have a bad case of acne! No worries, let's do our best to get rid of that! Develop a skincare routine! Best case scenario, you'll have beautiful, flawless skin. Worst case scenario, you still have acne, but your skin gets healthier. Win-win!
Quest Details: Get a skincare routine and try it out once.
Quest Progress:
1/1 skincare routine created
0/1 skincare routine tried
Quest Rewards: 1 Evolution Point
"Oh," I say, touching my face self-consciously. "I have to actually try the routine. That's why I didn't get a point yesterday."
The Emezon delivery should arrive sometime today. So, I make a mental note to finish this quest tonight after school.
My eyes drift to the other quests, and my stomach does a little flip. The social ones. My worst nightmare.
"Hmm," I muse, eyeing them like they're live grenades. "Either be an active participant in class or make my first friend?"
Both options sound absolutely horrific, but I'm already here, so I might as well see what I'm in for. I click on the participation quest first.
Be an Active Participant in Class!
Description:Drawing attention to yourself can be nerve-wracking. But your education is important, and even if you think you're getting everything you can out of school, sometimes, participating will teach you far more than just memorizing the curriculum!
Quest Details: Answer three questions in class, ask three questions in class
Quest Progress:
0/3 questions answered
0/3 questions asked
Quest Rewards: 3 Evolution Points
Three points. That's... significant. But the thought of raising my hand in class, of having everyone turn to look at me, of potentially saying something stupid in front of a hundred people...
My hands are already starting to sweat.
I force myself to click on the friend quest, even though I'm pretty sure I already know it's going to be worse.
Make a Friend!
Description: This can be a hard task, but often, difficult things are equally rewarding! "Friend" is quite a vague term, technically, any two people who like each other are "friends." For your first friend, let's go for something simple! Introduce yourself to someone, learn their name, eat lunch with them, get their contact information, and, most importantly, genuinely enjoy their company!
Quest Details:
Introduce yourself to someone new
Learn their name
Share a meal together
Exchange contact information
Enjoy your time with them!
Quest Progress:
Introductions made: 0/1
Names learned: 0/1
Meals shared: 0/1
Contact info exchanged: 0/1
Quality time enjoyed: 0/1
Quest Rewards: 5 Evolution Points
Five. Evolution. Points.
That's five times what I got yesterday. Half an inch added to my... ahem... length. But it's also everything I've been avoiding for the past four years of high school.
I've tried my best to stay invisible for so long. Being invisible means being safe. Being invisible means Jack Richardson forgets I exist for days at a time. Being invisible means I don't embarrass myself in front of people who already think I'm a loser.
And now I'm supposed to actively announce my presence? Walk up to someone and just... talk to them? Sit next to them at lunch like it's no big deal?
My chest feels tight just thinking about it.
The chatbox suddenly appears at the bottom of my vision, accompanied by a cheerful little ding.
"You can do it! 🥳🥳🥳"
I snort despite my anxiety. "Thanks, but that's not much help."
Still, I feel a tiny bit better. It's nice to have someone, something? cheering me on, even if it is an overly enthusiastic AI that lives in my head.
I take a deep breath and haul myself out of bed, every muscle protesting the movement. I shuffle over to my computer and wake it up, the screen glowing to life in the dim morning light filtering through my curtains.
"Okay," I mutter, opening a browser. "Let's see what the internet has to say about this."
I type in: How to participate in class for shy high school students
The articles don't help at all. The top results basically boil down to: take a deep breath to ground yourself, make small goals like aiming to participate once per week, and start at your own pace.
"Wow, revolutionary," I deadpan at my screen. "To participate in class, I have to participate?"
Still, the advice about starting small isn't terrible. Maybe I can find classes where no one's really paying attention and just slip in a question or answer when it's safe. Mr. Adams's English class, maybe? He's always so focused on the material that half the class zones out anyway.
Next search: How to make friends if you're shy
The results are... mixed. Lots of generic advice about "just being yourself" and "putting yourself out there," which is about as helpful as telling a drowning person to "just swim." But I scroll through a few articles anyway, looking for anything concrete.
I end up actually find some marginally useful tips:
- Have friendly body language
- Use conversation starters like "Did you finish the homework?"
- Look for friendly people who seem kind to everyone
- Don't think of silence as awkward
- Find common interests
That seems... fine, I guess. Doable, in theory. In practice? We'll see if I spontaneously combust from social anxiety first.
I glance at the contact information requirement. Selene forced me to make a Quickgram account last year, telling me that I was being "too much of a hermit" and needing to "join the modern world." I barely use it, but at least I have it. That's one less thing to stress about.
I'm still staring at my screen, psyching myself up for what's going to be either the best or worst day of my high school career, when I hear a knock at my door.
"Adam?" My mom's voice filters through the wood, warm and concerned. "Sweetie, are you up? You're usually on your computer by now."
Busted.