We were in my house, the late sun slanting through the window. Leonard was sprawled on the bean bag, legs crossed, typing away on his laptop, while I was sitting at my desk chair, spinning absently as we talked.
Alex had cello lessons today, so she couldn't come over after school. I'd sent her a quick text—"Good luck! Don't break any strings"—and she'd replied with a laughing emoji and a "Miss you already." Josh had bailed the moment he realized Leonard and I were just doing "coding and nerd shit," as he called it. So it was just the two of us, hashing out the details of our new company.
After a lot of back and forth, we finally landed on a name. The list of rejects was long—Reedhoff, Quantum Quokkas, Byte Knights, Hoodamers, and about a dozen more—but in the end, 'Pixel Forge' just felt right. It sounded like a place where cool things were made, not just by us, but by anyone we brought onto the team.
Leonard pumped his fist. "Pixel Forge. That's it. That's the one."
I grinned. "Agreed"
We pulled up the state business registration site and, after a few minutes of filling out forms and double-checking spelling, officially registered the company. I hit submit and we high-fived, both of us grinning like idiots.
"Dude, we're actually business owners now," Leonard said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yeah, and with a name that doesn't sound like a pharmaceutical company," I shot back.
Leonard laughed. "Or a German vacuum cleaner."
We both cracked up, the tension of decision-making finally melting away.
Now that the online part was done, there was some paperwork that I'd have to do in person for us to be able to hire people under our business name and we need a lawyer to put that ten percent share in leonard's name.
Luckily, I already had the number of Mitchell Pritchett—Alex's uncle, the lawyer—thanks to a little help from her. I told Leonard, "I'll handle the legal stuff with Alex's uncle. He's supposed to give us a discount in the name of my girlfriend"
Leonard nodded, already opening a spreadsheet. "I'll start scouting for talent. There's this girl from my summer camp, she's better at coding than me, and that's saying something. I'll reach out to her and see if she's interested."
"Good," I said. "Test her skills. We need the best."
Leonard packed up his laptop, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. "I gotta bounce. Text me if anything comes up."
"Will do. And thanks for today, man."
He grinned. "No problem, boss. See you tomorrow."
As soon as Leonard left, I grabbed my phone and dialed Mitchell's number. He picked up on the second ring.
"Hello, this is Mitchell Pritchett."
"Hi, I'm Lucas. I got your number from Alex," I said, trying to sound as professional as possible.
"Oh, Alex's friend! Or… boyfriend?" he said, his tone shifting, curiosity peeking through. Maybe Alex already told him about me. Yeah I can actually see that happening.
"Yeah, she's my girlfriend," I replied, not bothering to hide the pride in my voice.
There was a pause, then a delighted, "Really? Alex got a boyfriend? That's fantastic! I mean, I always thought she'd end up with a cello or a stack of textbooks, but this is much better."
I laughed, instantly liking the guy. "Yeah, she's pretty great."
"So, what's up? Alex said you needed help with some company paperwork?"
I explained the situation, outlining what we'd done online and what was left. Mitchell listened patiently, then said, "I don't usually do this kind of work, but if it's for Alex, I'll make an exception. Let's meet tomorrow at the registration office. I'll prep the documents—you won't have to do much except sign and answer a few questions."
"Thank you, Mr. Pritchett. Seriously, I appreciate it."
"Of course! And please, call me Mitchell, not Mr. Pritchett. That's my dad. Looking forward to meeting you, Lucas."
"Same here."
We hung up, and I felt a wave of relief. Having a pro on my side made the whole thing feel more real—and a lot less stressful.
With the legal stuff in motion, I turned my attention to my other obsession: skill books. I'd ordered a bunch online, but they wouldn't arrive for a few days. No way was I waiting that long. I headed to the nearest bookstore and loaded up: fifteen books on chess (openings, grandmaster games, endgame tactics, and even one autobiography), plus two each for guitar and piano. The cashier gave me a weird look as I staggered out with my haul, but whatever—I was on a mission.
Back at home, I lined up the books on my desk and got to work. The first five chess books vanished as soon as I touched them, absorbed straight into my brain. The rush was incredible—like plugging my mind into a supercomputer. I could feel new strategies and patterns slotting into place, my understanding of the game deepening with every page.
Next, I cracked open the guitar book. I read it the old-fashioned way, flipping pages and taking notes. Then I pulled up a YouTube tutorial and started practicing. No pick, just my fingers, which quickly turned red and sore. But I kept at it, determined to push through. After three hours, I could actually play a nursery rhyme—badly, but recognizably. My guitar skill level ticked up to 21. Not bad for a day's work.
I was honestly shocked. I knew leveling skills was easier at the start, but this felt different. Maybe my higher WIS stat was boosting my learning speed, or maybe I was just naturally gifted like I was with chess. I decided to test it with piano next.
After dinner with my parents—who didn't mind my new musical obsession as long as I kept the volume reasonable—I sat down at the keyboard. Three hours later, my piano skill was at 23. My hypothesis was correct that WIS increased talent. The patterns were starting to make sense, and I realized that music, at its core, was just another language. The more I practiced, the more fluent I became. Maybe, just maybe, I could master an instrument a day if I kept this up.
Just as I was packing up for the night, my phone buzzed. Alex was calling.
"Hey, you," I answered, instantly smiling.
"Hey," she replied, but I could hear something off in her voice. We talked for a while but I could sense that Alex was not feeling good today. So I asked her.
"What's going on? Tell me."
She hesitated but I insisted she tell me , then she sighed. "It's Debbie. I tried to talk to her today—just to say hi, you know, be friendly. She glared at me and said, 'We're not friends, go away.' It was…awkward."
I sighed, already expecting something like that. "I'm sorry, Alex. Debbie's just… going through some stuff. Don't worry she is a good girl and she won't harm you."
Alex was quiet for a moment, then said, "Is it because of you? Like, does she…like you?"
I hesitated, then decided to be honest. "Yeah. She's had a crush on me for a while. I ignored it. I didn't realize how much it was until recently."
Alex was silent for a second, then I heard her smile through the phone. "That actually makes sense. She was looking at me like I'd stolen her puppy."
I chuckled. "You didn't do anything wrong. She just needs time to adjust to our relationship and then everything will be okay"
"Okay," Alex said, her voice lighter now. "Thanks for telling me. I just didn't want things to be weird."
"They'll settle down. Debbie's a good person. She just needs time."
We talked for a while after that—about our days, about music, about everything from geopolitics to how her dad still hadn't fixed the stairs. She listened when I talked, really listened, and she made me laugh. I realized, not for the first time, how lucky I was to have her. She is really not like other girls who are more superficial and gossipy.
After we hung up, I lay in bed, thinking about everything. I was learning more about Alex every day, especially after being with her. Usually, people get to know each other first and then take things further, but for us, it was the opposite. And somehow, it worked.
As I drifted off to sleep, my mind circled back to Debbie. I knew I'd have to face that situation sooner or later. For now, I decided to give her space. If things didn't change, I'd talk to her directly. But tonight, I felt good. The company was official, my skills were leveling up, and Alex was mine. Everything else, I could handle.
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AN: Be a loyal minion and gimme the power stones or else I will attack with brutal cliffhangers.
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