-Sky-

I was surprisingly nervous during the rest of the day at school. I'd never really tried playing video games before, and I was worried I'd only make a fool out of myself. I mean, Max and Troy were popular kids, and I was the lame nerd who got way too excited over squirrels. I'd never fit in, and if I now messed up, they wouldn't want to hang out with me anymore.

Honest to god, I tried not to let my insecurities get the best of me, but my experience of this place so far wasn't that great.

When the last class ended, my nervousness shot through the roof. I did my best to stay calm and not make a fool out of myself right on the spot. We were just playing video games. Just video games. They couldn't harm me. Just make me look like an idiot, but they couldn't harm me.

Besides, they had probably already forgotten that they asked me to come along...

"Ready to go?" Max smiled at me after he and Troy got up from their seats.

"Sure!" I smiled widely and grabbed my books from the desk before trying to follow him.

But he wasn't moving.

"You don't think you forgot something?" he asked with an amused expression on his face.

"Huh?" I turned around and immediately wanted to slap myself. "Just my entire bag..."

"You'd lose your head if it wasn't attached to your shoulders, huh?" Troy chuckled.

"I know right," I groaned as I packed my stuff in the bag. "But I wouldn't be surprised if I lost it, anyway."

They both laughed lightly at my words and checked the table in case I had forgotten anything else before gesturing for me to follow him. I was still super nervous, but this time, I was more excited. I wasn't really into video games, but I'd never tried playing something with friends. It at least sounded like a lot of fun.

"Should I go pick up some games or do you have anything interesting?" Troy asked Max after we left the classroom.

"I think I got some," Max replied slowly and turned to look at me. "Troy has a massive collection, so if there's a specific game you'd like to try, I bet he has it."

"I'm fine with anything," I said. "I really don't know much about games..."

"All right," Troy nodded. "I think Max has a few good ones, so we don't have to make detours."

"You remember what I have?" Max asked.

"Bro, you've gotten them all from me," he smirked.

A moment later, we got on the bus. I mostly just listened in to their conversation because they kept talking about their games and it was like they had started talking in a different language. Especially when Troy started talking about... Specs? Graphics? But for my defense, it seemed like I wasn't the only one who got lost when he used so many technical terms.

But it was fun to watch. He talked about games like I talked about animals.

"Sorry, I got carried away a bit," he chuckled when we exited the bus.

"Nothing new," Max chuckled.

Max's home was just around the corner, and I could see a glimpse of something behind the house as we approached it.

"Is that the treehouse?" I asked in excitement, and Max nodded. "Can I see it? It's huge!"

"Sure," he said with a smile.

"I miss those days when we climbed up there to read comics and eat candy," Troy spoke while we walked around the house to the backyard. "And the sleepovers!"

"A sleepover in a treehouse," I spoke, feeling a jolt of energy passing through me. "That sounds so awesome!"

"You're not wrong," Troy chuckled, stepped around the corner, and stopped. "There it is."

I stopped as well and stared at the building with wide eyes. When Max said a treehouse, I'd pictured a little platform with raggedy walls, but it was so much better than what I'd ever seen!

The house was sitting between two old white oaks maybe ten or twelve feet above the ground with a narrow staircase leading up to it, and it was supported by thick wooden columns in each corner. The house itself was made of dark wood that blended in among the branches almost perfectly. It even had glass windows and black tiles as a roof! It looked like an actual house!

"That is so cool," I breathed out, stepping closer.

I started spotting a lot more details as we walked across the big yard. Wooden railings carved by hand. A cute little garden right below it with a fountain and marble benches. Old lanterns hanging from branches here and there. A small balcony on the back with two tiny chairs. Curtains in the windows.

"We really should have another sleepover here," Troy spoke quietly when we stopped at the bottom of the staircase.

"You did this yourself?" I breathed out, turning to look at Max.

"With quite a lot of help, yeah," Max said, but with pride in his voice.

"You need to let me go have a look," I begged him, turning my eyes back up to the windows. "It's so cool!"

"Sure thing," Max chuckled, and they both followed me at a slower pace when I dashed up the stairs.

I wasn't sure why, but seeing that the front door had a lock on it made me even giddier. It was like an actual house where people lived!

Max stopped next to me and searched for the keys while I peered around. The trees were so old and so thick I couldn't see much of the neighboring buildings. Almost as if we were in the middle of the forest, not in the suburbs.

Max opened the door, and I hurried in, and my giddiness got even worse. I doubted there was electricity or running water, but I could see myself living in it permanently.

I mean, it was gorgeous! I didn't even know what to look at first! The tilted ceiling that was a few feet above our heads, made of a lighter shade of wood and decorated with darker beams? Or the seating area with lush armchairs with big blankets and tiny little tables that were carved to look like trees next to them? Or the small kitchen corner with a tall counter for eating with a couple of barstools next to it? Or the wall at the back that was made of rough stones? Or the shelves and pictures and decorations and books and all the other things that were hanging from the walls?

"This is so cool," I breathed out again, trying to take it all in.

I noticed a decorative wall that reached to my chest, carved to make it look like a forest. Behind that wall was a big cabinet and a square platform around fifteen inches above the floor, with one step leading up to it.

"What's that?" I asked, thinking it was for some kind of performances.

"That's for futons. Beds," Max explained, walking to a dark-wood cabinet in the corner. There were two big mattresses rolled inside.

"Can I move here?" I asked, peering out the window, not seeing anything behind the leaves.

"Sure," he chuckled.

"Man, we should have a movie night soon," Troy said, looking at the complexity that was the house with tenderness in his eyes.

"Movie night?" I repeated, trying not to get too excited because chances were that I wasn't invited. "You get electricity up here?"

"Sadly, no. At least yet," Max chuckled. "We need to get the electricity from the house, but it's no big deal."

"Did I already tell you how awesome this is?" I asked, looking around. "I'm so jealous."

"Me too," Troy chuckled. "Remember that one week we stayed up here and your mom had to bring our food in here because we refused to come down?"

"I do, yeah," Max chuckled.

"She was so nice about it, too," Troy murmured, walking to the seating area. "Damn, I really miss those times."

"Me too," Max sighed.

I really wanted to start begging for a movie night – preferably a whole week – but I was still practically a stranger to them. I was lucky enough to even be able to hang out with them, so I forced myself to keep my mouth shut.

It really was a shame when we left the house and headed to the real one. Video games seemed far less exciting now, but I did my best not to show that. Once we reached the corner of the house, I turned to look at the treehouse again. It looked so magical... The yard itself was really nice too, but the house really stole the attention.

"Don't worry," Max spoke, gaining my attention, "we'll have that movie night soon."

I nearly exploded, but somehow managed to contain myself for long enough to ask, "Am I invited?"

"Of course," Max smiled.

And then the explosion happened.

"Oh-my-god-yes-please-I-really-want-to-it's-going-to-be-so-awesome!" I practically yelled and hugged him shortly before remembering I was supposed to be a cool kid now. "I mean..." I blushed hard as I backed away from him. "Cool."

He – and Troy – just laughed at my excitement and patted my back. "It really is going to be fun."

"Yup! We'll haul the TV up and order pizza and eat tons of candy," Troy said, and I was happy to see he wasn't any less excited, making me feel better for my outburst. "I honestly can't wait!"

It was going to be so awesome!

"We could play games there, too," Max said, and it was now Troy who hugged him.

"Yesss!"

No one was home when we stepped in. I found it interesting and cute that the house itself had a lot of the same interior design going on as the treehouse. There were a lot of handmade things, like the kitchen table and a big bookcase I spotted in the living room. And there were a lot of decorations about famous buildings. I spotted a forest of Eiffel Towers on a small table in the corner of a hallway that led to the stairs, for example.

But it was still nothing compared to Max's room. There were so many buildings, and not just on the walls. He had several models all around the room.

"If I didn't know you wanted to become an architect, I would now," I smirked.

"I wonder why," he chuckled. "You can leave your stuff here. My parents are coming home late so we can have the living room all for ourselves for the day."

I left my bag by the couch and turned to look at the two of them standing next to one of the bookcases. They were going through the games Max had, and I partly tuned out of their conversation. It was quite odd to be there. As I looked around the room, I couldn't help but feel happy to be there instead of having to spend the day alone.

"Do you like scary games?" Troy asked me, showing something with zombies on it.

"Me? No," I said, shivering from the thought of it. "I try to avoid everything scary, especially if I'm going to camp alone. I have a little too wild imagination."

Max's expression turned into a sour one, and he took all the scary games off the pile. "Now it's not the bears I'm worried about," he muttered.

"Aww, are you afraid of the dark?" Troy chuckled.

"Why don't you play one of the Resi games and then go camp in the woods," Max told him.

"Pass," Troy snickered. "Are car racing games better?" he turned to ask me.

I shrugged.

"You know what we should play?" Max asked, pulling one of the games from the pile. "This one."

"Ohh good idea!" Troy said after he saw the cover, and Max gave it to me.

"Detroit: Become Human," I read out loud.

"I never finished playing it," Max said, earning a disgusted look from Troy, but he ignored it. "It's set in the future and you get to play three different androids, and you have to choose what they do, and your decisions will affect the outcome of the story."

"Okay," I said slowly.

"You can play it and we can make the decisions together," Max suggested. "It's really fun – it's like an interactive story. I'm sure you'll like it."

"W-Why me?" I said, starting to worry again.

"You said you don't have much experience in games, and this is a really good game for beginners," Max said reassuringly. "Come – you'll see what I mean."

A moment later we entered the living room, carrying snacks and drinks and the game in our hands. I immediately spotted a massive beanbag chair in the corner and immediately wanted one.

"Can I sit in that?" I asked, and Max nodded.

I went to pull it in front of the couch, where Max was getting settled down. Troy started up the game and then gave me the controller and explained shortly how to use it. I tried to memorize everything, though he assured me I'd learn quickly.

But before I could start playing, I had a short moment of internal giddiness over the beanbag chair. I loved it! The second I sat down, I just fell in love with it. It was so comfy and nice and cool. I really wanted one.

"How do I start the game?" I asked, forcing my attention off the chair to see the TV.

There was a woman staring at me, and for a short moment I thought she was an actual human, and not part of the game. She looked... worried. She was acting like she was checking out the living room, which kind of creeped me out a little.

Especially when she suddenly started talking, saying she really liked the interior decorating.

"Am I supposed to be creeped out?" I asked, retreating deeper into the chair.

They chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, this game isn't creepy at all," Max promised, patting my shoulder.

His words and his touch gave me courage, and I turned to look at her again. "Okay, what do I need to do now?"

"Select New Story."

The game looked so realistic. I was really amazed! Last time I played anything, I could count the pixels, but this... This game really looked pretty.

"You're not in a hurry so you might want to learn how to move the character before continuing," Troy advised, and I did as he said.

"Did you see that table back there? Go to it and pick up the photograph."

"H-How...?" I asked, struggling a bit.

"Follow the instructions of that tutorial – that picture in the corner – yeah exactly. Move the stick up – good," Max spoke.

"Okay, I think I get it now," I said.

"Take your time," he said.

I turned the character around again and spotted something on the floor.

"Aww, poor fish," I murmured when the character walked closer to a broken fish tank.

"I knew you'd be worried over the fish," Max said. "You can save it! Just follow the tutorial."

"A dwarf gourami," I said excitedly. "The details are so good!"

"Yup!"

I struggled a bit at first, but the tutorials were godsend. I was slowly getting used to the controller and started paying more attention to the game. It was so pretty... And I liked the slow beginning. Max was right, this seemed perfect for a beginner like me.

The story really pulled me in, and it was really fun to make the decisions together with Max and Troy. I really hoped they were having fun, too... I felt bad for hogging the controller, but when I tried to give them a turn, they told me to keep playing.

"We are technically playing as well," Max said reassuringly. "We're just making you do all the work," he added with a smirk.

"Right," I chuckled, and turned my attention back to the game.

This really was fun. The game was great, too, but I was just really happy to spend time with both of them. I really wished they'd accept me as their friend, but at least for now everything seemed to be going well!

I really had a good feeling about this. Especially when Troy started another giant lecture on game design. Even though I didn't understand any of it, it made me feel good about myself. It was just really nice to see someone else geeking over their favorite things and not be the only odd one out.

I just really had a good feeling about everything.