It's a mad, mad, world

“Nah, I’m definitely not one of the cool kids.” Seth said with a smile. He didn’t consider himself cool and he didn’t have as many friends as she probably assumed he did. “Do you want to be cool? Not that you’re not cool, but you seem to have a different definition to cool than I do.” Seth listened as she spoke and nodded. “Well, let’s teach you how to play then. Want to head over to the arcade?” He would have offered to go to his place and play some of his games but he had only just met her and had no idea how she would react to that. His gaze moved down to the oxygen tank and then back up at her. He didn’t know if he was supposed to act differently now, he didn’t feel the need to though. “You can still like sports and play them… just on video games instead of in real life. Don’t they always say to not let our ‘weaknesses define us’ or some shit like that?”

“What is your definition of cool?”  She was curious now, moreso than she had been before.  She looked up at him.  Was he really inviting her to hang out with him?  To go to the arcade and play video games.  “I.. Oh.. I don’t know.  You sure you want to be seen hanging out with me..”  She giggled a little, just a small teasing giggle, not one that said he was foolish for thinking she would.  Cause she wanted to.  “Sure.  I don’t see any harm in going to play video games.”  She smiled when he talked about weaknesses.  “Oh I don’t let them define me.  I dance.. a little anyways.”

“With the cool kids?” He asked raising a brow and letting out a chuckle. “Is it because ‘all the cool kids, they seem to fit in’” Seth asked with a smirk as he said the lyrics to a song his sister loved. “Being cool is overrated.” He added. “Too many people for your liking?” That was the reason why he was there too after all. “You watched but you didn’t join them? You have to actually play to really enjoy the games.” Seth explained. “Soccer, football, baseball and basketball. Do you play sports?”

“Somethings like that..”  She smiled at him.  “Is it really?  I thought that everyone liked being cool.”  She nodded.  “Yeah, I’m not exactly the type to join in for a lot of reasons.  As for the games, it was a one player.. I want to learn to play honestly.”  She listened as he spoke about the sports he plays.  “Well you see.. there’s a lot people don’t know about me.  Sports are kind of.. out of the question for me…”  She smiled at him and pulled out the top of her air tank.  She didn’t know how much she could tell him.  “I have cystic fibrosis… Sports aren’t a thing I could do.. even if I wanted.  And my abilities.. only.. make me sick if I grant too big of a wish.”

Seth leaned back against the bookshelf as she spoke to get comfortable. “Going down to the lake is always fun, though a lot more people are out there now that the days are so warm.” It wasn’t like he didn’t like being around people, it was just that there were a lot more people out that you hardly had room to really enjoy the place. “Is it that obvious that I’m completely lost here?” He chuckled. “I like to play video games, play sports, train and just hang out with friends.” he shrugged.

“It’s not that you are completely lost or anything, you just seem more like the type to be out an about with the cool kids.”  She laughed softly looking at him.  “Ah, yes.. the amount of people out by the lake is precisely why I’m hiding in here and not out there with them.”  She gave him a smile.  “I watched another friend of mine play a video game.. it seemed fun.”  She nodded.  “What sport do you play?”

He had actually read both books that she mentioned and had watched the films too, in fact he had watched the films first thinking he could do his book report off of them, he couldn’t. “Those are actually really good books.” He said. “So other than reading, what more do you like to do?” 

“I like to hang out down by the lake.  I write sometimes, mostly I just keep to myself or a few friends that I have.”  She smiled at him.  “What about you?  What do you like to do?”  She found him intriguing and a good conversationalist.  “I mean, I don’t think you are the type to spent all your time cooped up in the library.

“It a pleasure to meet you.” Seth said with a smile on his lips as he shook her hand. 

Reading can do that you… kinda teleport you to a different place… era even.” He said still smiling. I usually do the video games but every once in a while I do pick out a book, which one is your favorite?”

“Oh goodness.. my favorite..”  She had to think about that for a few moments.  “I mean.. that would be like trying to pick out your favorite star in the night sky.. or to name your favorite animal.”  She laughed a little, lightly letting go of his hand.  “I guess I could have to say the one I’ve connected with the most is either The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or Pride and Prejudice.”

“Fuck” Seth took his hand to his chest. “I thought you were a ghost, don’t scare me like that.” He teased.

“If I were a ghost,”, Ryan chuckled as he swatted the hand away, “do you think I would haunt you? But how cool it would be if you could say I have a friend that’s a ghost”. 

“You don’t have to, but if you insist.” He said with a smile. Seth took a step back to give the girl room to stand up. He looked down at the book in his hand to make sure that it was the one he wanted, it was. 

Seth chuckled at her words and nodded in agreement with her. “I am definitely not a regular here, I take it you are?” He asked raising a brow slightly. “I like reading but everything is so quiet here.” Seth explained. “I’m Seth Sutton, by the way.”

“Cadence.. Hendricks.”  She smiled at him.  “It’s nice to meet you Seth.”  She extended her hand to him.  That was after all the polite thing to do right.  Isn’t that what people did when they met.

“Yeah.. I’m here.. pretty regularly.  Here or over at the bookstore.  Not to mention the ton of books I have in my room.”  She laughed a little.  “I like to read too.  It helps me to feel like for the short time those pages are in my hands, that nothing else really matters.  That I am outside of this place.”

Reading can do that you... kinda teleport you to a different place... era even.” He said still smiling. I usually do the video games but every once in a while I do pick out a book, which one is your favorite?”