The wind in the teenager's hair felt cool, her sweatshirt's hood falling off as she skated over a large hill. Elizabeth had woken up and gone straight to using her old hoverboard. This made her mother ecstatic as she hadn't used it in months.

But the teenager wanted to show the older woman that she was serious about what they had previously discussed. She had stumbled at first when hopping onto the board as it was hovering off the pavement.

Her legs wobbled and she swore that she was going to tumble off. Thankfully, her muscle memory kicked in so the teenager found herself cruising with ease. With a huge grin on her face, the girl flew through her busy neighborhood.

There were plenty of people out as the holiday season was still going. Huge clumps of calculated mothers, diddle-daddling fathers, and snot-nosed kids surrounded her like moths to a flame. Her heart was pumping from the immense social anxiety growing in her belly and she tried not to let it ruin the moment.

The teenager was going to enjoy her time outside of her house and get herself a nice meal to eat. She was going to grab a meaty burger with her shaking hands and take a huge chomp out of its juicy meat.

Let the ketchup slather all over her face and drip down her chin till she was a mess. Her mind soon became full of fantasies of delicious fast food that would make her body shake from the amount of grease within it.

Elizabeth had spent the night talking to her guildmates out of the game, explaining her circumstances. They had made a group chat so this made communicating within four time zones easier.

Yuki was adamant she followed her mother's advice about getting an in-person therapist. There existed virtual therapy systems that multiple people used but the teenager needed real-life stimulation for her issues.

Talking to a photo-realistic program powered by thousands of lines of code wouldn't solve anything. The masked woman was pretty helpful and understood a lot of where her mother was coming from.

Probably due to the fact of her age and her own family life. Jake was also supportive as he shared he used to go to therapy as a child.

He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and his parents were unsure how to handle it. They were worried that he would face relentless teasing from his classmates at the private tech school he attended. So, they had him start therapy and the proper medication.

With his support system and coping mechanisms, he realized he didn't care about others' opinions of him. He had grown confident in himself and found people who understood him. The slight bullying he got over being a scholarship student who had some quirks went on deaf ears.

Jake told her that he knew that not everyone could tune out bitter words and insults directed their way. But he would always be there as a friend as long as the teenager wanted. Because of this the man and Yuki quickly became the people who she talked to the most out of the game.

Selene was busy with school but made sure to send her a supportive direct message that morning. The fox told her that she could take time off from the guild if she needed to.

“Everyone gets how you're feeling and we will always support you. Being a high schooler was hell for me so I can only imagine how it is for you.” The college student sent her this message an hour prior with some heart emotes.

The teenager was grateful for the love and made sure to tell her guild mates that she'd make her choice soon. She just needed to take some days to think it all over. Her hoverboard stopped, its LED lights beeping red as she hit the brakes and powered it down.

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She had arrived at the restaurant she had spent an hour looking up the night before and was impressed. It was built to be an adult version of an arcade with a bar, VR stations, and a boatload of pizza. The smell of cheese, carbonated juice, and candy wafted out into her nose.

As the teenager walked over with her hoverboard under her arm, she was momentarily blinded by bright lights. The property was a wonderland of overstimulation with huge, beaming lamps and loud music playing. Built-in mega speakers blasted in her ears as she stepped into the mysterious place.

A guy with a buzzcut that was partially dyed blue stood at a desk at the entrance. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a bright green name tag that told her he was the host. He saw her and grinned. “Welcome to the Shack!”

She felt whiplash from how calm and monotone his voice was. His bright eyes and stylized appearance were out of character. But she wasn't here to judge the staff but to get a table and eat. “Hi, are there any open seats?”

“For one I am assuming?” He grinned when she nodded and he looked down at a tablet that was attached to his desk. He clicked the screen with his long plastic nails before humming happily. “Come with me, miss!”

The teenager happily followed him into the lion's den that awaited her. She was shocked to see despite its chaotic atmosphere, the place was incredibly neat. The tables had new tablecloths and the carpet was spotless even with the dozens of teenagers eating.

Watercolor blues, pinks, and greens painted the walls giving a homemade aura that made her feel comfortable. The cups looked to be made from scratch with the clay handles being misshapen and uneven. As she walked the man talked her ear off.

Telling her that they had a discount going on where she could get one “mega burger” and “double fry with blue cheese crust” for half off. Elizabeth found that tempting as she walked past multiple tables with enormous servings and huge pitchers.

Girls wearing the restaurant's logos on crop tops and miniskirts served tables with hoverboards guiding them in a gliding motion. It was pretty enchanting to see up close and she nearly tripped from not paying attention. Thankfully, the employee didn't notice and led her over to a table in a corner.

It was snug with a bean bag serving as its seat and a table that was playfully created. “Here you are! A table for yourself!” He gestured for her to sit down with a rose-checked smile on his acne-filled 20-something face.

“Thank you.” The teenager set her things down on the table and sunk into the beanbag. Her body felt like jello from how soft and deep the seat was.

To her surprise, a menu popped up from the table, in the form of a fold-out tablet. She leaned forward with curiosity and asked. “Is this how I order?”

He nodded cheerily and began to explain it all in a sped-up way. “Indeed it is! You just swipe through the options and we'll come out with whatever you choose.” He scratched his head and asked. “Would you like a drink?”

“Yes, please.” Elizabeth didn't know what to get so she just chose the easiest option that every restaurant had. “I'll take a strawberry lemonade.”

The host scurried off to give her order to a kitchen staff member, leaving Elizabeth all alone. The circus of a restaurant was a clown's wet dream and she was hopeful its bright energy could lift her spirits.

Right on time the teenager felt her phone buzz in her backpack and quickly opened it. She needed to put up her hoverboard anyway as she planned to sit after she ate. Her phone was one of those touchscreen flip phones that had a custom case that could split in half.

It was cute and trendy just as everyone else in her age range wanted their tech accessories to be. Her phone screen lit up pink with a cheerful ringtone going off as she turned it on. To her surprise, she saw that not only did she have a ton of notifications but messages.

The teenager's classmates had sent her questions about class and to her absolute pleasure her guild members had given her more loving support. She smiled with a warm feeling blooming right where her acting heart had once been.

The familiar pink teddy bear icon of Yuki's social media account came up and the woman's message came up. It was from a few hours ago but the woman asking if she was doing okay still made her relieved.

The woman had then sent another when she got no reply, wishing her a great lunch. Jake's messages were about how he had seen that college acceptance letters had started to be delivered. He told her that he knew she'd get into a school that fit her goals and offered her advice on getting financial aid.

What left Elizabeth shocked was a message from Catherine. It was obvious that the two of them didn't really talk or hang out even in-game. She was more so Selene's friend than any of the others and kept to herself.

So, she wasn't expecting to hear anything from her. The message was pretty simple with Catherine asking if she'd be interested in an event later that week. The boss had to do with slimes based on what the elf said so it made sense to Elizabeth as to why she was asked out of everyone.

Still, it was pretty awkward as Catherine was someone she felt was her complete opposite. The elf gave off the vibe of a blonde popular girl who kept to her inner circle and never dared to talk to anyone else. Elizabeth was a huge nerd who would gross her out.

The teenager didn't want to decline the offer but she also didn't know how to accept. In the end, she told her that they could talk about the mission further in-game. That right now she wasn't able to text which wasn't exactly a lie but certainly a cop-out.

To her further surprise, Catherine replied back within seconds with an okay and asked what day she'd log on. Elizabeth didn't know exactly. But if she had a good time out and about she would try to meet up with her the next day. The teen wanted to keep her word with her mom by spending as much time as she could outside. Shopping, eating out, and interacting with real people.

Right on cue came a skating, stony-faced girl with a gigantic glass of lemonade with huge chunks of ice and pulp in it. “One lemonade, miss.”