GOOD ENOUGH - Foolish_Gamers

01.

MARIGOLD PETERS saw herself as very average. Average to the point of being boring, but she didn't mind. She wasn't the prettiest, most popular girl, but that was okay. Mari had a job in a bookshop, and it was a job she loved. She was also into streaming as a hobby, because she loved that, too. Many lucky people had streaming as their main job, but Marigold was sure she would never reach that level, although she didn't mind it that much. Mari was happy with having it as a hobby.

One of the reasons why Mari enjoyed streaming so much, was because it was a great way for her to make friends whilst doing something she enjoyed. One of her best friends and favourite people to stream with was Niki. Mari and Niki had met when the former had been added to an SMP. Although they no longer played on the server, the friendship between the two girls stayed strong. Niki and Marigold usually streamed games such as Minecraft or Stardew Valley together, and sometimes even Valorant (although, admittedly, Mari was no good at it). Niki had been a great help with both her streams and just making friends.

The bookshop Marigold worked in was little and quaint, and it was Marigold's favourite place to spend her time. She had found this place as a teenager, or as Mari liked to retell it: it had found her. Mari would walk past it every day on her way to school, but she didn't spot it before she needed it. It was her own little Room of Requirement. The bookshop was situated in an old and crooked building, with walls of splintering wood painted a shade of emerald green. The shelves were slightly dusty because business was not at all booming and most of them went untouched for long periods, except for when Mari took the time to clean them. It was cosy, with a soft plush chair in the corner to read in, with a side table stacked with books that hadn't been put away yet. The shop had its regulars that managed to keep it afloat, most of them older, but it was loved.

It was Marigold's safe space.

Mari had even managed to get a job in the shop after spending so much time in it. The owner had come over to her one day, after getting used to seeing her every day in the local school's lunch breaks, offering her the position. The owner of the bookshop was an old lady, who perfectly matched the same aura as her shop, old and quaint. She wore embroidered cardigans and Birkenstocks, nails painted a periwinkle blue (her wife's favourite colour), and always had a book tucked under her arm. The name of the lady was Rosemary, or, Miss Rosie, as she insisted on being called, and she lived just above the shop. The quaint and cosy bookshop was her life's work, one of the few shops left on the street that hadn't been replaced by some sort of chain store. Miss Rosie spent most of her time in the backroom of the shop, claiming it was all she had time for. Miss Rosie's wife, Freya, had passed a little over a decade ago to breast cancer, so the shop was pretty much all she had left.

Mari spent a lot of her free time with Miss Rosie, catching dinner with her often and discussing new books she had discovered in her lunch break. Miss Rosie also had a meek tabby cat that ran around the shop, with the name of August, who usually spent his time sleeping by Marigold's legs whilst she sat by the counter.

Marigold Peters lived her simple life in Columbus, Ohio, meaning that there was quite a time gap between her and most of her UK-based online friends, but she didn't mind. Right now, she was sitting in a Discord call on her phone with Niki during her lunch break, whilst the latter was planning for a future stream. Miss Rosie was out in the front of the shop, stacking new books on the shelves and reorganising. Even though Niki and Mari were on a call together, did not mean that conversation was always flowing. Right now they were simply enjoying the comfortable silence whilst they got on with their respective tasks. However, Mari's thoughts started to wander off when the silence had gone on for a second too long.

"D'you think I'm lonely?" Mari blurted out, making her friend turn her head with furrowed brows. The younger girl bit the inside of her cheek and eventually shrugged.

"What makes you say that?" asked Niki.

Mari shrugged back, taking a bite of her lunch and chewing it. "I dunno,"

Niki minimised the window on her PC to give her older friend all her attention, sensing it was an important conversation. "Have you tried making friends?" The German girl suggested softly. "D'you still talk to anyone from your high school?"

Mari shook her head. Sure, she followed some of her old peers on social media still, but she never talked to any of them. The thought of this made her feel even worse.

"No, I'm not in contact with any of them... Most of them moved away after high school and didn't look back. I understand that they wanted to get away from here, even though I find it quite comforting," Marigold smiled thinly. Ohio in itself was not the most exciting state, but Mari found comfort in the calm, and she felt that the state she lived in represented her quite well.

Niki hummed with a gentle smile, "maybe you'll meet someone soon,"

Mari scoffed in disbelief, even though she badly wanted to believe her friend. "Yeah, maybe."

The pink-haired girl offered her friend another kind smile. "Just keep an open mind, love. If anything, you could always visit me in the UK!" said Niki, making Mari smile again.

author's note

remember to not be a ghost reader, and vote and comment if you are comfortable doing so <3<3

besides that, welcome to the first chapter of what will be foosh and mari's journey, hope you enjoyed!