31. Plan To Spend The Day With Me

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Second upload is here as promised!
I'm at work currently so I'll check out comments on both chapters after :)
Might be some errors here cause work has picked up, but I'll get to those later, too
Enjoy all 2700 words lol, this chapter is a long one
xoxo

John

"So you want me to build you another PC? You just dropped like close to ten bands on your last one!"

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"So you want me to build you another PC? You just dropped like close to ten bands on your last one!"

"No no," I tried to explain to Marty, "I just need to know how to upgrade it. Replace some parts." I paused, thinking back to that long ass order list Derek had. "Well, a lot of parts. Also, jeez I spent ten grand?"

"Upgrades? John, please hear me when I say that what I built you could survive the fucking rapture. That's how powerful that bad boy is. And yes, ten g's. You told me to build my dream PC for you, so I did."

I stopped to think, wondering how best to explain this request to Marty.

Eventually I just gave up and said "Derek wants to upgrade his computer. I offered to help him."

Marty full on laughed at that. "Oh sweet lord, why the hell would you do that?"

Ah, a question I was definitely trying to avoid.

"Scratch that, anyone who's seen you around that man knows why," Marty added.

Well alrighty then.

I guess that wasn't much of a secret.

"I'm still a bit surprised though, cause you don't know the first thing about that world. You were pretty clear about not caring to learn when I built yours."

Marty was just being honest with me. He'd offered to build my PC with me and I turned him down almost instantly. At the time, I thought it was a stupid thing to have occupy space in my brain, but now I wasn't like that anymore. I wasn't as closed minded... or in the heat of one messy breakup.

"I learn quick," I reminded him.

"How could I forget," Marty muttered, having now spent years and years losing to me in the video games I actually applied myself to.

"Perfect, I'll see you this Friday night after you close the store. You coming to see Herold?"

"Fuck no." Marty's response was quick. "John, that cat only likes you."

"He just takes some getting used to."

"Takes some getting used to my ass. It's been years," Marty reminded me. "That ship has sailed. There's permanent bad blood there now, and it's easier to lean into it than to draw up treaties this late in the game. He's an enemy for lifers." I chuckled at that. "Plus," he continued, "it's probably easier to show you more of the basics on one of my older PC's at the store. I did a bunch of fancy shit to yours that Derek probably hasn't done to his."

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