Zack cleared his throat and wondered if he should have brushed his teeth. Just in case this went well and he moved in for the physical contact bonus. Maybe he should have picked up after himself in his apartment too.

He shook his head. He couldn’t let this stupid app distract him. He just needed to complete the quest and get back to his real mission: playing Star Fury. Every second he spent out here was a second away from preparing for the tournament. The first round would be easy. A simple outpost destruction timed event to weed out noobs before the real fun began. But if he didn’t compete, the team would be down one ship with the corresponding lower damage per second.

How was Cassie still jogging? She was coming in fast. He would only get one shot at this.

Zack leaned against another lamppost. Partly for support and partly because he had once read that leaning against things made you look like a bad boy. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that walking halfway around the track had left him winded and shaking.

Definitely not.

“Hey, babe.”

It came out as more of a gasp than a growl. Cassie looked at him, as if unsure that he was speaking to her. Zack nodded to show that he was.

“Um, hi?”

The heart-shaped timer flashed and counted down. Zack watched the seconds tick by. Only sixty of them. He just needed to keep Cassie talking for sixty seconds.

“Do you need help?” Cassie said. “I’m a doctor. I can check your vitals if you think you’re having a heart attack.”

As if a pediatrician could do anything for a heart attack. Zack smiled. Cassie was already making excuses to move closer. He definitely should have brushed his teeth.

“No, I’m fine,” Zack wheezed. “How you doing?”

He punctuated this with a nod and single eyebrow raise. Classic move. It had worked like a charm in college.

Cassie’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“I’m Zack.” Zack extended a very sweaty hand.

Cassie eyed it but didn’t take it. So much for physical contact. “If you don’t need help, I need to go. I’ll be late for work.”

She turned to jog away. No! She couldn’t leave yet! They had only been talking for thirty seconds, and he hadn’t earned bonus points for the sexy growl, laugh, or physical contact.

“Do you want to hear a joke?”

It was far from his best line, but Cassie turned back around. “What?”

“A joke! I heard a good one the other day.”

Only twenty seconds left. He could do this.

Cassie rolled her eyes but gestured for him to continue. Zack opened his mouth to tell the joke, but his mind had gone completely blank. A joke. What was a good joke?

“Um, knock, knock?”

“I don’t have time for this.”

She turned to jog away. Zack gritted his teeth. Fifteen seconds remaining. He was so close!

“Cassie, wait!”

She turned around, her posture defensive. “How do you know my name?”

Zack’s mind raced for an explanation. “It showed up through my social app. You know how these wearables like to share information.” He tapped his OptiGlasses.

Cassie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not wearing any tech.”

“And we went to school together! You really don’t remember?”

Zack expected this to make her relax, but her scowl only deepened. “What was the name of the school?”

“Oh. It was—you know what, I must be thinking of someone else.”

“Because I seriously doubt you went to the Chickasaw Nation School for Girls.”

“Um, nope. Definitely thinking of someone else.”

Zack hoped that would be the end of it, but Cassie stayed put.

“So how do you know my name? Are you stalking me?”

“What? No. Definitely not. I—um, I saw you last time I was at the hospital. I—”

“Leave me alone, you creep. If I see you again, I’m calling the cops.”

Cassie sprinted away. She really did have some kind of superhuman strength, sprinting after all that jogging. Zack was still huffing from his brisk walk. DaEvo definitely should have given her stronger physique stats.

DaEvo’s cheerful theme music sounded through the conduction headphones, and a notification flashed across his screen.

Quest Complete! You spoke with a woman for 1:15!

Rewards: Electronics and internet privileges!

Bonus: None

Score! Zack pumped a fist in the air and opened his settings menu. Most of the pink hearts blocking out the apps had disappeared. Hopefully that meant the ban on his gaming system had been lifted as well. The app said it had restored his electronics privileges. Surely that included Star Fury.

It was over. He had won.

Reputation update: -0.5

What? How had he lost reputation points even though he completed the quest? His conversation with Cassie hadn’t gone that badly!

Whatever. He didn’t care about this stupid app and its stupid stats. His team was waiting. If he hurried, he would make it back just in time for the start of the qualifier round. He sent a quick text saying he was on his way and sprinted toward his building as fast as he could, ignoring the app’s warnings that he should slow down and rest. Sweat poured down his body, and the increased pace left him wheezing. DaEvo played somber music and flashed another stat.

Physique update: -0.1