“Hey man, you seem a bit off. Everything alright?” Jake perked up from his lunch and looked to see his friends looking at him. Concerned eyes drifted his way from a few other groups, and Jake grimaced.

“Not enough sleep for the past few days is all. Don’t mind me,” Jake said with a smirk. He picked at his food a bit and stuffed his mouth with it. Then he waved off his friends, nudging them to continue their conversation. After they did, Jake receded back into his mind. He glanced at his backpack, remembered the papers inside and the lines he signed. Then, he looked to his friends. Chris, Dan, and Tom. They were his best friends and always seemed to be around when he needed them, even if he never asked for their help. This time though, he’d try it.

“…Hey.” He called out. They three of them stopped and turned to him.

“If someone gave you guys an option to become a hero, a king, or just someone who was highly revered… would you take it?” The heavy question didn’t have much to it, and his friends all looked to one another.

“Well that depends. What kind of world are we talking? Fantasy? Sci-Fi? Anime?” Chris, a bit more of a nerd than the others, piped up first. Tom sighed and shook his head.

“Fantasy always has some kind of catch to it, yea? Like a grand adventure to fight a big boss that’s just a pain in the neck.” Dan groaned and leaned back in his chair. Chris waved him off.

“I’d take the boss over drifting in space or getting obliterated randomly in Sci-Fi,” Chris said, his hand still flailing.

“Oh yea? I bet you’re the type to run away from a harem, too,” Tom laughed.

“Hey, that’s a personal choice,” Chris muttered, then looked to Jake. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m having a hard time making a game choice,” Jake said. He looked down at his food, sighed, and set down his fork. “It’s a bit rough right now. My character has a choice. He can keep going through the story as is, or he can sacrifice everything for ultimate power and become a hero. But if he becomes a hero, he won’t reach the Good Ending. At least, that’s what the game said right now.”

“Sounds like you should do what best suits his character, then.” Chris said with a grin. “Sounds tough for that guy, but I think you’ll make the right choice. Besides, it’s just a game.”

Right, it’s just a game…

Jake nodded and excused himself from the table. As his friends continued to eat and talk, he dumped his food into the garbage and stacked his tray. Leaving the lunchroom, he headed back to the classroom. A few others had made it back before him in groups and the loners were scattered already, waiting for class while lingering in their own worlds. At first, Jake considered just sitting down as well but this time, he didn’t. He walked to the back corner of the classroom and approached the one girl he never saw talk to anyone, ever. For the six years he knew her, he had never seen her open her mouth to a fellow student once. When he approached, she shot him a glare before returning to her book.

“Excuse me, Evelyn, I think? Sorry, I’m bad with names,” he said, sitting down at the desk beside hers. She didn’t answer, as expected. A few others in the class looked over, but he ignored them and lowered his voice.

“You’re smart, right?” Another glare, but she nodded curtly.

“I have a question, and I promise this will be the only thing I ever ask you. Will you help me?” Jake stared at her, hopeful, and waited. The girl looked into her book as though she was ignoring him, but turned to look him in the eyes after a long minute.

“Fine. What is it?” A cute voice. What a shame. Jake held up his right index finger.

“You have a scenario where you’re standing at an intersection. One option. No middle, no compromise. Left or right. To the left is normalcy. It’s your way home, your way back to what you know. Nothing changes, nothing lost, nothing gained. To the right is unknown. You’ve been told all your life that you may never return home if you turn right, but if you turn right you will earn one wish in exchange for your life,” Jake paused to make sure she heard him, and understood. When Evelyn told him to continue, he did.

“One day, a fairy appears. She tells you that to the right is everything you’ve ever dreamed, and she gives you a taste by giving you a small handful of gold. She shows you a future of glory, where you become a hero or a king, whichever you desire more. However, after today, regardless of your choice, the other path will be closed off. Turn right and earn the wish. Or turn left and continue as though nothing changed… No risk, no consequence. Or all in.” Jake folded his finger down and held up his hands. Left. Or right.

“Which do you choose?” He asked, letting his open palms hover before her. Evelyn, the smart bookworm in the back of the room stared at his hands. Seconds ticked, minutes ticked. The bell rang. Jake didn’t move and continued to wait. Even as the original owner of the chair he sat in returned, he remained still, waiting for Evelyn to choose.