008 [Video]

[thechoiceisyours]

[Chris smiles and gives a small wave at the camera when the feed starts, then turns his hand to show Hope's blessing on the back of it.]

So uh, who else got one? And are they all from Hope, or...?

[This is so cool you guys he wants to see who else got what. And for something else slightly less important by still cool--]

Oh, also, my iPhone was up and working for a bit thanks to Pell, and I managed to get some music off it. I'll share on the condition no one makes fun of my taste.

[The last comment is a joke--he's really not going to be too hurt by jabs about his choice in music--but the offer is serious, and attached is a download of the music he's copied off so far. It's kind of a slow process, so there's still more on the phone that he can transfer later.]

Comments

voice.

[bekommen]

Yeah, man, I miss the shit outta music. You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, right?

[She laughs quietly at her own joke.]

You had all this on your phone, huh? Some kinda space phone from the future?

voice.

[thechoiceisyours]

Seriously. I could make a huge list at this point, and it'd start with hamburgers.

[And it's only insult to injury that he knows after being vegetarian for something like five months he would probably be really sick if he did get a hamburger. Life sucks.]

Oh yeah, super space phone from the far-off year of 2015. You're from what, 2009 was it? The iPhone came out in '07, though mine's uh... A whole lot more powerful than the one from then. And it's got 64GB of memory on it.

permavoice.

[bekommen]

Yeah, but I don't know anyone except for like, rich yuppie assholes who can afford one, much less the phone plan for it. I used to have an old as shit iPod, though, and that had 10 gig for space. I don't think I ever got through all the music on that.

permavoice.

[thechoiceisyours]

Yeah, they were uh... Pretty expensive back then. I remember really wanting one but even my parents wouldn't drop that kind of money.

[Also he was thirteen in '09 and didn't need a three-hundred dollar phone.]

I did have an iPod though, too. That was pretty awesome.

[bekommen]

Beats a Walkman, at least. I mean, don't get me wrong, I liked my Walkman, and I may've cried the day it finally broke down, but that iPod was a lot easier to carry around.

[thechoiceisyours]

I had a CD walkman when I was like ten, and it was awesome except that it skipped whenever you went over any tiny bump during a car ride.

[bekommen]

Yeah, I heard that was a problem with those things. My Walkman played tapes. I didn't have a CD player of my own 'til I moved to Chicago, if you can believe that.

[thechoiceisyours]

Ohman. My parents had some cassettes but I don't think I ever used them myself.

[He was born in 1996 after all.]

[bekommen]

... OK, now I officially feel old, thanks.

[But she's laughing about it, at least.]

[thechoiceisyours]

What, just now?

[It's said with the most amused grin.]

[bekommen]

Yeah, when you kids start talking about your parents having stuff I grew up with as a kid, that makes me feel old. Like I should be someone's parent or something.

[Shiverrrrr.]

[thechoiceisyours]

[He laughs a little at that.]

Hey, you're what, six or seven years older than me? And then from seven years behind, so you know. Good explanation for why you'd still have super shitty technology like my parents used and therefore deserve pity.

[He's having more fun than he should be.]

[bekommen]

Yeah, well, when your money's going to keeping the lights on and food on the table, you don't really worry about upgrading your technology, y'know? If it ain't broke, you don't replace it.

[thechoiceisyours]

[Well now he feels kind of ridiculous; he sometimes forgets he's a semi-spoiled upper middle class kid.]

...Wow, uh, I guess I deserved that reality check, sorry.

[bekommen]

[Oops. Well, it's not the first time she's had to point out that particular difference between her and someone else, but it is probably the first time she's felt bad about it afterwards.]

It's all right, man. Not like it really matters here anyway, right?

[thechoiceisyours]

I guess not.

[Other than leading to different preparedness--or lackthereof--to deal with this place, maybe.]

[bekommen]

At least you get it. Shit like that used to go right over my ex's head.

[thechoiceisyours]

Was she just um... Oblivious?

[bekommen]

Kinda. Her parents were rich - like, send your kids to boarding school abroad, mansions on multiple continents rich. She couldn't really wrap her mind around the concept of not being able to afford things - like, I had some trouble with my wisdom teeth coming in, right, hurt like a motherfucker. She was like, "Nick, just go see a dentist." Didn't occur to her that I literally couldn't because I didn't have money to pay for insurance, must less fronting the cost of surgery to get 'em taken out. Hell, she never even had a job until after I met her. [Nick laughs quietly.] And me, I've been working since I was fifteen. I dunno why she ever thought we were a good idea together. We didn't really have a lot in common, outside of music and Andy.

[thechoiceisyours]

[Chris is quiet while she talks; he can't exactly relate to her problems--his parents aren't that kind of rich, but they're well-off enough that he's never had to worry about basic needs or even some pricier luxury items like his technology interests--but he does know it's a reality for a lot of people. He's had friends at school from all extremes, from Josh's insanely wealthy family to kids who couldn't afford lunch.

So he can sympathize, even if he can't empathize.]

They uh, say opposite attract and whatever. Not sure how true that is, but...

[Maybe that was Kennedy's thought, and maybe she and Nick could've--or did--learn something from each other.]

[bekommen]

Maybe. I dunno, maybe she just liked the idea of slumming it with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks for a while to get back at her parents.

[thechoiceisyours]

Maybe, but if doing something edgy was all she cared about she should've just taken up underage drinking like I did.

[He grins a little, trying to lighten the mood a bit and only half serious. He really can't imagine someone going through the whole effort and emotion of dating someone just to get back at their parents, though.]

[bekommen]

Yeah, well, she mostly grew up in Europe. Drinking age is a lot lower there, I guess.

[Kennedy was incredibly fickle, and childish in a lot of ways. She absolutely would do something like pursue a girl who was in almost every way her opposite out of spite to her parents for the perceived punishment of sending her back to the States. Nick's been thinking - and talking - about Kennedy a lot more than she has since before she left Chicago, ever since that public display of drunken idiocy. Maybe this is a good thing? She just doesn't know.]

Anyway, enough of my dumb sob story. Thanks for the music.

[thechoiceisyours]

I think it's eighteen, same as Canada. The only good thing about Canada, actually.

[Never getting off the screw Canada train.]

No, it's um... It's totally fine. I don't mind.

[Any time she wants to talk it's okay; he thinks it's really good her her on top of that.]

[bekommen]

Yeah, well. Fuck Canada.

[Choo choo; Nick's on board that train for life.]

I dunno what else there is to say. I started talking to that Ushahin guy a while back, and he was sayin' a lot of stuff that sounded like shit she used to say, and I just. Started remembering everything again, y'know?