The guy finally paused his screen and looked up at her through gaming contacts. Colors swirled around his eyes. He blinked several times, and his eyes cleared, except for a gold glint next to his iris.
“You’re a newbie, right? First year?”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t bring your own gear?” The ring in his eyebrow pinched slightly.
“Nothing from this century.”
The guy exhaled slowly. “O-kay, so you like antiques.”
“Like isn’t the right word. ‘All I can afford’ is more fitting.” Ari kept her gaze steady and chin high. She wasn’t going to start the program by being ashamed of being poor.
“I’m Garrett.” He stuck his hand out and smiled. “It’s okay to be different. Most everything here is new and shiny. I’d rather see something original.”
“Ari.” She shook his hand and wondered if his meaning went beyond electronics.
He returned to his computer. “Just pulling up your orders. Okay, Ari, let’s get you hooked up with something that will give those geeks in the VR dorm a reason to drool.” His smile was nice, with a bit of mischief in it.
An electric cart followed behind as he walked down the rows of equipment, picking up this and that. It kept a steady pace behind him, pausing when he did. He eyed one small piece that looked like memory, before putting it on his cart. It wasn’t until the top of his cart was cluttered with random hardware, that he made his way back to the front.
“Has someone been good?” Garrett asked in a humorous voice.
Ari couldn’t help but be excited as her eyes flew over the pile he’d gathered. She’d only seen stuff like this online. “And if I say no?”
“I’ll ask you out.” The smirk on his face made it hard to tell if he was serious. “I already have your number from the paperwork.”
Startled by the turn in the conversation, her faced warmed and she adjusted the HUB on her wrist.
“Come on back and let’s get to work.” Garrett pushed a button and a short door around the side of the counter opened for her. She grabbed an extra chair and pulled it up next to him.
When Garrett said, ‘let’s work’, what he really meant was Ari could watch and “ooh” and “aah” respectfully while he worked. She didn’t mind and enjoyed watching him fly through the systems. He kept up a running commentary cluing her into the capabilities of her HUB and tablet.
“Your Advisor’s requisition said to supply you with the equipment needed for your program. I love when they say that.” Garrett turned to her with a large smile. “Then I can do what I want.”
He turned back to the gear. “Okay, so here’s your tablet that can port into any of the school’s systems or desks. I’ll order you a bigger screen to link to in your room and a backup drive too. Here’s a ring or phone for your HUB. If you’re tired of a ring, it can hook on your ear.”
“An earring?”
He flipped the device open. She froze as he moved her hair back to place the device on her ear. He wasn’t big on respecting personal space.
“I made them in my second year. They are finally starting to catch on around here. Much cooler than those web glasses. You look like a fool reading invisible messages.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to do implants here. Have you seen the new tat implants? They’re amazing. The school claims I need a medical license for that.”
She cringed at the idea of a permanent implant but kept her thoughts to herself as she didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm.
“One last thing.” He reached over her to pick up her tablet and handed her a cord.
“This will help you record any notes you need while inside the VRs. By the end of the year you’ll have whole classes inside. So, don’t lose it.”
She stared at the cord that would plug into the VR system going into her brain. Surprise and disgust must have been evident on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
Ari took a deep breath. She couldn’t freak out here, in front of the one person who’d been nice to her. “Sorry, I can’t stand them.”
“What? The tech I gave you is pretty sweet.”
“No, virtuals.”
He leaned back, confusion flashing on his face. “Really?”
She pursed her lips together and nodded.
“How are you going to pull off this program?”
“Not sure. I will though, because it’s my only option. No one gets two scholarships, so I’ll have to make it work.”
“Then you will.” He stared off at the monitor in front of him. “Have you tried drinking?”
She watched him for a moment to see if he was serious and then shook her head. “Yes, but never again.”
He held up his hands. “Just trying to help. VRs, they’re second nature to me. I’m sure we can think of something.”
Ari wasn’t sure why that meant so much to her. Why would this boy with yellow hair and a ring in his eyebrow want to help her? It didn’t really matter. She would take all the help she could get.
With a bag full of her new toys in one hand and her old suitcase in the other, she searched out her dorm. It stood on the edge of campus, glass windows covering it top to bottom. No, they weren’t glass, but some type of clear reflective material. Colors, projected on the front, created the look of an abstract painting. By the time she made it to her room on the fifth floor, she would have sold a kidney for motorized luggage.
She opened the door to her new sleek dorm room. It was a decent size with two beds, dressers and desks, lining opposite walls. A white comforter fit tightly around her mattress. A laundry chute stuck out of the wall near her closet. Ari bristled at the idea of some machine run by a random person cleaning her clothes, her underwear. Brushing aside the unavoidable, she noticed a short fridge inset in the wall.
