-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering twinArmageddons [TA] at  22:13 --

TG: sup?
TG: who the hell are you and how did you get on my chumroll?
TG: like you just appeared out of nowhere a few days ago and said nothing
TG: are you even there?
TG: okay if youre not going to talk then prepare to be blocked

-- turntechGodhead [TG] blocked twinArmageddons [TA] at 22:19 --

Jeez, just who was that guy? I mean, who just hacks into your pesterchum and adds themselves to your chumroll. Without saying anything too. Well, I'm glad- huh?

-- twinArmageddons [TA] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 22:21 --

TA: you thought you could block me? ME? Wow, you are dumb
TA: ii am the be2t hacker iin the world 2o there2 no way you could block me
TG: wtf dude
TG: how did you do that
TG: and who are you
TG: and what is up with your typing
TA: ii ju2t 2aiid
TA: iim the be2t hacker iin the world
TA: hence why iim back on your chumroll
TG: somehow i get the feeling I wont like you
TA: wow, you got that from ju2t talkiing two me for a liittle amount of tiime???
TG: im going to go now

-- turntechGodhead [TG] blocked twinArmageddons [TA] at 22:31 --

TA: poiintle22

I lean back in my chair, looking the chumroll list. Maybe I should pester John. He might- Aw, shit, no way. The chumhandle "twinArmageddons" reappears on the chumroll. Fucking hell. I choose to just ignore it and pester John.

-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 22: 35 --

TG: john
TG: hey john
TG: you awake john
TG: JOOOOOOOOOOOOHNNNNNNNNN
TG: man wake up
EB: shut up dave
EB: i was sleeping
TG: i bet you were watching con air
TG: but not the point
TG: this weird "hacker" is trying to talk to me
TG: it is kind of creepy
TG: maybe he is an admirer
EB: maybe so
EB: now go away
EB: deal with your love on your own
TG: fine
TG: bro
TG: you might actually marry con air at this rate
TG: and live alone with a hundred cats
EB: good night dave...

-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 22:47 –-

I stare at the screen again. TA is flashing and bleeping with messages but I don't really care. Who cares about messages from a stalker? Not me, nope. Not Dave Strider. Not any Strider. Carefree Striders over here, not giving a fu- okay I'll check. Only because that noise is annoying me. Not because I'm curious or anything.

-- twinArmageddons [TA] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 22:36 --

TA: hello again
TA: 2orry
TA: ...
TA: hellooooooo????
TA: oh 2hiit ii 2cared you off
TA: iill ju2t go then
TA: 2orry
TG: wait
TG: why are you pestering me so much?????
TA: why? ii thiink youre pretty cool
TA: cool liike me
TG: okay cool
TG: but dude
TG: hacking someone is a bad first impression
TG: despite that being a cool talent
TA: 2o maybe ii went about iit the wrong way but how el2e would we of talked?
TG: i dunno
TG: i dont even know who you are
TA: well
TA: ii think iive 2een you before
TA: tall blonde
TA: 2hade2 2tuck two your face
TA: red and white top wiith a record dii2c on iit
TA: 2ound famiiliiar?

I stare blankly at the screen for a moment; bewildered by how this person knows what I look like. It's not as if I post pictures of myself on the internet. Bro's warned me of the dangers and I wouldn't like to fall into that trap. So how does he know?

My computer bleeps again as I don't answer. The bleep snaps me back to reality and I read the new message.

TA: hello?
TA: 2o iit doe2 2ound famiiliiar?
TA: that mu2t be the rea2on youre not an2weriing riight?
TG: how do you know?
TA: know what?
TG: know what i look like
TA: ii 2aw you iin rl
TG: how did you know my chumhandle?
TA: you were talking two KK about iit
TG: KK?
TG: you dont mean
TG: KARKAT?
TG: you know KARKAT?
TA: iif you mean karkat vanta2 then ye2
TA: iive known him for year2
TA: ii a2ked him who you were
TA: and he told me
TA: dave 2triider
TG: youre like a stalker
TG: now this is creepy
TG: karkat is going to get it tomorrow
TG: he is so going to get it
TA: ii could get KK two let u2 meet
TG: NO
TG: I AM NOT MEETING MY STALKER

-- turntechGodhead [TG] blocked twinArmageddons [TA] at 23:02 --

TA: he wiill learn one day

The next day, I get up as normal, Bro walks into the kitchen, practically naked, as normal; we even sit down at the table as normal, till Bro speaks up, looking at me through his shades.

"Who were you talking to last night?"

"John," I answer, truthfully, might I add.

Bro slides a hand through his blonde hair, which is spiked up naturally. He leans back in his seat and looks at me with an expressionless face. "And? Who was 'twinArmageddons'?"

"Are you spying on me?" I inquire, raising an eyebrow. I seem a little shocked, and I'm thankful for my shades at that point.

"Answer my question first," Bro retorts, a slight, well-hidden smirk playing upon his lips.

"It was some hacker who knows Karkat. The dude's seen me but I've never seen him," I reply with a silent sigh. I grab my apple juice and guzzle it down.

"Yes, I am spying on you," Bro says, simply finishing the conversation.

I finish my juice quickly and grab my bag; time for college. I'm taking a major in Audio Production and a minor in Music. Two very different courses but I'm doing what I can to get where I want. I'd do anything actually. I really want to play my own music, be famous, be known; I'll be the best Strider there ever was.

I head out the door, briefly shouting Bro a goodbye. He shouts back just before I slam the door shut. I sigh and look at our rundown apartment. We live in a tall block of apartments, in the middle of the heat of Texas. I'm rarely outside myself to be honest. I'm white compared to some tans. I get in the elevator and lean against the wall. I study myself in the mirror at the back of the elevator; tall, lean, slight, but not scrawny. I have some muscle, at least.

I hear the ding of the elevator and I step out on the ground floor. I walk out the door and the sun beats down on me. As soon as the harsh glare shines through my glasses, I start feeling a little weak. I sigh, and wish for rain, but rain will probably not come.

I walk to the university, drinking a bottle of apple juice I packed. It's full of ice as well. I don't like warm apple juice. It tastes yuck. I finally get to the university and get to the safety of the air conditioning. That is, if it wasn't broken. I curse as I find this out, barely able to stand already. I end up sitting in class half an hour early. I rest my head down on the desk on my arms.

I seem to doze off for a moment before feeling a presence stand over me.

"Hey? You awake?" I hear them say. I look up, slightly groggy and sickly.

"Yeah, I'm awake," I reply, trying to focus on them. It's clearly a guy speaking and his voice has a weird sound to it.

"You dropped your shades," he says with a lisp. I raise my eyebrow; not understanding the last word because of his lisp. He kneels down, picking something up. "Shades," he repeats and when I see my shades in his hand, I realize what he's saying.

"Shit," I say under my breath, taking my shades from him and putting them back on, calmly. He seems to laugh. I look back to him, trying to take him in again. He has a mess of ginger hair on top his head and he has a pair of oval, rimless glasses with legs of two different colours; the right is red, the left is blue. His left eye is blue while his right eye is green. He's quite pale, possibly paler than me. He has some freckles across his nose and they spread to his cheeks. He rocks back and forth on his feet.

"Heterochromia?" I say out loud without thinking.

"Huh?"

"Your eyes," I reply. He looks at me for a moment.

"Oh, right," he says. He then goes quiet again and looks down at his feet.

"So… what's your name?" I ask.

He looks back up briefly. "Sollux Captor." Then he looks to his feet again. He can't even pronounce his name properly with that lisp.

"Dave Strider," I say, introducing myself. "I got an Audio Production major and a Music minor. You?"

"Computer Science major. Music minor."

"You're taking this class?" I ask, getting curious.

"Yeah, I am," he says.

"Sit next to me," I say, a small smile spreading across my face.

Sollux seems a little surprised by my offer. "Um, sure…" he says, taking the seat next to me. Class soon starts in the next ten minutes. We mostly sat in silence before the class. I think he was scared and I was too. Wait, I never said that.

Soon we got out of class and Sollux and I just stand side-by-side awkwardly. Finally one of us has to speak and I guess it's me-

"So… you want to get some coffee?"

… Maybe not.

"Sure, I'd love to." I answer. The two of us make our way to the coffee cart outside. The heat form this morning has just intensified though and we don't get coffee. I get some apple juice with ice instead; proceeding to place the ice on my forehead; and Sollux gets honey slush. We sit underneath an old tree on campus and just talk.

"So why'd you take Computer Science major, Sol?" I ask first, curious, although I don't show I'm curious.

"I like computers a lot. I learned a lot about them as a child. Actually was taught how to hack them too," he admits.

"Hack? Wow, that's impressive," I say.

"I never do anything bad, I just usually meth around with some things. But nothing that would destroy their life," Sollux continues. "Why did you take an Audio Production major?"

"I want to be a DJ, like my Bro. He's my inspiration for this whole thing. I'm only here at this college because of him," I say, leaning against the tree. "Any reasons for your music minor?"

"I was interested in it. I wanted to thee how it was," Sollux leans against the tree as well. "I understand why you choose the music minor though."

"I would hope so," I say, smiling a little. I like this guy. I want to stay and talk with this guy. He seems interesting. Although he's kind of hard to understand sometimes, I like him and oh, shit, the time.

"Hey, I got to go. I got Audio Production," I say, getting up, drinking my apple juice.

"Oh, well, see you later?"

"Of course!"