(set: $visitedRaffle to "0")(set: $ticket to "0")(set: $stayed to "0")(set: $learned to "0")Life has felt darker than usual. February has passed, and with it, your romance has departed. Your birthday is today, a special one. You have no plans, and intend to keep it that way.
Walking in the hallway, you approach your room when a familiar face calls your name.
''"Hey man! Its your birthday right? Happy birthday!"''
[[''"Thanks man."''->Hallway]]
(if: (count: (history:), "Hallway") is 0)[Chris:"''I can't believe you're 21 now, you look so young! You can go to bars and like, drink, and do that kind of stuff now, that's crazy bro!"''
[["''Yeah man. Its pretty hard to believe, to be honest.''"->Converse11]]
[["''With power comes great responsibility.''"->Converse12]]
[["''Yep, now I can finally get wasted legally!''"->Converse13]]]
(if: (count: (history:), "Hallway") is 1)[Strange. The hallway is empty and you can't seem to find anyone around to converse with.
[[Return to Your Room->Your Room]]]
Chris: "''Aw, don't be hard on yourself. I'm sure I'll see you drunk around these halls soon enough mate. Listen...I gotta head out, but enjoy yourself tonight man, you deserve it."''
[["''I appreciate it, I'll do my best.''"->Your Room]]
Chris: "''Well said man, well said, just like in that Spiderman movie! Listen...I gotta head out, but have some fun tonight man, okay?"''
[["''I appreciate it, I'll do my best.''"->Your Room]]
Chris: "''WHOA! Take it easy!"''
"''But honestly...you do have a point. Listen...I gotta run, don't get too crazy tonight, okay?"''
[["''I appreciate it, I'll do my best.''"->Your Room]]
You've arrived in your room.
(if: (count: (history:), "Hallway") is 1)[You decide to try to relax and listen to some music.
You lay down for some time. Feeling restless, you wonder where everyone is.
[[Get up and see if anyone's around in the hall.->Hallway]]]
(if: (count: (history:), "Hallway") is 2)[Giving up on socializing, you start to fall into a nap. When all of a sudden...
*knock knock*
[[Answer the Door->Open]]]
Its your roommate and (random: 2,5) of your hall buddies. Before you know it, everyone is sitting around the room.
Jim sitting next to you, asks "''So you going anywhere tonight bro?''"
[[''"Nowhere in particular...do you have anything in mind?"''->Planning]]
Jim: "''You gotta do something...you're 21! How about we take you out? We can get you a cake and get some drinks!''"
[[''"That sounds...awesome! Lets do it!"''->Planning2]]
About a half hour has passed and everyone's still around. Excited to have your friends take you out, you feel nurtured.
Jim: "''You know...actually, I forgot I have something going on tonight. Let's definitely do something another time though!''"
Zane: "''Guys, we gotta get over to that event! We're gonna be late!''"
[[''"No problem Jim, thanks anyways! And maybe I'll see you guys later!"''->Planning3]]
The room has become silent. All of the excitement you felt has fled, and although it was nicely quiet earlier, you now wonder what to do for the rest of the night.
But there was still something you could do.
Opening the door to your room, the flyer was still taped outside on the door. It reads:
American Sign Language Ball at the Ballroom at 6pm! ''Free food!''
*Business Casual dress please!*
Thoughts circle your mind.
*That one girl I've seen around runs that club. Maybe if I went to this...I could finally introduce myself. I gotta start trying again..I can't let everything that happened keep me down forever.*
"''You know what? Screw it.''"
[[Grab your blue dress shirt, jeans, and head to the ball.->The Ball]]
The room is broad. You see many people mingling, and some using sign language to communicate. This fascinates you.
There is a funny TV episode about sign language, playing on a giant screen filling the ballroom stage. You notice the main character resembles the likes of the Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.
You look around for a friend to point this out to. But then you remember, you came alone.
Suddenly you realize you could use something to eat, and see a lot of food on the other side of the room.
[[Get some food.->The Food Area]]
Walking over to get some food, you still hear the TV episode behind you.
You hear another character start to mock the main character, calling him "Mark Zuckerberg". This made you laugh.
"''Ha. Guess I'm not crazy.''"
You take some chicken parmigiana and pasta to find a seat at a table.
[[Take a seat.->The Table]]
Nearby, there are raffles and tickets being sold, and a DJ is playing familiar dance music. There are interesting sheets on the table, with sign language information and the american sign langauge alphabet.(if: (count: (history:), "Dance Floor") is 0)[ You start to remember how long its been since you've danced, and you feel tempted.]
(if: $ticket is "0")[[[Visit the Raffles->Raffle Booth]]]
(if: $learned is "0")[[[Go to the Dance Floor->Dance Floor]]]
(if: $learned is "1")[You sit for a while, and things start dying down. You lost the raffle, and people are leaving. You realize the time is almost 9pm, when the event is supposed to end. You see the pretty girl in the white dress again from across the room, the one that you wanted to dance with since you walked in to the ball. She is putting party favors away in boxes.
*Well...this is it. I learned how to say nice to meet you in sign language. That could be a good opener if I were to talk to her. I can't leave here without trying. Might as well ask her when the sign language club meetings are at the very least, before I go.*
[[Approach the Girl in the White Dress->Girl in the White Dress]]]
(set: $visitedRaffle to "1")You arrive at the raffle booth, where tickets are being sold for various prizes. One raffle sticks out at you. Its for an iPod Nano.
As a kid, that used to be something you always wanted. But since then, casual mp3 players and eventually smartphones have filled its void.
Raffle Girl: "Hey! Want to buy a ticket towards the iPod?"
[[''"I'll take one ticket please!"''->Bought Ticket]]
[[Decline->The Table]]
You begin to dance, but it starts to feel awkward, since not many people are dancing.
You stop dancing.
(if: (count: (history:), "Dance Floor") is 0)[<script>
window.audioPlayer = document.createElement("audio");
window.audioPlayer.src = "http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/mp3-royaltyfree/Funk%20Game%20Loop.mp3";
window.audioPlayer.loop = true;
window.audioPlayer.play();
</script>](if: $visitedRaffle is "1")[(if: (count: (history:), "Try") is 0)[That's when you saw her. You were right, she was here. She was running around the whole time, taking care of the whole ball. She was just as pretty as always, and wearing a white dress.
*I wanna ask her if she'd like to dance.*
*I really do.*
...
[[Make your way over to her.->Try]]]](if: (count: (history:), "Try") is 1)[You see a guy across the dance floor. He is signalling you to come over and dance with him and his friends.
*Cool, they want to dance! This could be fun.*
[[Make your way over to him.->The Circle]]]
[[Sit back down at the Table.->The Table]]
You start walking towards her, but you are overcome with nervousness.
You turn your back on the motivation you thought you had.
(if: $ticket is "0")[You start to think. *Why can't I do this? I don't wanna dance alone here all night...I guess I should just head back and call it a day. Some birthday...*
[[Leave the ball.->Game Over]]]
(if: $ticket is "1")[(set: $stayed to "1")You start to think. *Why can't I do this? I don't wanna dance alone here all night...I guess I should just head back and call it a day. Some birthday...wait.
I got a raffle ticket for that iPod. Might as well stick around to see if I won.*
[[Sit back down at the Table.->The Table]]]
You have lost. You chickened out, and now you will never know what could have happened.
If you don't want to be single forever, you've got to start taking some more chances.
I'll give you another try. But know this: in this day and age, you don't always get one.
Press F5.
(set: $ticket to "1")Raffle Girl:''"Here you go. Good luck!"''
You receive your ticket, and begin to return to the table.
[[Sit back down.->The Table]]
(set: $name to (prompt: "Ay dude, what's your name?" ))
''"Nice to meet you (print: $name)! I'm Alec. I'd like you to meet some of my friends!"''
Alec pulls over a few young girls, who begin to converse with you.
These people are unfamiliar, and you believe they came from another school of some sort. You are still dancing as he begins to introduce you to his friends. ''"Oh by the way, do you speak sign language?"''
[[''"Nope, I'm new to it."''->Gestures]]
(set: $learned to "1")One of the girls begins to talk to you and say many things.
Mary: Hi! Do you speak sign language? I was wondering...because I actually don't and I learned alot at this ball! I studied the sheets on the tables and learned some letters and phrases! Something I learned was how to say 'Nice to meet you'! *Mary makes three hand gestures to teach you*
You hear another girl say something faint towards another, but you couldn't quite hear what was said.
''*You learned the gesture, and returned the greeting.*''
You are tired from dancing, and decide sit down.
[[''"Well this was fun, I'm gonna go take a break and sit!"''->The Table]]
You: "''Hi, my name is (print: $name). What's your name?"''
Jasmine: ''"Hi (print: $name)! My name is Jasmine."''
*you reach out your hand to greet Jasmine*
You: ''"Its nice to meet you! I wanted to say that I had a lot of fun tonight, and that you guys did a great job putting this ball together."''
Jasmine: ''"Thank you, I'm glad to hear you had fun."''
You: ''"Yeah!" *you smile*
"I actually had a question for you...when are the meetings for the ASL club anyway? I'm new to sign language, and it seems pretty interesting. I'd like to learn more."''
Jasmine: ''"The meetings are on Wednesdays at 3pm. Hopefully you can make it!"''
[[''"Nice. I think I should be able to make that! ..."''->The Good Part]]
You: ''"...Oh! And before I forget, I learned something in sign language on the dance floor! Check this out!"''
*you proceed to make the "Nice to meet you" gesture you learned from Mary earlier*
...
Jasmine had pretty, big eyes. After she had seen your gesture, these eyes had almost doubled open...and not in the good way.
Jasmine: ''"Oh! Um..."''
You could tell something was wrong.
...
You screwed up.
[[''"Is something wrong? What did I say?"''->The Good Part 2]]
Jasmine: ''"Uh...nothing, its nothing! What's your major anyway?"''
*You start feeling very bad. You have lost the ability to focus, and you are panicking inside.*
You: ''"Oh um, Computer Management...I think we had a class together once, Discrete Structures?"''
Jasmine: ''"There was a lot of people in that class haha. I don't remember you."''
You: ''"Oh hehe. Well yeah. But anyways, uh, did I say something wrong before? I'm sorry if I did, its what someone told me before on the dance floor, I swear, I honestly don't know what it meant."''
Jasmine: ''"It was nothing, don't worry about it."''
*Feeling completely out of it, you sit down at the nearest table, next to a girl you have never seen before. You know that she had seen your entire conversation.*
[[''"Hey, I know you saw that...would you happen to know what I said wrong?"''->The Good Part 3]]
"''Hi (print: $name)...I'm Veronica. The gesture you used...means it was nice to sleep with you.''"
You start to feel sick. The nervousness you had felt in introducing yourself to Jasmine had turned into something beyond fear, something worse.
You couldn't stop thinking about what you did, and you decided to tell the girl next to you exactly what you were thinking in pure panic.
You: ''"I didn't know what I said, my god, I feel so bad.''"
...
Veronica: ''"Listen. I made the same mistake in front of an entire group of people for my class. I was completely embarassed. Its okay, sometimes we all screw up."''
[[''"Jasmine! I'm so sorry, I swear to god, I didn't mean what I said! I thought it meant nice to meet you!''"'->The Good Part 4]]
Jasmine: It's okay! We all make mistakes. I mean...I've been out of it this whole night running this ball. Its really okay. We learn.
You: ''"Okay...well thanks. I guess I'm gonna head out. It was nice to meet you both. Have a good night."''
Veronica: ''"Night!"''
Jasmine: ''"Night, and thanks for coming!"''
[[''Exit''->You "Win"]]
Well...that was some crazy stuff huh? I wish I could say that this story was all made up. But unfortunately, I didn't make up a single part. This all actually happened to me on the night of my 21st birthday...at least the choices that lead you here.
But hey, its not over yet. Remember when that dancing guy introduced you to Mary and her friends? And one of them had said something while you were talking to Mary, but you couldn't quite hear what she had said?
[[''Close your eyes.''->Relive]]
You start to ease to sleep, your head still spinning, but slowly calming.
Then all of a sudden you remember something - a memory you couldn't remember before, with all of the thoughts of regret and shock running around in circles.
[[''Continue to Socialize''->Gestures 2]]
Mary: I studied the sheets on the tables and learned some letters and phrases! Something I learned was how to say 'Nice to meet you'! *Mary makes three hand gestures to teach you*
You hear another girl say something faint towards another.
This time, you remembered what she had said.
''"You're good to go! He doesn't know sign!!"''
[[''Congratulations (print: $name)! You were sabotaged.''->You Win]]
You "win"! Thanks for playing.
-Evan