Delicate

Delicate //A choose your own adventure game about girlhood. // [[Continue]]

Delicate is a text-based choose-your-own adventure game. Use your mouse button to click your choices. If you have a phone, please start a stop watch to see how long this experience takes you. It'd help me out greatly during this testing phase! *This is a demo build and will not reflect the final product upon release. Delicate features themes of alcohol and addiction. Please play at your own discretion. Delicate is most suited for players 15 years and over.* [[Start]]

You are Kay. [[I am Kay]] (set: $Ambition to 0) (set: $Kindness to 0) (set: $Confidence to 0)

Kay is only 15 years old and... [[Ambitious]] [[Kind]] [[Confident]]

Which also makes her ''fearless''. +1 Ambition (set: $Ambition to $Ambition + 1) [[If only it helped.]]

Which also makes her ''positive''. +1 Kindness (set: $Kindness to $Kindness + 1) [[If only it helped.]]

Which also makes her ''trusting''. +1 confidence (set: $Confidence to $Confidence + 1) [[If only it helped.]]

The florescent light flickers out the back of the local Fish and Chip shop. Her chipped watch shows the time of 9.30pm. //He's late again.// The smell of oil sticks to her polo shirt. She breathes a gentle sigh into the cool, autumn air. A 6am start for school until 9.30pm at work is a big day for her young body, but it would never stop her. (if: $Ambition >= 1)[ ([[She didn't mind, though.]])[]] (if: $Confidence >= 1)[ ([[But she didn't mind.]])[]] (if: $Kindness >= 1)[ ([[She didn't mind]])[]]

She took pride in her job, actually. Most of her friends hadn't yet gotten their own, and she'd been here since she was twelve. [[Dad will come soon, though.]]

The manager recently had a baby, and really needed a break anyway. She was more than happy to help. [[Dad will come soon, though.]]

More hours means more money means more savings to leave town and chase her dreams of becoming a professional photographer. [[Dad will come soon, though.]]

[[he will come soon]]

He works long hours, often weeks away from home at the coal mines. Sometimes, he just forgets. She pulls out her iPhone, the screen is webbed with cracks. It works enough, but the shattered glass feels sharp against her fingerpads. *Calling Dad...* [[Calling Dad...]]

...nothing. [[Calling Dad again...]]

... [[...]]

Across the street, the pub roars with laughter and cries. The cheer of local footy fans beam as their teams clash on the massive screens. Kay's aunt occasionally works there. She's probably around. Her eyes glance towards the bus stop. It's only once every hour, and surely it's actually going to be soon. It would get her close enough to home. Plus, her Dad might be able to pick her up from the bus stop. She grips her elbows with her hands, hoping the heat from her palms will warm her bones. She's normally prepared for her dad to bail, but she didn't prepare for a cool evening with the warmer temps during the day. [[Walk to the pub]] [[Catch the bus]]

She slings her school bag over her shoulder and makes strides towards the local bar. She was practically raised next to the jukebox here. Renowned for stealing coins from the counter to feed the machine, always requesting successions of *Who Let The Dogs Out*. [[Banger.]]

The price of catching a taxi in her small Australian town is catastrophic, would at least cost what she just earned in her shift. The buses are infrequent and the rough carpeted seats stink of booze, but at least there's no chance of any awkward small talk. She walks over to the bus stop, which is just a metal pole in the ground with a sun-faded sign. *They should invest in a light or something*, she thinks to herself. [[Here it comes]]

The brakes screech as the old machine pulls over to the side of the road. Kay swings back and forward on her feet while the driver mashes the 'release' button for the door. Eventually, it shuffles out of the way for her to get on. The driver is a familiar face, Bruce. He's driven her school bus when they've been flooded in and needed to evacuate. His hair is white and thin, his skin pink from a lifetime in the sun. As Kay scrounges up some coins from the bottom of her school bag, he laughs. "Whaddaya you call a chicken that crosses the road as a car is coming?" [["What do you call a chicken that crosses the road as a car is coming?"]]

"Rich, because he'll lose his teeth and the tooth fairy will have to pay him all at once!" The timing of his joke is a little slow, not that it was very funny anyway. It was however, one that Kay had told him when she was still in preschool. [[He remembers that?]] [["A baby comedian."]]

+1 Kindness "I can't believe you remember my jokes, Bruce. You're so sweet." "You were the first child to ever take the time to learn my name, and I never forgot that." [[Anyway]]

"I still maintain that I was, and am, a comical genius. " He smiles. [[Anyway]]

"Just headed home are ya, luv?" "Sure am," she says as she drops the coins into his hands. She heads to the back of the bus, it is, as usual, completely empty, and still somehow, reeking of alcohol. She untangles her headphones and plugs them into her iPod. It, too, has a cracked screen. They drive past the bustling pub, the empty school and the dance academy that is doing its late night classes next to the church. The street lights are few and far between and even more so are the bus stops. [[it's almost kind of peaceful]]

She's maybe halfway home when the bus pulls to the side of the road again. Another lonely bus stop in the darkness with a middle-aged woman comes on. "I dun 'ave any change." she says as she walks past the driver. She heads towards the back of the bus and Kay's heart rate quickens. "Ya got a ciggy?" She asks as Kay makes accidental eye contact. *Fuck*, she thinks to herself. Now she can't pretend she couldn't hear. [[I'm too young to smoke.]] [[...Actually]]

+1 Ambition She does. And it's not at all because she smokes, but because her Dad is a serial smoker. A pack a day. Sometimes she siphons them out, in petty hopes that her Dad smoking a little less might make a difference. She unzips a hidden pocket in the front of her bag and points one out toward the woman. [["Here you go."]]

"I started huffin' when I was twelve. Nicked 'em off my brother." She says. Kay is unsure of the point she is trying to make, was she bragging? It sure didn't sound like praise. "How old are ya anyway?" She asks, a bit demanding. Kay wants to disengage with this conversation, but has at least another 20 minutes to get close to home. She doesn't want to be rude, but if that were even an option, she doesn't know how this woman is going to react if she starts ignoring her. [["I'm 15."]] [["I'm in high school?" ]]

+ 1 Confidence (set: $Confidence to $Confidence + 1) "What the fuck are ya doing out this late?" "Closing the fish and chip shop." She says matter-of-factly. It's not like she has anything to hide, and it's a small town. Truth is this woman probably orders food at her work. "Ah fuck well, you're doin' alright then. Wish my fucking kid would get a job." [[Kay sighs.]]

"I'm not fucking blind, dingbat." Kay wants to retreat back into her music and not exist. The woman starts rummaging through her incredibly worn leather handbag. It is mostly black, except all of the edges have started flaking off. She's aggressive and frustrated in her movements. She pulls out a broken cigarette from the bottom of her handbag and lights it. It stinks. Bruce, the driver, notices this happen but doesn't say anything. He's a sweet, older man and Kay could bet anything he was just as terrified of this woman as she was. Kay scrambles through her bag and finds her Ventalin and tries to inconspicuously take a breath of it. She looks a bit stupid, but the lady doesn't say anything. [[Kay sighs.]]

"Thank fuck your parents don't keep a better eye on ya." She says, sighing a breath of relief. "Fuck knows where my packets keep walking off to." She stands up and opens the dusty sliding window next to her. She sticks her now lit cigarette out the window and breathes a lungful of smoke out of it. She smiles. Her teeth are stained, but it reaches her eyes. Kay is quietly thankful for this. Her asthma tightens whenever she's breathing it in. Kinda feels like she's driving home with her dad anyway. "I'm Anita." the woman says. "I think I knew ya mum actually." "Probably better than I did then," Kay responds. Her mother left years ago and just made no effort to have a relationship of any kind with Kay. Parenthood was too much for her. [[Kay sighs.]]

The woman no longer paid much attention to her. Kay checked her phone to see if her Dad had messaged. She had //multiple// texts and missed calls. None of them from her father. Ruby was someone she met on a fan fiction website when they wrote for similar character pairings. They DMed intermittently for a while, but for the past month or so it's every day. Ruby knows more about Kay than anybody else, aside from her real name. She'd had at least two panic attacks this week, and somehow Kay became her go-to for comedowns. Kay was okay with it at first, occasionally helping her friend calm down when she needed grounding. We could all use that sometimes, but- //WolfGirl, please! My mo.... You have received $2 credit... I need you right now! Pleas... I can't stop crying I need yo...// Kay frantically tried to scroll through the messages but her phone used the very last of it's battery to flash the logo across the cracked screen at max brightness before turning off. Now there was no music, and no way to contact her Dad of her whereabouts. [["This is my stop."]]

She walks through the crowd of tradies still in their work clothes at the smokers' table and approaches the bar. There was a time when she wasn't able to sit on the stools without someone to help her climb up on them. Now she can fit quite comfortably, even if her legs swing a little bit. One of the casual bartenders gives her a side-eye. They casually employ a few locals to help out when they get busy, or to help them out when they're getting it tough. She awkwardly avoids eye contact with the brunette and fumbles through her bag for some coins. "Kay! What are you doin' here, sweet pea?" A woman emerges from the cold room and approaches her. She snakes her arm around Kay's neck and pulls her forehead in for a kiss. Kay leans forward into the bar to receive it. "What are you havin'?" [[A beer, please!]] [[Just some lemonade, thank you.]]

+1 Confidence (set: $Confidence to $Confidence + 1) Renae's smile immediately reaches her eyes. She keels over as a laugh wholeheartedly escapes her body. "You were so confident with that one, ahah! Like your Dad but with more manners." She smiled, and then her smile faded at the thought of him. Kay's presence only meant one thing, that he had forgotten her again. Sometimes he is at the pub, on the pokies and loses track of time. Renae tries to pry him off of those things, but she also felt like it wasn't really her place. An ex-sister-in-law has little standing against a man with an addiction. Kay always saw the little efforts she made though, and admired her all the more for it. Renae instead placed a glass of water in front of Kay. Just on tap, nothing cold or special, but it was the usual here. [["Anything else you need, hun?"]]

"Anything for you, darlin'." Renae whisks around the counter to grab a can from the cold room. She's never really called her aunt or anything, just Renae. Kay's fingers scrunch in the bottom of her bag and she finds some coins. She hasn't pulled them out by the time Renae has come back, but she swishes her head and smiles in a way that means she's not charging Kay for the drink. It reminded Kay of when she was little, stealing other people's money for her own misadventures in the establishment. She knew these walls better than her own home, it was much more consistent than her housing. [["Anything else you need, hun?"]]

She asks sincerely, moments before someone whistles for her attention. Some white haired, bearded guy in the very corner where the bar meets the wall. Kay's eyes scanned the chip rack and saw some salt and vinegar chips, shining with a promotional 'Tazo' label, but she decided against it. Renae has worked here on and off for years. Her blonde wig sits a little too forward on her face, but no one would tell her. It always made Kay uncomfortable, a physical reminder of her remission when her battle was otherwise so invisible. [[Buzz-Buzz]]

Hopeful that it's her father finally coming to pick her up, Kay whips out her cracked phone to see a message. It's Ruby. Ruby is a girl she met on a fan fiction website when they wrote for similar character pairings. They DMed intermittently for a while, but for the past month or so it's every day. Ruby knows more about Kay than anybody else, aside from her real name. Kay admires her friend who inspired her to siphon her father's cigarettes, like Ruby did to her own mother, but she was... // "I'm about to have another panic attack, I need you right now!! // [[A lot.]] [[In need of more help than Kay could provide.]]

It was the truth. Ruby, like most teenage girls, was going through a lot. Kay felt like she went through more than the average bear, but she had light stuff to deal with at least. Kay's father was consistently unreliable, but Ruby's mother was borderline, if not outright, abusive. Kay had been up until 2am only a handful of nights ago texting Ruby affirmations, telling her that she was going to make it, that she has worth, that she needs to keep being in the world. It just didn't seem to do an awful lot of good. [[Buzz--Buzz]]

+1 Kindness (set: $Kindness to $Kindness + 1) Kay couldn't feel anything but pity for the poor girl. Whatever Kay had gone through during her rocky 15 years, Ruby seemed to have it worse twice over. How could she turn away someone who needed help so badly? Someone who listened to Kay when she needed to vent? Someone who encouraged her to follow her dreams of becoming a photographer when nobody else in her life had a moment to care? Someone who- [[Buzz--Buzz]]

*WolfGirl, please!! My mom isn't home and I hate being by myself! Hello? I'm gonna start smoking again I think, I need...* [[Reply: I'm here Ruby]] [[Read through her texts first]]

Kay quickly typed back on her phone, knowing she didn't have a lot of time to reply before Ruby went into a full panic- but it wasn't fast enough. //You have received $2 credit from 04xxxxxxxx. This service has been provided at no cost to you. Thank you for choosing Telstart.// [[Buzz-Buzz-Buzz]]

As Kay tries to scroll through for some context, she immediately gets more replies. //You have received $2 credit from 04xxxxxxxx. This service has been provided at no cost to you. Thank you for choosing Telstart.// [[Buzz-Buzz-Buzz]]

//Did you not have credit? Is that why you weren't replying? Here you go! I'm literally shaking right now, I need you!// [[Kay's phone continuously vibrated with alerts in her hand]]

She had no choice, even if she wanted to watch the footy game, but to help Ruby. She was scared of what would happen if she didn't, and she didn't want anything to be on her shoulders. It wasn't like she didn't care about her-- on the contrary, they'd been through a lot together. Kay was very good at taking care of people, she'd had to take care of herself for longer than she'd care to admit. They had a lot in common and Kay had hoped that maybe they could meet in person, one day. But... [[I think I'm going to go for now.]]

FOUR MINUTES AT THIS POINT, eep!

She typed into her phone, her thumb anxiously hovering over the send button.

She typed into her phone, her thumb anxiously hovering over the send button. She'd spent at least the past 30 minutes trying to calm Ruby down, and she still needed to figure out how she was going to get home. She went through the usual grounders she'd Google'd, things Ruby could see, touch, hear - but she was still so upset. Kay didn't want to stop talking to her, but... For a moment she pondered why. Was it out of wanting to talk to her best friend? Or maybe? [[...obligation.]]

She'd hated to think of it that way. Her friend wasn't a burden and Ruby had never said no to her before when she needed help, when all of a sudden. *Bew-beeeww* Her phone screen lit up with the last of it's battery shining up at her before switching off to completely dead flat. Kay frowned at her phone, immediately frustrated with the repercussions this would have. Renae suddenly replaced the glass in front of her with another one. "You've been staring at that thing for almost an hour, y'know." Renae said, and Kay wasn't sure if it was a judgement or an enquiry. "Bad habit." Kay sighed, unwanting to get into it any further. "I'm worried about you, kiddo." Renae leaned in. Kay's green eyes looked up to meet her aunt's, and she felt her concern. She wanted to displace it, to assure her that she was fine but for the very first time she really felt - [[ tired ]] [[ sad ]] [[ let down ]]

+1 Ambition (set: $Ambition to $Ambition + 1) She'd had a massive day at school, and then at work, and Kay just wanted nothing more than to be at home and curled up in bed reading vampire fanfic, even if her eyes wouldn't stay open long enough to finish a chapter. [["Nuggetttt!!"]]

+1 Kindness (set: $Kindness to $Kindness + 1) Kay wasn't known to be sad. Bubbly at all costs, trying to make the world a better place rather than wallow in her misery. She felt she'd have every right to, after her mother left, her Dad stopped looking after himself and... She hated people who were depressed and sad all the time. Because she had every reason to be and chose to be happy despite. How could they not? Why did they not see what their misery does to his own daught- [["Nuggetttt!!"]]

+1 Confidence (set: $Confidence to $Confidence + 1) Her usual, perky self couldn't help but feel a bit heartbroken that her father had let this happen again. It's a small town, but it's still dangerous. Her Dad knew that, and would tell her to always be careful, that he'd pick her up if she ever felt unsafe, but he just. Never came through. [["Nuggetttt!!"]]

A familiar voice called. "I wonder who that could be," Kay says, slightly annoyed but mostly excited to see him. Tom was a dashing blue-eyed boy with wind-swept hair and just a few freckles spread across his nose and cheeks. He'd busted her eating some during her shift at the Fish and Chip shop one time, and even though he had long since learned her name- "C'mon, don't be like that." He said as he leant into the bar, his shoulder brushing hers. Kay's heart fluttered. She could smell his recently-washed hair. Kay was always confused by his hot-and-cold antics. She'd specifically asked him not to call her that, at least twice. Verbal. And another time written. But he just smelled //so good.// "What are you doing here?" he asked, flashing his shining, white teeth. [["I'm waiting for my Dad to pick me up."]] [[ "Just, y'know, killing time. Hahahaha."]]

+1 Confidence She was quick to respond, before the anxious, jittery responses started seeping in. She normally could barely hold herself together around Tom. He frequented the Fish and Chip shop multiple times a week. They'd spend an evening together waiting under the flickering, fluorescent light for her Aunt to finish work and take her home. There was an old bubblegum machine at the front of the store, 20c a pop. He hung out with her for no reason. He was gorgeous, and she was just... well... "So what's happening now, Nug?" [["I could ask the same of you."]]

She blurted out after a period of not saying much at all. She laughed kind of hard. //Why did I laugh that hard?// Her inner voice immediately critiqued her every move around this boy. While she was internally monologuing, Tom waved a hand to the brunette bartender who flashed a devilish grin to him. He said he had a pick-up order and she'd headed over to the kitchen to retrieve it. Kay was doing everything within her power to stop her cheeks from burning up with colour. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Don't you have school tomorrow?" he leaned his back against the counter, his take out food stored in a white styrofoam box, held together in a plastic bag with condensation on the inside. [["I could ask the same of you."]]

"Well," he started. "Since we //both// have school tomorrow, how about I take ya home?" Kay's heart fluttered again. There's just no way he couldn't tell how flustered she was at this point, but she'd never been in his car before. She'd never been in //any// boy's car before. But her phone was dead, she had no idea where her Dad was, and her only other option was waiting a few hours for Renae to finish. It was already half past 10, and the drive home was a distance. The fake leather stuck to her skin as she shuffled off the bar stool, a physical acceptance of his offer. "Headin off, are ya luv?" Renae called out once she'd stood up. "Yeah, I'm a bit tired." She agreed. Her aunt very carefully eyed the 17-year-old-next to her before nodding and waving her goodbye. [["The car is this way!" Tom called.]]

Kay shouts out at Bruce, before nearly passing her own stop. She knows these busses all-too-well, and their stop buttons are finicky at best. Easier to just let him know. Bruce slaps the indicator on and drifts to the side of the road. The sound of the tires shifting to the part gravel is loud and jarring. Kay keeps her earphones in so the woman is less inclined to speak to her. "Goodnight, Bruce," Kay smiles warmly. "Night kid. Be safe, please." He says. [[It is still cold]]

"In the flesh, Nugget. What are you doing out here? That has to be the latest bus I've ever seen." //Stop calling me that.// Kay internalised. "Y'know. The usual." Kay immediately tried to play it cool. The blue-eyed boy with windswept hair who constantly gave her hot and cold, (and hot again), turned off the car and opened the door. He stood leaning against it's frame. The breeze blew towards Kay and the smell of his cheap deodorant with it. Her heart race increased. "Your deadbeat forget again?" He smiled playfully, but it hurt a little, even if it was the truth. "...He's not deadbeat. He's trying." Kay sighed. It was cold and quiet for a long moment. "I'll take you home." Tom said, getting back into his car before even waiting for a response. Kay looked into the dark road ahead and shivered. //God damn it Kay, be cool!// [["The car is this way!" Tom called.]]

Kay walked towards the car, it was old and filthy. She clicked open the passenger door and saw a penis etched out of the dirt on the window as the light hit it. Her face was filling with blush, she was actually inside //Tom Leggard's// car! "Can you hold this?" he asked, putting his take-away dinner on Kay's lap. It was steaming hot, but she agreed. "Can... Can I show you something?" He smiled at her. Her heart quickens. What it could be, she had no idea - until he plugs his phone into the aux cable. He- he's joking, right? She politely smiled but hoped she wouldn't really have to do this again. [[Take the wheel]] [["You've actually showed me before..."]] [["Um, maybe we could talk instead?"]]

+1 Confidence (set: $Confidence to $Confidence + 1) Is what she wanted to say. "Yeah, please do!" is what Kay actually said, blush filling her cheeks. She was kicking herself. He was into creating his own dubstep tracks. They were loud and... amateur, but that's where he was on his journey so far. It really wasn't her thing, she wasn't sure why she was so happy to agree to it. Especially when he'd //already// shown them to her. Why was she like this? She wondered to herself, while stealing glances at him in the driver's seat. She was actually pretty sure his speedometre didn't actually work. How was this car even roadworthied? Better than walking home in this cold, at least. When Tom asked for directions, she had to repeat herself multiple times over the music, and he still wouldn't turn it down. [["Pass me a chip would ya?"]]

+1 Kindness (set: $Kindness to $Kindness + 1) Is what she wanted to say. "Yeah, please do!" is what Kay actually said, blush filling her cheeks. She was kicking herself. He was into creating his own dubstep tracks. They were loud and... amateur, but that's where he was on his journey so far. It really wasn't her thing, she wasn't sure why she was so happy to agree to it. Especially when he'd //already// shown them to her. Why was she like this? She wondered to herself, while stealing glances at him in the driver's seat. She was actually pretty sure his speedometre didn't actually work. How was this car even roadworthied? Better than walking home in this cold, at least. When Tom asked for directions, she had to repeat herself multiple times over the music, and he still wouldn't turn it down. [["Pass me a chip would ya?"]]

+1 Ambition (set: $Ambition to $Ambition + 1) is what Kay sarcastically thought she should do. "Yeah, please do!" is what Kay actually said, blush filling her cheeks. She was kicking herself. He was into creating his own dubstep tracks. They were loud and... amateur, but that's where he was on his journey so far. It really wasn't her thing, she wasn't sure why she was so happy to agree to it. Especially when he'd //already// shown them to her. Why was she like this? She wondered to herself, while stealing glances at him in the driver's seat. She was actually pretty sure his speedometre didn't actually work. How was this car even roadworthied? Better than walking home in this cold, at least. When Tom asked for directions, she had to repeat herself multiple times over the music, and he still wouldn't turn it down. [["Pass me a chip would ya?"]]

Kay returns to holding her elbows in the palms of her hands. She kicks herself for not checking the time while her phone still had power. The red lights of the bus fade out into the distance. There are a few streetlights scattered around the suburb, but it's still quite a walk home. It is quiet. The smell of someone's barbeque still lingers in the air. She loved walking her dog around dinnertime because of all the smells. She missed him. Not even ten metres into her walk down the street, the sound of a car approaches closer. She isn't phased until she feels the headlights turn to focus on her. She panics, and is about to start running when- "Nugget!!" [["Tom? is that you?"]]

"Sure!" Kay said a little louder than she'd have liked. She pulled at the white plastic knot that held the styrofoam box. She'd realised she'd actually not eaten dinner, either. When she folded up the lid, she saw fish and chips inside and it made her laugh. He usually did get them from her work, and it's funny he got the same thing at an alternative place. Tom moved her head toward her and opened his mouth. Kay looked at him, wide-eyed and then felt embarrassed she didn't understand what was happening. His lips curved into a bit of a smile and she put one of the chips in his mouth. She was absolutely enamoured by him, and she wished she wasn't so whipped. She looked at the chips and she laughed when she realised. She picked up a smaller chip when Tom leaned toward her again, placing it in his mouth, his lips brushed her fingers. Shivers ran over her body. Her face was a deep red and she was praying he didn't notice. Her stomach growled loudly. She immediately grabbed it with her spare hand. Tom laughed. "You don't need any of those, come on." He said, and laughed. His song ended. It was quiet. [[oh.]]

"It was a joke, Nugget." He said when he realised how much those words hurt her. [["Please stop calling me that..."]]

she said quietly. The car came to a stop at the front of Kay's house. The front light was on, and her Dad's car was in the driveway. She was glad she didn't have to stay in the car any longer. "Come on, really? I took you home and everything." "...thank you." Kay said obligatorily. It was true. Her Dad didn't come through, but Tom did. She should be grateful. He was right, too. She knew she was overweight for her age. She was //painfully// aware she was overweight. She wished she could forget it. She wished this was the first time he'd made a joke like this. Her hands clutched over her stomach and her fingernails scrunched into the skin on her sides. “You’d be so pretty if you lost a bit of weight, y’know.” Kay opened the door and placed his food on her seat. "If you can't laugh at yourself, your life is going to be a whole lot longer than you'd like!" Tom regurgitated some dumb fucking inspirational quote from his Pinterest board that Kay had found in the early hours of the morning. [["Goodnight, Tom."]]

"Stop being so fucking delicate." He retorted, revving the engine of his shitbox car as he loudly sped down the street. Kay walked up towards her house, and with every step closer to her front door she got incrementally angrier. He was at fucking home this whole time? And better yet, had the audacity to leave the fucking light on? A sign, a // you'll make it home eventually and this helps// pathetic sort of effort instead of picking her up. Instead of offering any sort of bloody communication. Kay was seething. The door was also unlocked for her, //or fucking anybody// as she came inside. [["Dad where the FUCK are you?"]] [["I'm home, just so you know. If you even care."]]

+1 Ambition (set: $Ambition to $Ambition + 1) As soon as Kay gets angry, she always cries. She wished this wasn't the case, it made her even angrier. People mistook her well-placed rage as hormones, as weakness, as sadness - and it was so frustrating that it made it harder for her to articulate her feelings. Not just to her Dad, but to everyone. But she was sick of this happening, time and time again. [[Something needed to change.]]

+1 Confidence (set: $Confidence to $Confidence + 1) Kay wished she could be angry. She wished she could rev her Dad and have it make any difference at all. The truth was that it just wouldn't. She was tired. She just wanted to rest. [[Something needed to change.]]

Kay went to her bedroom at the end of the house and dropped her heavy school bag off her shoulders. She took off her uniform and replaced it with pyjamas. Her feet felt hot against the cold tiles. She immediately put her phone on charge. //Something needed to change now.// (Set: _Ending to false) (if: $Ambition >= 3 +)[ ([[Text Boss]])[] (set: _Ending to true) ] (if: $Confidence >= 3)[ ([[Text Tom]])[] (set: _Ending to true) ] (if: $Kindness >= 3)[ ([[Text Ruby]])[] (set: _Ending to true) ] (if: _Ending is false)[[Text Boss]] (if: $Kindness + $Ambition + $Confidence >= 5)[ ([[Go find Dad]])[] (set: _Ending to true) ]

It didn't take Kay long to find him. In his shed in their small backyard, on the counter with a TV playing quietly. A nearly-empty bottle of bourbon stood proudly beside his miserable body over the counter. Kay could see the tear stains down his cheeks, and she sighed. It was hard to be angry with him, even if she was right to be. "You know what sucks, Dad? I have a job. I buy my own lunches. I pay my own school fees. I give my friends fuel money to take me where I need to go. I'm just a kid. I'm missing out on kid stuff because of this." She swallowed, but the lump in her throat never went away. Her voice was shakey and the tears began to fall down her own face. "I wish you were here for me Dad." She cried. "I wish I could talk to you about how tired I am of emotionally carrying my friends. I wish I could tell you about all the mixed signals I’m getting from boys who don’t even like me that much. I wish I could tell you about the things that matter to me, but you never listen long enough to say the right things." Her dad groggily stirs in his sleep, passed out on the wooden, glossy bar. A glass still half-full of straight bourbon clutched in his calloused hands. "I wish I could still need you," she whispered, prying his away from the cup. The last of her innocence fleeted. Her childhood was over. This was never going to get any easier. [[This was it.]]

Kay has always been articulate, but never really knew when to speak up. Until now. Once her phone held enough charge, she found Tom's number. He was her first real crush. He was nice, but sometimes he was just, not. She wanted him to be her first kiss. She decided she'd had enough though. She typed; //You’re not actually a very good friend, you know. I appreciate that you offered to take me home, and that you do things for me, but you don’t actually treat me very well - doing nice things doesn’t necessarily make up for that, y’know? I will always appreciate the laughter we did share, but I don’t want to talk anymore. // She blocked his number. He no longer came to the fish and chip shop. Her heart sank when she saw him, but she told herself she deserved better. Even if that meant always carrying a jacket for brisk walks home. She would fall in love again. Ending 1/4 (Confident) [[Thank you]]

As soon as Kay could turn her phone back on, she was inundated with more messages from her slightly problematic best friend. Kay had a big day, and if she'd had more energy to look after Ruby she would have, but the truth was that this is all she had to give right now. //Ruby, I think you need to talk to someone. And I don’t want you to stop talking to me, but I think I’ve done all I can for you right now. You’re going through a lot and I feel so, so bad. I want to make it easier for you, but I think I’m also making it harder for myself. I don’t want to stop being friends with you, but it’s just not a lot of fun. I can help you in other ways, but I don’t have the energy to be the first point of contact for this. Tomorrow maybe we can look up some resources that might be of better help?// Ruby instantly saw her message, and no reply came through. //I love you and I’m sorry. // Kay said on the verge of dreaming. She knew Ruby wasn't going to reply to this. She would miss her best friend, but she needed more than Kay could give right now. The kindest thing Kay could do right now as look after herself. Ending 3/4 (Kind) [[Thank you]]

Absolutely exhausted, Kay collapsed onto her bed. She couldn't keep doing this, school was demanding enough and even though her boss was incredibly kind, and even though she wanted the money to save up for a beautiful camera, she couldn't keep doing these shifts. Her life right now wasn't ready for it. //Hey, I love working here and I know I said I was okay doing closes but getting home is actually really tricky. I’m going to miss the extra pay, but I need something to change. I hope this isn't too difficult for you. // It broke her heart because she wanted to give this everything she could, she didn't want her currect trajectory to change - but that path didn't lead where she thought it would. She was burnt out. She had very little left to give right now. Kay was always ambitious and determined, maybe now more than ever, and she would always have the opportunity to earn more money. It was a hindrance, but it was only temporary. She needed to look after herself, and slowing down right now was the best path for her to take. Ending 2/4 (Ambitious) [[Thank you]]

Heya! Mikki here c: Thank you for playing my prototype of my game Delicate!! Thank you thank you thank you! If you'd like to play again, click below to go to the title screen; [[Title Screen]] If you'd like to help me improve this game, please fill out this questionnaire. It'd be greatly appreciated! (https://forms.gle/SrUeHGRWzKdHiAiH9) And if you'd like to see more, please follow along my Game Dev journey at https://awhmikki.itch.io/ //And please, be gentle with yourself.//

Kay tucked her head under her fathers armpit and draped his elbow over her shoulder. She stood up and his weight beared on her as he subconsciously found his footing. She walked him inside, to the couch and he plopped into it. If he was awake, he didn’t say anything to acknowledge it. Kay pulled one of the blankets off of the floor over him. ...and rolled him onto his side, just in case. She curled up in her room and cried. She cried for the childhood she was never going to get. For the help she still counted on but never received. She cried because she was all too soft in a world that refused to make space for her. She cried, and eventually, she stopped. Eventually, she slept. [[Zzzzzz]]

Kay's relationship with her Dad was never really the same. She stopped asking things of him, but in doing so learned to stand on her own feet. Renae started bringing her home from her shifts at work, and Kay gave her a little extra fuel money to do so. She had to wait longer, and didn't earn as much, but was still able to save up for an expensive camera she knew would help in her future career. She limited her replies to Ruby, focusing more on her studies and her job. Ruby was hurt, and stopped replying as often. Sometimes it felt like she was using her time as a weapon - whether or not Kay's recent efforts were worthy of rewarding, but it wasn't as world-ending as Kay thought. Ruby was damaged and needed help, but that was not her place to provide. She didn't have the time to, anymore. She only had the time to look after herself. Tom came by the fish and chip shop still, but Kay paid him less mind. She didn't reply to his texts and eventually he became uninterested, and she didn’t have to see him anymore. She saw his shit-box car park over the other side of the road at the pub. Guess he found somewhere else to get his fish and chips from, and some other brunette to tease when he felt lonely. No one really knew how to look out for her. She was going to have to practice doing it for herself. She would grieve her childhood, but she would earn more money. She would make new friends. She would still fall in love. She would make space for herself in a beginning that was far too harsh for her delicate heart. Ending 4/4 (Perfect) [[Thank you]]