Snippet #2298076

Essentially a nocturnal creature, Simon had gone to bed for the night only a few hours before most of the other Patersons left for the day. When he finally awoke some time in the afternoon the rat briefly left his nest to use the restroom down the hall, but immediately returned to his bedroom and locked the door. Sliding into his well-worn rolling chair he quickly turned on his Xbox, his computer and the tv. With the afternoon lineup of sitcoms playing quietly on the 32-inch flat screen to his right, he logged in to briefly check any change in notifications, texts or updates from his friends -- all of whom he'd met through gaming, as he had none from school.

He played Black Ops II for a few hours before the need for breakfast finally registered. Where most of the Patersons' slender builds came from regular exercise and activity, Simon was one of those people who only ever seemed to feel the need to eat at a muted, almost second-hand level. He could note his hunger but not be compelled to satisfy it for hours on end, most of them spent in his room on his computer. This 'morning' breakfast consisted of two Hot Pockets and a Dr. Pepper, which he took back to his room after making a furtive appearance in the kitchen. This time he hadn't shaded himself, although more often than not he did when venturing from his room. Not that he disliked any of his family members particularly; he just didn't want to have to bump into any and be drawn into even the most cursory of conversations. Sometimes he went days without speaking to any of them.

Despite being only fifteen Simon no longer attended high school, which meant he virtually never had anything to draw him from his room. Citing an inability to cope with the pressures of school and socialization, he'd been able to enroll in an at-home schooling program that consisted of little more than reading and submitting papers to an instructor via e-mail, once a week. Almost all of the rest of his time was spent in his nest except for the rare occasions that he was pulled from his room.

Some hours after his breakfast, in the early evening, Simon finished a match and spent the brief moment of downtime to grab one of his phones from the nightstand. "Yeah one second," he replied over the headset while composing a quick message.

[kim pulled out. can u cover tonight 8p-1a $100?]

The new match started, and after a few kills and respawns his phone chimed with the response.

[where?]

He gave the address, a hip new club a few towns over. He didn't know much about it except that it was becoming quite popular with Sunny Haven residents, even rivaling the Patersons' Pawprint Cafe. The perfect place for two to 'accidentally' run into each other. He composed another text, this one to be sent to Val.

[hey Sean's planning on going to the Escape tonight] he began. He dropped the phone to quickly pick up his controller when he saw someone pass where he was camping. No one could find the rat when he wanted to remain hidden, and when the threat passed he turned back to his text. [drinks @ 8?] He sent the message to James' old ex-, and with a small smile, the rat returned to his game.