"Just a few more words..." Patrick said to himself, typing away on his computer, "and... Done! It's finally done."
Happy with his work, Patrick leaned back in his chair. After many weeks of writing and self-editing, he would finally publish his latest chapter to his story. It was his best yet.
He had what some might say, an active imagination. Whenever he would get a new idea for a story or a new chapter, he would write away on his computer. To him, it was normal to get lost in the worlds that he would make in front of him. After all, most of them where intentional self-inserts of his favorite show's, reads and games. Sometimes, he would become inspired by other's fanfics and use that to make something unique from it. Some would say it was a natural gift.
But, that was all he had. After recently completing his senior year in high school, Patrick had a lot of free time on his hands. The only problem was that he didn't have enough things to occupy that time. So he would try to fill that time with distractions like playing video games, watching youtube or keep writing. But these didn't keep his attention for long. He would eventually grow bored and try to find something else to do. It was a never-ending cycle of stop and go.
Just as Patrick was about to stand up and stretch his legs, he heard his siblings rush upstairs. Their dad's fiance must have called them all up for dinner. He heard that she was going to make backed tacos for dinner. That was one of his favorite meals that she would make.
His stomach growled at him for food as he when to join his family for a well-deserved dinner.
By the time Patrick returned to his room, he was stuffed to the brim. He had eaten too much food that he thought he was going to burst and taking his time sitting back down in front of his computer before getting himself compatible. He made one mode quick pre-read before publishing his work on the webpage for everyone to see. A sense of accomplishment swept over him as he closed chrome. When he checked the digital clock of his PC, he noticed that he still had about two more hours before everyone would start to fall asleep. That meant two more hours to do something before sleeping the night away.
"What should I do..?" He asked himself, scratching his chin
He clicked open the "games" folder to see if there were any games he had wanted to play. A whole list of game icons in front of him. Warframe, Absolver, Team Fortress 2, Hellbound, Gmod. He had everything he could choose from. Some new, some old. Then he remembered the Gameboy Advanced tab on the hot bar. He had downloaded an emulator on his computer. That way, he could play some games that he didn't have to chance to play when he was a kid.
He had no money of his own to go and by Gameboy advanced games from E-bay or even at local pawnshops. His ex-best friend gave him his Gameboy before they were forced to break up years before.
They practically did everything together before then. They were inseparable, two peas in a pod. They had the same likes, dislikes, favorites, and ideas.
Now, Patrick rarely ever seems him anymore. It was like losing a piece of himself.
He can still remember the day they broke up. It was a hot summer day, During summer vacation. It was a family vote that he lost. He had to call his friend and tell him that they weren't allowed to see each other anymore. Patrick was heartbroken. But with was for the best. Just earlier, his second brother ran away from home shortly after his best friend left. When Patrick and his family eventually did find his brother, he told everyone how poorly Patrick's friend was treating him, which would lead to him having to call shortly after. He was so hurt that he cried during that call and an hour later. His perfect vacation was ruined.
Patrick turned to the self's above his bed and stared at the handheld next to his fantasy and science fiction books. Just looking at it made him remember that day. He shut his eyes before turning his head away. He figured that he was still hurt after all these years. He felt childish just for getting work up over something so small. With a deep breath, he turned back to his computer and opened up a random game to help him forget about it.
Patrick yawned as he finished another battle. His eyelids were heavy, and his brain felt incredibly slow. Even his breathing felt nonexistent as he returned to the main menu of the game. He had lost track of how much time had passed and figured that now was time to hit the hay.
He turned his computer off and started heading to his bed. As he walked, he pulled down the pull chain and shut the lights off. He enjoyed sleeping as the overhead fan span off during the night, keeping himself fresh while his blanket kept himself warm while he slept. He plunged his smartphone in, the outlet conveniently next to his bed, before laying down on the surprisingly compatible bed. He could already feel his eyes shorting themselves as sleep fell over him. There was always something he liked about sleeping. Maybe it was the dreams he would have, or maybe it was how quickly time passed as he rested. Only for him to wake up the next morning, feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead of him. He didn't know and didn't care right now. All that mattered right now was the silence he heard as his mind entered sleep mode.
It was when he slept wad when he would truly live the adventures he imagined.