It had only gone on for a few months, but it felt like ages to him. He had spoken to her every day since he had first “met” her, embarrassed by the medium that had brought them together. As he donned the microphone and signed in, he thought of how irregular it all was, and what someone might think about the unconventional relationship he had managed to perpetuate over Xbox Live. Nothing seemed unconventional about it to him: she was gorgeous, and they had managed to fall in love with one another across state lines and against all odds. Scrolling through the interface he could see that she was already online, and she had already messaged him.

1. XBox Love
It had only gone on for a few months, but it felt like ages to him. He had spoken to her every day since
he had first “met” her, embarrassed by the medium that had brought them together. As he donned the
microphone and signed in, he thought of how irregular it all was, and what someone might think about
the unconventional relationship he had managed to perpetuate over Xbox Live. Nothing seemed
unconventional about it to him: she was gorgeous, and they had managed to fall in love with one
another across state lines and against all odds. Scrolling through the interface he could see that she was
already online, and she had already messaged him.
“Want to chat?”
Without hesitation he plugged in his webcam and invited her to a private chat. After a few moments,
she was there right in front of him. She was as pale as snow, and her glasses sat in front of enormous
brown eyes. As she pushed her blonde hair from her face, he could see her as he had seen her now for
so many days and nights.
“Hey Ray.”
“Hey Lulu.”
“So I guess tomorrow is the big day, are you sure you still want to do this?” he asked.

2. “I’ve never wanted anything so badly in my life,” said Lulu.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting for someone like you my entire life,” Ray confessed, “and I can’t wait until I
can do normal stuff with you… like smoke cigarettes and share sips of coffee.”
Their conversation went on for hours until the time came for Ray to pack his things for the long trip
ahead. Lulu said that she loved him, and Ray told her that the feeling was very mutual. After a long and
sleepless night, Ray headed for the family car while his mother bawled her eyes out and told him not to
leave. She argued that he was too young and too naïve, and that he was making a mistake. He told her
that none of it mattered anymore, and that he needed to leave. With that she drove him to the
Greyhound station, where Ray was told that if he left, he could never come back. Ray accepted the
terms and watched his mother and father leave the station. It was no secret that Ray didn’t get along
with his parents, but he hadn’t told them about Luella until just a few days ago. He tried not to think of
everything he was leaving behind and instead only focused on the life he was going to have with Lulu.
She was the only thing that mattered anymore.
Sitting there in the station, he elected to call her from the payphone. They had the usual conversation,
but now it all seemed so real to him: he was on his own in the world now, and she was to be his
companion.
It took a little over 22 hours by bus to get to Denver, but he thought it was well worth it to see Lulu in
person for the first time in both of their lives. As he rolled his luggage around Denver’s Greyhound
station he scanned the area for the girl he had invested so much of himself in. Finally, he saw her. She
was exactly how he had imagined her for all this time. Without saying a word, he walked up to her and
picked her up, hugging her for what seemed like an entire minute. Her feet swung well above the
ground, her arms locked around him, and it seemed like the entire station was watching them.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said.
With that, they were walking around downtown and riding the Light Rail to her house.
Her mother was going to be out of town for a week and they were happy that they were going to be
able to share a week alone with one another, so happy in fact that they had forgotten that Ray was
going to spend the next few months on the streets while he looked for a job so that they could begin
their new life together. But none of that mattered now. The only thing that seemed to matter at this
point was the fact that they were physically with one another. That in itself was huge. They had finally
done it. All the private chats and long nights on the phone had led them to this day. This was their time,
and Ray had never been happier. He looked at Denver’s dusk sky as they rode on the train and told her
that he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
“That’s Denver for you,” she said.
“I was talking about you,” Ray whispered.

3. Lulu’s pale cheeks ran red with blood, and as moments like these typically do, it ended too soon; it was
time for them to leave the train. Finally, they were at her house, and it was just the two of them.
Ray took care to hide his things in her closet and as they lay in bed they did nothing but watch bad
television and enjoy each other’s company. They could both hardly believe that all of it was really
happening. Ray reached for the remote and turned the TV off, his mind in a different place now then it
was just a minute ago. He touched her stomach and looked into those brown eyes he had seen so many
times before, but now it felt like the first time. He closed his own eyes and gently pressed his lips on
hers; trying not to smother her even though he wanted to so badly. Before he knew it, Ray’s hands went
other places, and so did hers. Within minutes they were making love and sticking their tongues down
each other’s throats.
Days went by, and it didn’t seem like things could get any better. They smoked cigarettes, shared sips of
coffee, and made love daily. But over time Lulu got quieter and quieter, and Ray’s attempts at figuring
out what was wrong with her were met with little insight. Eventually she gave in.
“I don’t think this is going to work out,” Lulu said one night.
“What changed between a couple days ago and now?” asked Ray puzzled and thrown.
Like a seventeen year old girl often does, she said that “she didn’t know.”
“Don’t you love me?”
“I don’t know.” Tears began rolling down her face.
Ray was devastated.
They were just so happy a minute ago, and now Lulu was having doubts about what they were doing. All
of this craziness had only worked because they were so crazy about each other, but now it didn’t seem
like Lulu wanted any part of what they had created so long ago. He could only think to say that he
understood how she was feeling, even though he didn’t. He tried to comfort her by holding her, but they
eventually just ended up lying in bed together in total darkness, the only sounds Lulu’s constant sobs.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Ray.”
Hearing her say those words only managed to make him feel so much worse. Now tears were pouring
out of his eyes.
“Don’t cry, Lulu. You’re too pretty to cry. Please stop.”
But she didn’t stop, and in the morning Ray had no idea what to think anymore. They ate breakfast and
didn’t say a word to one another. Lulu didn’t even make eye contact with him. Desperate for any kind of
reaction from her, Ray picked a fight.
“I threw away everything I had to be here with you, and for what?”

4. Luella kept her eyes on the ground, said nothing, and headed for the backyard.
“Don’t walk away from me, I deserve more than that!”
The sliding door to the backyard opened, and Lulu stepped out.
Furious, Ray went after her and grabbed her.
“Why can’t you talk to me?” he asked, “Why can’t you look me in the eye and have a conversation with
me?”
“Just go back home,” she said, her eyes still on the ground.
“Lulu why are you saying this to me, and why are you acting this way?” he asked, his heart broken into a
million pieces.
“Because I’m scared, okay?” she screamed, “Scared for you, and scared for me!”
She tore her arms from Ray’s grip and went back inside. Ray couldn’t think of anything to say, his only
thoughts those of the girl he thought he knew.
Ray sat outside, and lit a cigarette. By this point his eyes were red from all of his crying. Then Ray felt a
kind of rage. This wasn’t the girl he knew. This wasn’t the girl he had dropped everything for. This wasn’t
the life they were supposed to have. He marched in, and found her sobbing on the stairs.
“You used to be so fearless,” he said, “You once told me that you wanted this more than anything in the
world.”
“Do you remember that girl?” he asked, pained at the thought of actually losing her and giving up on the
dreams of old.
Lulu went back to ignoring him and ignoring his pleas that begged only for her ears.
Ray knelt next to her and took her hand.
“I know you’re scared, and I know all of this is nuts, but we’ll get through it… because I love you more
than anything in the world, and we deserve a chance.”
Lulu’s cries didn’t stop, but she hugged him and cried into his chest. Then she put her hands on his face.
“I know we will, and our chance begins now. From this point on, this is our life.”
Sitting there on the steps, they had done the impossible and gone through a plethora of emotions, the
most dominant one of those was a love that they had begun so long ago – a love that they were going to
finish… for better or worse.
Story by: Alexander Wells
From: USA

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