Part 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1119800356 _____________________________________________ Months passed since ESSA’s disastrous encounter with Y/N in the drink aisle. He’d tried to bury the memory deep in his mind, but every time he saw a bottle of Coca-Cola, the rejection came flooding back. “What do they know about me anyway?” he muttered to his (Word We cant say cause I'll get Banned) server, where his loyal followers (all three of them) egged him on with encouraging GIFs of anime characters giving thumbs up. “I’ll show Y/N what they’re missing. They’ll regret rejecting the king of Scratch!” ESSA decided it was time for a change. He swapped his fedora for a slightly less greasy baseball cap, scrubbed off the layers of Cheeto dust from his fingers (most of it, anyway), and invested in a bottle of off-brand cologne called “Mountain Blast.” He even ventured outside more frequently—not because he wanted to, but because the gas station had a new slushie machine he was obsessed with. One fateful day, ESSA saw Y/N again. They were seated at a small café, their laptop open, and a steaming cup of coffee beside them. ESSA hesitated. His instincts told him to retreat to the safety of his basement, but he had something to prove. He approached, doing his best to look confident. “Y/N,” he said, voice cracking only slightly. Y/N looked up, surprised. “Oh… hey? ESSA, right?” “You remember my name?” ESSA asked, his heart soaring. “Yeah, you kind of made an impression,” Y/N replied, choosing their words carefully. ESSA took this as a compliment. “Listen,” he began, pulling up a chair without being invited. “I know our last meeting didn’t go great, but I’ve been working on myself. I’m not just a (Word I Can't Say Cause I'll Get Banned) mod anymore—I’m an entrepreneur. I started selling custom RGB setups online. Big business. Huge, really.” Y/N raised an eyebrow. “That’s… nice?” “And,” ESSA continued, leaning in conspiratorially, “I’ve been watching tutorials on personal growth. I even touched grass last week.” Y/N blinked. “Congratulations?”
ESSA took a deep breath, the scent of his cologne overpowering. “Y/N, I’m serious. You’re different. You’re not like the others on Scratch who don’t understand me. Give me one chance. I’ll show you my world—my servers, my coding skills, my… heart.” Y/N sighed, closing their laptop. “ESSA, I think it’s great that you’re working on yourself. Really. But I’m not interested in… whatever this is.” ESSA froze. “But… why? Is it because I’m too powerful? Too ambitious?” “No, it’s because… I just don’t feel the same way,” Y/N said gently but firmly. “And that’s okay. You’ll find someone who appreciates your… unique energy.” As Y/N walked away, leaving ESSA alone once more, something clicked in his mind. Maybe Y/N wasn’t rejecting him because they didn’t see his greatness. Maybe… it was because he needed to learn how to exist outside of his online persona. He slumped back to his basement, but this time, instead of logging into Scratch to wreak havoc, he opened a tab labeled “How to Be a Better Person IRL.” The journey wouldn’t be easy, but for the first time, ESSA realized that hacking into accounts wouldn’t fill the void in his heart. The End (For Now)
