A Date with Jason 

First Scene opens with Jason being invisible.

2:00. The church bell nearby rings for a second time, sending your heart pounding. Was it nerves? Excitement? Or perhaps the hot cocoa you ordered while you were waiting?

Regardless of where it came from, the why of it all sends your mind racing.

Player: Maybe he’s standing me up! Maybe I’m at the wrong place? Why do they still ring the bell? Don’t we all know what time it is?

Your anxiety reaches a crescendo as you begin to recall yesterday morning. You believed you had met the man of your dreams when he bumped into you outside this very store.

His hair dark as Lindt, his words smooth like fondue, and from the look of his Ferrari, richer than Swiss Miss. You snap out of it when the door swings open, and the little bell above the door rings. You’re left speechless as you see him enter. Jason.

Jason will appear

Jason: Hey! Sorry I am late. It turns out a fast car doesn’t mean much when the traffic is as slow as molasses!

You attempt to wrangle your thoughts in place in order to launch the date off on the best foot possible

Choice 1
Option 1: Be a little funny
Player: “I know right? I thought I saw some snails cut off a Bugatti earlier”

Jason: “Hah! That is funny because snails are slow!”

Your chest falls as you’re able to exhale in relief. That dating book you read told you that a strong start to a date is the most important part, and the joke you timidly delivered seems to have gotten you by the hardest part.

Option 2: Be a bit flirty
Player: “Oh, that’s alright. It must have taken you some time to get into that stunning outfit of yours.”

Jason: “Actually it took me a few minutes. It’s not hard to pick when you only own blue shirts”

You’re able to take a quick breath. That response did nothing for your nerves, as it seems your attempt at flirting didn’t seem to register with him. He doesn’t look disappointed, so you assume this can still be recovered.

Option 3: Be Sarcastic
Player: “In the big city? That’s shocking!”

Jason: “Oh… yeah…”

Your heart sinks as Jason’s tone and expression switch to disappointment. It seems your tone wasn’t read very well.

Subchoice: Apologize?

Yes:

Player: “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to come off like that. What I meant was I 100% understand what you mean.

Jason: “That’s alright. At least I arrived as soon as I did.”

You didn’t exactly achieve the elegant start you wanted, but you seem to have recovered whatever ground you just lost.

No:

Player: “I lived here almost all my life, I know how bad the traffic can be”

Jason: “That’s… uhh… good to know?”

What a way to treat someone on the first date! It seems doubling down didn’t appeal to Jason at all.

Despite your best attempts, the date isn’t over yet.

End of choice 1

Jason: “Well, I can say I am surely famished. I was running late for my first class, so I didn’t have time to stop for breakfast today!”

Player: “First class? Are you a student?”

Jason gives a slight chuckle

Jason: “You could say that, After all it feels like I’m always learning something!”

Jason: “I’m actually a mathematics professor at the college”

Player: ”A professor? I thought teachers don’t make a lot of money.”

Jason: “Oh, we make money, just not enough to deal with the students”

You give a little chuckle as you both take a look around the store.

Admittedly, it’s not your first choice for a date, but the sweet scent of the sugary delicacies around you, and the comfortably cool air makes up for the strangeness of the situation.

Player: “So.. why did you pick the candy shop for our date?”

Jason rubs the back of his neck a little as he takes a more timid demeanor

Jason: “Well, I figured it wouldn’t be too far out of your way, being we met here on your way to work… and I do have a soft spot for chocolate.

Player: “Really? What’s your favorite kind?”

Jason: “Oh, I go straight for Schogetten when I get the chance, but I’ll take a Ghirardelli when I get the chance. What about you?”

Player: “I normally just go for the cheap stuff. Hersheys is my go-to.”

Jason: “Ah yes. It’s alright, but tastes like spoiled milk when compared to European stuff!”

Player: “Well, I’m a cashier, so I really just take what’s in my aisle after my shift!”

You both share a smile and a small laugh. You wish you could tune into what he’s thinking, but you left your mind reading powers in your other pants, so I guess you’ll have to go with your gut.

Player: I’m having a great time, so that surely means he’s having a good time, right?

Jason pops your thought bubble, forcing you to retreat from the safety of your mind back into the terrifying process of normal social interaction.

Jason: “I wonder, what’s your opinion on fudge?”

Time seems to stop as you freeze up, your brain hard resetting. You’ve never thought about your opinions on fudge, but his phrasing made the question seem like a deal breaker if you didn’t get it right!

Player: Get a hold of yourself. It’s just your opinion on fudge, you can come up with that, right?

Choice 2
Option 1: Say you love it.
Player: If I was stuck on a deserted island, the one thing I would bring would be fudge!

Jason: Oh? Seems like a waste… I’d rather bring one of the harder versions of chocolate.

You blew it! How could you be so stupid? Maybe if you stopped spending so much time studying the complexities of U.S. politics, you would have known fudge is the inferior choice! You’re so ashamed, you seem to be unable to stop the awkward silence YOU created!

Option 2: Stay neutral
Player: “I never thought about it. I guess I’m indifferent.”

Jason: “Fair enough. It’s not exactly something that stands out, anyway.”

You hope that if you stare into his eyes long enough, maybe his thoughts will become transparent. Regardless, your fencesitting doesn’t seem to have turned him away, so perhaps you’re in the clear.

Option 3: Denounce it
Player: “Fudge doesn’t really impress me. I’ll only eat it if there’s nothing else around.”

Jason: “I feel the same way! The texture is just too soft to be satisfying.”

You feel on top of the world. As little as it should matter, you see that it puts a smile right on Jason’s face. Maybe you’re doing well after all.

End of choice 2

Jason’s eyes lock across the counter, staring directly at some of the chocolate bars displayed on the shelves.

Jason: “You know… it isn’t exactly a meal, but that chocolate is definitely calling my name!”

Player: “I guess this conversation didn’t do you many favors for your appetite. I know it didn’t do me any!”

Jason: “Well, why don’t we play a little game. Whoever gets full of chocolate faster loses!”

Player: “Are you sure that’s fair? I might eat circles around you!”

You give a playful smirk to complement your feigned confidence as you signal the clerk.

Jason: “Oh, it’s on now…”

You seem to siphon some of Jason’s competitive energy as Jason orders some chocolate bars from the clerk. He hands you a few as you both take a seat at the table.

Jason: Alright. On your mark… get set… GO!

Game ensues, tally up scores.

Lose:
You try to take the last few bites of your last bar, but alas, it seems you’ve come out of practice with your stress-eating skills. Whether it was your anxiety, or the amount of chocolate you ate, you find yourself unable to continue.

Jason is quick to take notice as he cleans his fingers of the rest of his chocolate and looks at you with a smirk.

Jason: “Well, it seems the champ keeps his title.”

Player: “The champ can’t keep the title forever. Maybe we could do a rematch another time?”

Jason gives a sigh as his smile fades.

Jason: I’m sorry. I had a lot of fun today, but I just can’t see us going further with this.

You seem to remember finishing the date amicably, but it’s hard to determine what happened after you felt your heart suffer the crushing grasp of rejection. You said goodbye and got away as fast as possible, trying to think about what you did wrong.

Bad Ending

Win:
You go to reach for another bar, but your hand just hits the table. It takes a moment for you to realize that the chocolate didn’t actually disappear, but you must have hit the vacuum switch when starting this challenge.

You look at Jason, and you can see him still holding his last bar with a look of ecstasy on his face. It’s quickly replaced with shock as he looks at you. He swallows the last bite, leaving a whole bar’s worth of chocolate on his face and in his beard as he gives a small laugh.

Jason: “I never thought I’d be beaten at my own game!”

Player: “Oh, you started playing?”

Jason: “Take your victory lap now. Next time, I’ll be prepared.”

Player: “Next time? You mean… another date?”

Jason: “Of course! I had a lot of fun. Here, let me give you my number so we can talk more!”

The crushing anxiety pinning you to the seat lifts as you start floating on cloud 9. Your nerves almost got the better of you, but you managed to push through and find yourself repeating his number in your head as you look at the picture you took together for the contact in your phone. You share a hug as you both go your separate ways, happier than a kid in a candy store.