Glorious.

At

THE FRIENDS

Are four children, who are nearly no longer children anymore because some time has elapsed in the meantime. They don’t want to go home because they are bored there. And that is why it’s better here at the hackers’ place; at least they have an obsession. Here they sit,

And

HANNAH

In Peter’s presence, can no longer think, no longer breathe deeply, her pupils are dilated, her gaze nervous, her movements erratic, and she barely dares to look at him because she immediately blushes when she looks at him, and her hands get clammy. This overly perfect idiot. He has his eyes closed, his lashes are thirty centimeters long.

“I have to go,” says Hannah, stumbling out of the factory hall,

And

DON

Watches her go. Along with Hannah all color disappears from the day. Don has no idea what she wants to do with Hannah other than be together. To touch her hair and lick her legs, perhaps,

And

PETER

Watches Hannah go, as well.

The rush of hormones temporarily paralyzes his breathing center. He gets dizzy. The colors of the surroundings, which are not terribly pronounced anyway, are completely removed with Hannah’s disappearance. Peter has no interest anymore in moving. Or in saying anything. Silence holds sway in the room as the sharp sounds made by the Friends pounding on their keyboards ring out like gunshots.

And

KAREN

Talks quietly to herself. This is brilliant. That you can talk to yourself without alienating any of those present. Karen talks to herself the way all of them here talk to themselves and keep up with themselves, since they were little, since they were able to think, so there was at least one person to console them. Who could say: “Listen, don’t get out of hand, I know that you feel like the loneliest person in the world. You have a sense that it will never change, that you don’t understand anything, and you’re insecure and scared. Hey, I’m there for you.” And Karen talks quietly to herself and is happy for this brief moment. When she doesn’t want anything. “I don’t want anything,” she says, “except to be here, on the sofa, near the others.” Everyone is alone with their thoughts, with their computer, with their weird plans that have to do with the fact that the earth revolves around them. “And the perfect moment is already over,” says Karen to herself and watches as Hannah runs out of the hall. And as Peter watches her go and Don watches her go. Now it’s really kicking off with the hormones and the feeling of suffering in a way nobody has ever suffered before. Now it’s really kicking off with the stolen glances and the racing hearts and the sense of being able to fly, and the fear of dropping. From the sky.

“Quiet”

Shouts

BEN