Upturned Cloud
A friend of mine sets me up on a blind date. He says she has a lot going for her, but she's a hardcore believer in rating people based on what they have to offer, so she has pretty high standards.
We're supposed to meet at a cafe—but when I arrive, another man is waiting for her, too.
Madison Stuart, the hardcore believer in judging people based on their merits, produces two profiles.
"Sorry about this, but my time is precious. That's why I decided to meet the two of you at the same time."
She points at me. "Levi Hopewell, right? You did graduate from one of the top universities in the country, but you didn't even serve on the student council. I guess that's just about enough for two points. But you didn't list who your employer is, so it sounds like you're just self-employed. That's minus three points.
"There's no information about your parents' jobs, either. Either they run a hole-in-the-wall business somewhere or work some kind of blue-collar job. Whichever it is, that's minus four points."
After a ruthless evaluation of every bit of information she can dig up on me, she finally awards me with negative 18 points.
"Just how did you get so deludedly confident that you think you're good enough to go on a blind date with me?" Madison snorts.
Before I can even speak, she sneers and turns toward the other man.
"As for you, Huxley Lockwood, your situation is way different. You're a senior engineer at a major tech company with an annual salary of 250 thousand dollars. Your parents also work for the government and are entitled to a healthy pension. They can even help take care of the kids in the future.
"Your score is practically perfect. Congratulations, you've passed the test. We can start dating today!" she declares.
I glance between Madison and Huxley, who have clearly taken a liking to each other, and awkwardly set down the coffee I just got for her.
She was half-right, I guess. I'm actually the founder of a rising unicorn company, but the information about me has not been revealed to the public yet.
As for my parents… well, they do run a business. The two of them own a mine in Frenesia and spend most of their time traveling the world, too busy having fun to check on me.
I was going to introduce myself properly to Madison, but from the looks of it, that won't be necessary now.