12 Waiting is Hell

I bit my thumb and paced around my room. My feet thrummed on the ground, one hundred percent annoying my dad in the kitchen below. Early morning was prep time for the shop.

And today's early morning was also my prep time for the first day of high school.

What did a normal high school freshman worry about the day before it started? Was it the introductory speech that would inevitably come up, or was it if they could make friends or not?

I think it would be a whole bunch of them. All of them related in some way or form to their youthful springtime.

"Why is there no reply…"

But there was something completely different taking up my mind. 

[Host, calm down. You sent the email before going to sleep.]

"It should be afternoon in that part of the world. I heard that it is common to check emails within minutes these days."

[No one is going to do that for you…]

The system seemed like a tired friend from behind the screen. I could imagine it sighing if it were in front of me, but that wasn't the case here.

The website did mention that we could expect a reply in 2-3 weeks, but that was way too long. They also mentioned that they wouldn't reply to someone they didn't select due to the volume of submissions.

But I knew better. It was probably just a way to avoid having to hand out rejections. No one would actually be made to wait 2-3 weeks for something that simple.

[Host, you seem to have a misunderstanding…]

The system went on speaking again as I buttoned my shirt up. I was about to get late at this rate, but I couldn't stop myself from moving around.

[Ok, stop, just stop. Pick up your phone.]

"You think I should send a follow-up?" I asked. "Come on, system. Don't be neurotic, that is never appreciated."

I sighed. Even if the system knew a lot about writing, it seemed it wasn't familiar with business. Rush someone and they'll be pissed.

[If I had hands I would have punched you. Just pick up your phone and search for wait times in traditional publishing.]

There was a very simple distinction that people on the web had made between their works and works that got published through printing presses. 

Traditional Novels meant the books that one would usually find in the bookstore, while Webnovels or e-books were ones you would find on an app or Amazon. 

I did as the system asked, and almost spit out the coffee I had finished fifteen minutes back.

"Three to Six months minimum?!"

[Minimum. Most agents would suggest even longer.]

From the time one sent a book to their agent, assuming they went through an agent which is already a highway to publishing, they would have to wait for months on end.

I checked through the different forums. Some authors even mentioned how they took 12 months from submission to getting a deal with Penguin Probability House, the biggest paperback publisher in the world.

It was quite something.

[It can be tough to wait, but if you get this nervous from a single book, you'll fall before you ever climb up.]

The system was quite the funny being. It was kind when I had my guard up, and then stabbed when I had lowered it.

"Fine, I get it… I'll keep my mind away from it and focus on our routines."

[Yes. That is the way to go.]

Waiting. 

I had never known how nerve-wracking something that simple could be.

I swore in my heart to always be punctual in the future.

***

I got ready on time. Luck played some role, I believe, but it didn't seem like I was going to be late for my first day of High School.

Just as I stepped out of the door, waving bye to my parents, the system window opened up in front of me again.

[Quest: Learn the backstories of 10 people from your High School in the first month.]

What…?

What was this now?

Wasn't it supposed to be something like making a hundred friends? What do you mean backstories?!

No seriously, what do you mean by backstories?