Fishbowl

Read Fishbowl for Free Online

Book: Read Fishbowl for Free Online
Authors: Matthew Glass
Andrei.
    â€˜Andrei, we can’t cope with comprehensive! How many times do I have to tell you? We’re timid little creatures of limited brainpower. It’s too much!’
    â€˜How big a selection?’ asked Andrei.
    â€˜I don’t know. Ten. Twenty. Something we can get our heads around.’
    â€˜How do I choose them? And don’t say ranking. Don’t say ranking. Ranking’s not the answer.’
    â€˜Then do it randomly!’ said Kevin, who was just as sick of Fishbowll as Ben, and even more exasperated by Dan Cooley’s recalcitrance to every blandishment he could think of. ‘Dude, give us ten, randomly selected. OK? That’s it! I’m getting dinner. Who wants to come?’
    â€˜I’m coming,’ said Ben. ‘Is Charles around?’
    â€˜Who knows?’
    â€˜Charles …?’
    They waited for a moment.
    â€˜OK,’ said Kevin. ‘Let’s go.’
    Kevin and Ben headed out. Andrei followed them, shambling down the corridor and down the stairs disconsolately.
    They went down to the quad and headed for Ricker.
    â€˜Do you really think that’s what I should do?’ said Andrei as they walked. ‘Cut down the long list and just give a selection of names?’
    Kevin sighed. ‘Dude! Please! Enough!’
    â€˜I’m saying that instead of these gimungous lists,’ said Ben, ‘you should give us a randomly selected list that we can handle. Ten names. Whatever.’
    â€˜Put a gender filter in,’ said Kevin. ‘At least make it so we can choose the girls.’
    â€˜It’s not a dating site!’ retorted Andrei.
    â€˜Dude, every place you can connect with on the internet is a dating site.’
    â€˜That’s too depressing.’
    Ben shrugged. ‘Ben’s right, Andrei. Look at Dan Cooley.’
    â€˜What’s he got to do with it? Has he developed a dating site?’
    Kevin laughed. ‘Only way he’d get a lay.’
    â€˜Dan responds to Kev—I mean Jeff , because he thinks Jeff’s interested in him.’
    â€˜You think he’s gay?’ said Kevin, his face suddenly lighting up. ‘Maybe I can offer him some kind of discount on Adidas sneakers for, like, gay buyers.’
    Ben looked at Kevin incredulously for a moment. ‘I’m not saying he’s gay. What I’m saying is, Dan responds to Jeff because he thinks Jeff’s interested in him. It makes him feel special. Once you feel special, you respond.’
    Andrei had no idea what that had to do with Fishbowll. ‘When you get a name on Fishbowll, it’s obvious why you’re interested in that person – because you share the same interest.’
    â€˜But why that person and nobody else in the five million names on your list?’ said Ben.
    Andrei shrugged.
    â€˜Exactly. You don’t know. Look, Andrei, it’s got to be a journey, and the journey has to start with some kind of impulse.’
    Andrei stopped and stared at him. ‘What does that mean?’
    â€˜I don’t know, exactly. It’s just …’
    â€˜Dude, everything’s a journey,’ said Kevin.
    â€˜Everything should be a journey,’ said Ben. ‘This should be a journey of discovery.’
    â€˜It is!’ said Andrei impatiently. ‘You choose a name and you connect and you see what happens. What’s that if it’s not a journey?’
    â€˜Well, if that’s the journey, people aren’t taking it. It’s like—’
    â€˜It’s like they’re in the departure lounge and they’ve got ten thousand flights on the board and who knows how the hell which ticket to buy?’ said Kevin.
    â€˜Normally, you’ve got a ticket by the time you’re in the departure lounge,’ replied Andrei coolly.
    â€˜Andrei,’ said Ben, ‘whether you’re in the lounge yet or not is not the point.’
    â€˜What is the

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