Ok, at first I was going nuts thinking it wasn't working with the exact same setup and code I was using, but I apparently found an issue. (I am using an FTDI usb serial chip making COM8 a virtual com port through my usb, works fine though)
I put in the code and test it with the arduino software and test that I am getting serial data on the right com port.
I open A7 and it works fine.
Here's the tricky part:
if I unplug my USB serial cable and plug it back in, A7 will not recognize it... I know the code is working because I see my rx light up at the proper interval. A7 won't connect until I connect and disconnect with another software (I use my arduino "serial monitor" for this. I connect, disconnect a few seconds later then run my code in A7 then it works again)
Any ideas on how to fix this problem?
Can anyone else verify this on their machine?

Black holes are where God divided by zero.