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Pumped didn’t even begin to cover it. It didn’t matter that I was still mad at Gabriel for his reaction this afternoon. My personal life and my gaming life were two separate things. And nothing was going to dampen my excitement for this tournament.
I couldn’t wait to go check out the tournament boards at the club. In fact, I was pretty sure I couldn’t wait another minute. Grabbing my keys from my nightstand, I raced out the door to hop in my car. A slight bit of guilt hit me as I inhaled the fresh vanilla scent from my car freshener. Charlotte and Lexi were already gone, probably aboard the fishy city bus. I could’ve given them a ride to the diner on my way over to the club, but it was too late. And I was on my own.
That didn’t matter. I was used to being on my own. I’d been a loner for practically most of my high school existence. It hadn’t been by choice, but I’d learned to deal with it. And here I was again, fighting my own battle again.
But this time, the reward would be so much sweeter.
Chapter Seven
Had they spotted my erratic behavior, anyone would’ve thought I was a spy on the mission as I entered the Rock Valley after-school club. There were two certain guys I was most definitely avoiding.
Logically, I knew that the Corrigan boys were probably at home. They wouldn’t be around to see me check the tournament schedule and get the time for my first big battle. But still, one awful interaction per day was enough for me. So, I jerked my head around every corner, scanning the room with alert eyes, before making my way into the club lobby.
The tantalizing smell coming from the bag of fast food I gripped tightly in my hands was making my stomach moan and groan like Joe did after he lost another battle to me on the Sega Dreamcast. It had been my first stop before coming to the club. Thinking about Charlotte and Lexi at the diner had made my hunger return at full strength. Fast food was the solution. And besides that, salty and fatty foods were kind of a first aid kit for patching up my ego after the events of today. I slipped my hand inside the bag and pulled out an extra crispy fry to munch on as I approached the bulletin board.
The club wasn’t very busy at this time of day. Most kids were having dinner around the table with their families. Thanks to my mom’s surgery schedule this week and Dad’s research, I was running solo for meals most nights. It didn’t bother me. My parents usually tacked some money on the mirror in the front hall and made it up to me later. Besides, it gave me more time to perfect my gaming skills.
Or stalk the club’s tournament schedule when no one else was looking.
There it was, printed on starkly white poster board and tacked to the bottom of the bulletin board. All the handles from the players who’d entered were listed. My own, CurrerBFighting, was printed right underneath Battlescar13. I traced the letters gently with the tip of my finger, excitement simmering beneath my skin. How much I wished I could’ve claimed that name aloud and proudly announced my participation, but the time would come soon enough. We still had two battles to get through. Until then, I just had to pretend that Michael had gotten to me and scared me away from the tournament.
That was going to be the hardest part of this whole thing.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
I jumped at the sound of the familiar low voice behind me. Turning around, I blinked rapidly at a pair of steel blue eyes. One second was all it took to find the white scar cascading down his jaw.
Gabriel.
Sweeping my eyes over the room, I did a quick check. Where was his brother? I hardly ever saw one Corrigan twin without the other far behind. Frankly, I just didn’t have the energy for another verbal sparring match. My mind was on other things tonight.
“He’s not here,” Gabriel said, as if reading my mind. He tilted his head to one side and stared grimly at me. “You don’t have to worry about him.”
I harrumphed loudly as if he didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. Maybe a little too loudly to be convincing. “I’m not worried. Michael doesn’t scare me.”
His lips twitched in the hint of a smile. “I know.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d say he almost sounded impressed.
Stepping around me, Gabriel leaned down to check out the poster board. He’d changed since practice into a pair of jeans and a threadbare gray t-shirt. The shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, accentuating the thick muscles he’d probably gained from years of hockey. I watched his eyes scan over the list of profile names and then up to the schedule.
We were scheduled for our first battle on Thursday at five p.m. He stared long and hard at the bracket, working his jaw. I wished I could read his thoughts as his brow wrinkled in thought. Was he worried? I wished I could tell him that we had this. Our first competitors might have been a pair of senior guys, but I was familiar with them. Their stats weren’t nearly as high as ours. With the right weaponry, we might just be able to cinch our first victory in this tournament.
But instead of telling Gabriel that, I allowed myself to stand back and simply observe him as he studied the brackets for the first round. This was my partner. The boy I’d hated for so long. He smelled clean and fresh, like he’d just gotten out of the shower and rolled in a pile of freshly laundered sheets. Bad guys weren’t supposed to smell that good. It was confusing. And the way he kept mindlessly plowing his long fingers through his wet hair, mussing it up, was strangely kind of attractive.
For a bad guy.
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, turning his head slightly to look at me.
My cheeks flushed as I quickly averted my eyes. I’d totally been caught staring.
“For what?” I asked, diving my hand back into my bag of fast food. Salty food was needed and quick.
“For my brother.”
For a second, I forgot the salty food. I looked up in shock at Gabriel. Had he really just said that? I’d never expected either one of the Corrigan brothers to ever apologize to me. Not unless they were joking.
