AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ladies, can I help you find something?”
A grungy looking kid stepped up to us, holding a clipboard, a badge around his neck. He looked to be the one in charge of the free play competitions and I knew the minute he spoke that he was going to be a douche.
“She’s going to play next,” Nikki said, shoving me forward. He frowned at her.
“This is an advanced competition. There are easier games to play on the other side of the hall.” Yep. Douche. A slow grin spread across my face. I may be awkward and shy, but when it came to douchebags who thought girls couldn’t play games, I reveled in putting them in their place.
“I’m fine. Sign me up.”
He gave me a droll look. “Fine, it’s your funeral. What’s your gamer tag?” he sneered, hoping to catch me off guard. Charlotte, Nikki, and I answered at the same time.
“Starfighter.”
He gave me a look. “Yeah, right. Starfighter isn’t a girl.”
I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. When I wouldn’t budge, he threw his hands into the air, almost tossing his clipboard.
“Whatever. The next competition is in five minutes. Find a controller and log in.”
I spun on my heel, dropping into the nearest chair. They had a bunch of computers set up with attachments to the large screen in the back of the room. When I used to do tournaments I would bring my own controller but I wasn’t really worried. I logged in, smirking when I heard the douche with the clipboard make a choking sound. Since I was the first one to log in, my tag appeared first on the big screen. The low hum of the crowd increased exponentially. Just because I didn’t do competitions anymore didn’t mean people didn’t recognize me.
Soon, there was a rush for the rest of the computers. When a couple teenagers started fighting each other, James stepped up behind me. My very own bodyguard watching over my shoulder. The douche stopped the fight, throwing them both out of the competition and letting a few more people take their place. He was now overly excited, bouncing around as he announced the game and the tags of the people competing. Charlotte bumped my shoulder with her fist, winking at me.
“Give ‘em hell.”
* * *
Once the game started,I tuned out the noise of the room, my sole focus on the game in front of me. It was a shooting game, which I excelled in. I moved with speed and efficiency, relaxing back in my chair with a smug look as player after play went down. It was like riding a bike, playing like this. I hadn’t played a shooter in a while, mostly doing the horror stuff for the views. The game was over faster than it normally took, mostly because I was being an ass and showing off. Take that, clipboard douche!
It was only when I finished that I became aware of the world around me again. People were screaming and clapping. Some of the players who had come up against me were crowded around me, talking over one another. I felt apprehensive, sinking back into the chair, until James leaned close, whispering in my ear.
“So, when you said you were going easy on me, you weren’t kidding, were you?”
I snorted, grinning at him. I logged off the game, spinning the chair to face him. He smirked, offering me his hand as he pulled me to his feet. People surrounded us, begging for another round and asking how I learned to do that. I just wiggled my fingers as James led me away to the back of the room where the rest of our group was waiting. Nikki gave me a thumbs up and Charlotte looked smug. I twisted my mouth, hiding my smile. They weren’t wrong, I was fine once I started playing but I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction. Gabi bounced on her toes, looking a little starstruck.
“That was insane! It was like you were moving at super speed! How did you even see them? I couldn’t get a good look before you took them down and moved on.”
I shrugged. Gaming was my passion and I practiced a lot. Yuri eyed me suspiciously.
“Women are sneaky. Always hiding the fact that they are going to kick your ass before they do it.”
When I frowned, Jo laughed. “He managed to snag one of the computers on the other side. You took him out almost instantly.”
I snickered at his frowny face. Gabi bumped him with her hip. “I did the same thing to him when we first played poker. He assumed I didn’t know how to play so I went along with it and took all his money.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “You cheated.”
Dmitriy snorted, pulling Gabi into his arms. “You have played many times since, she still kicks your ass every time.”
The group laughed at Yuri, who was pouting at this point. My phone alarm went off and I grabbed it, frowning.
“Shoot, I forgot I need to check out. I’ll be right back.”
Nikki and Charlotte followed me, linking arms with me and chatting about the competition. I was a little disappointed that James didn’t come with but it would only take a second. I just had to grab my stuff and hand in my key. We had just rounded the corner when I noticed a stranger trying to open the door to my room. I froze, halting Nikki and Charlotte’s progression.
Charlotte followed my line of sight and frowned. “Hey! What are you doing?”
The man jumped, jerking to face us. He looked run down, dirt smeared on his face and holes in his clothes. His hair was messy and in desperate need of a trim. He looked between the three of us, then down at the card in his hand before spinning on his heel, taking off.
