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I frowned, turning to face him. “No what?”
“No. You can’t travel to another country by yourself.”
My mouth fell open. “James…”
He scowled at me. “It’s not safe for a woman to travel alone, especially abroad. Do you even speak the language?”
“For your information, I’ve been studying Japanese since middle school!”
I never expected this kind of reaction from him. He’s been so sweet and gentle since we started seeing each other. I figured he might be a little put out but it's only four months.
“It doesn’t matter. You can’t travel alone, it’s not safe. You should email them back and cancel.” He said it with such finality, like the decision was already made. I felt angry tears burn my eyes. I hated this part. Whenever I got upset, no matter what emotion I was feeling, I burst into tears.
“No,” I seethed, clenching my fists.
He had been pacing the room but he froze at my refusal, slowly turning toward me.
“What?”
“I said no. I have been dreaming of this my whole life. I’m not going to give it up for a guy who I’ve only been seeing for a week.” I felt my stomach clench. I was not the confrontational type. I wiped away an errant tear, refusing to break eye contact. I was not backing down on this. He doesn’t get to dictate what I can and cannot do and take away the one dream I’ve been working towards for years.
“Elizabeth…” It sounded like a warning. I stood, crossing my arms.
“I’m not discussing this with you, James. I’m going and that’s final.” There was a tremble in my voice. James looked really intimidating right now and I fought to keep myself under control. He was wrong about this and I wasn’t going to be bullied by him. That’s not the kind of relationship I want.
His phone rang again and he clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. “So that's it then? You won’t even discuss it?”
I shook my head. I worried that if I answered out loud, he’d hear my voice quake and use it against me.
His face darkened. “Fine. If you don’t value my opinion then I guess we’re done here.”
My heart felt like it stopped for a second. He spun on his heel and stormed out, slamming the front door so hard I thought the apartment shook. I jumped, curling in on myself as the shock of what just happened knocked the wind out of me. This isn’t how this was supposed to go…
I tried calling him later that night but he didn’t pick up. When I called my parents to tell them the good news, it felt bitter sweet, tainted by James and his reaction. Even my friends online couldn’t cheer me up. I stared at my phone, hoping he’d call and apologize but secretly I knew better. He was way out of my league, he didn’t have to wait around for me. I’m sure plenty of women were lining up to be with him.
The thought stung and I logged off early. Curling around my pillow, I finally let myself cry. I cried because I was sad but I also cried because I was angry. James was ruining the one thing I have been working for and I would never forgive him for that.
ChapterFive
Eighteen months later…
“Elizabeth!Are you ready to go yet?!”
I sighed, tugging at my outfit. Going to the convention dressed as a character from one of my favorite video games seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I was worried it was a little too much. My friends had encouraged me to go with the more revealing version of her outfits and since they were all doing revealing outfits, I thought I’d feel more comfortable. Now, I wanted a wrap or something. But Princess Zelda didn’t wear a wrap in Breath of the Wild and neither could I.
I stepped out of the bathroom of the hotel room I had rented, grimacing. “I’m not sure about this…”
“Oh come on, you look great!” Charlotte gave me a reassuring smile. She was dressed as a character from one of the animes she loved. I didn’t know what it was called but she did give me money to pick up merchandise related to it while I was in Japan. She adjusted the front of her outfit, keeping her cleavage on display.
My friends have changed a lot in the last year. Once we graduated and started working full time jobs, they started to move past gaming into the early hours of the morning. We used to come to this convention every year and dress up together. This year, I could only convince Charlotte and Nikki to come with me, and neither wanted to stay at the hotel. I was starting to feel left behind. They all matured and blossomed and I was the same awkward girl who could barely call to make herself a doctor’s appointment.
I mean sure, I’ve changed too. I started streaming online in my free time. Once my friends stopped playing, I got lonely so I figured I’d try it. I had a lot more followers than I ever thought I’d get. People enjoyed my reactions, especially to horror games. I used to hate games like that but I didn’t mind so much knowing I was making people laugh. But streaming was just a hobby. I posted a few videos a week for fun.
I got a job straight out of college at a small software company. I wasn’t doing the work I dreamed about but at least it was in my field. Some of my friends weren’t so lucky. Nikki ended up not using her major at all because no one would hire someone with no experience and she couldn’t get experience unless people hired her.
She was currently fixing her makeup. She didn’t stick to social norms and was dressed as a female version of her favorite male character. I loved it, she made everything from scratch and she looked like a model. She even made the wig look real. She winked at me in the mirror.
“She’s not wrong. You look great. Come on, I want to get out there before it gets too crowded and find a seat for the panel. I heard this year they are planning a surprise guest!”
