The weight of that responsibility doubled when Gabriel’s gaze flicked to mine as I approached. His eyes widened in shock and then he stood up straight and ran a hand over his hair. “I didn’t know if you’d come.”
I ran a tongue over my lips, praying I wouldn’t babble nonsense at him. “Honestly, I almost didn’t. But then I realized that would mean that Michael wins and I can’t give up that easily.”
His frown deepened. “That’s understandable.”
It was so hard to look at him. To see those lips that had once smiled at me as if I were the best thing to happen to him. It broke my heart. I tore my eyes away from his face and stared down at the ground. With the toe of my shoe, I scrubbed at a rubber mark on the tile floor. I could feel him studying my face, waiting silently for my next move, but the thickening in my throat had choked out my carefully planned response.
He cleared his throat. “I sent you a message last night. On the Battlegrounds app. Did you get it?”
I glanced briefly up at him. His dark blue eyes were boring into mine. With a shake of my head, I looked back down at the floor. “I deleted the app from my phone.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that message contained. Probably a list of all the reasons why he could no longer take a girl like me to the dance. I didn’t blame him. I probably would’ve cut loose and ran in the opposite direction, if I were him.
“Beth...” he started.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to make eye contact with him again. “Listen, Gabriel, I’m really sorry for what happened. I know that it doesn’t excuse me lying to you. Or using you. Or pretending to be someone I wasn’t. But if there’s one thing my mom has taught me, it’s to take responsibility for my actions. It was wrong to catfish you and I should’ve told you the truth days ago, instead of pushing it off to the last minute.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched and he took a step toward me, pausing to inhale deeply. “Is that what you planned to tell me on the stage after class?”
I nodded as my eyes filled up with tears. “Yeah, basically. So there’s no hard feelings if you don’t want to go to the dance with me anymore. I understand. I’d probably do the same.”
His eyes searched mine as I did my best to keep myself together, but every moment spent in such a close radius to Gabriel was like having my insides scrambled. Everything inside of me still wanted him. But I wasn’t a fool. I could see the doubt in his expression. The damage had been done.
“All right folks, the final round of the tournament begins in a few minutes,” a voice called out behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Fred standing in front of the projectors, wearing a black Battlegrounds tee and a pair of torn skinny jeans. She looked so cool. I could only hope to be half as awesome as her some day.
“Time for the king to be crowned,” Michael yelled as he took a seat at the first computer desk. A few people laughed and cheered for him. But I doubted anyone saw the superior smirk he shot my way or the nasty hand sign he flashed my way behind the monitor.
My body didn’t even react to him. I was pretty sure that by now, I’d figured out internally that he was always going to be a jerk. He’d done his worst by dropping that bomb on Gabriel and me in the middle of class and he obviously had no remorse. Charlotte had said that after I ran out of class Mr. Hart was the angriest she’d ever seen him. But I had no idea if he’d actually punish him. Michael had a way of getting away scot-free on those kinds of things. And in the end, it didn’t matter. Not nearly as much as the terrible way I’d manipulated Gabriel—a guy who didn’t deserve any of that.
There was a scuffle as people rushed to find their seats. Turning back to Gabriel, I gave him a pained smile. “Guess that’s our cue. Thanks for listening.”
I got one step away before he coughed loudly, causing me to pause and look over at him. There was hesitation in his eyes. He coughed again and squinted at me.
“Actually, there’s something else I need to...” There was a hesitation in his eyes as he reached toward me, but then he dropped his hand to his side. I stood there, frozen, wondering if I wanted him to finish what he was going to say. I’d have died if he’d told me he never wanted to see me again. I wasn’t sure my heart could take it. Working his jaw, he grimaced and let out a defeated sigh. “Good luck, Beth.”
“Thanks, you, too.”
I would’ve preferred if he’d said he would wipe the slate clean and given me another shot. But it wasn’t a total rejection, so I could be happy enough about that. I smiled at him and then walked toward one of the free computer desks. My bruised soul felt sore. Here I was, apologizing to him for lying and misleading him, and he still had the heart to wish me good luck. Gabriel Corrigan was too sweet for this world.
I sat at my desk and brought up the Battlegrounds App. There was a message notification from Gabriel’s name on my home screen. A huge part of me wanted to click on it and read it before the battle, but now wasn’t the time. My computer screen was already projected up on the massive projector screens. It was surreal to see my profile name appear up there, with so many people watching.
I scanned the crowd and found Lexi and Charlotte sitting with their boyfriends in the middle of the crowd. Lexi had her phone poised and ready to record the battle on video. My mom had requested it since she and dad were both MIA due to work. She and Charlotte waved at me and flashed me thumbs-up signs. They all looked so cozy. Zane had his arm wrapped over Lexi’s shoulders. Charlotte clasped Hunter’s hand tight in her lap. It was a sharp reminder of everything I’d just lost.
Still, I returned their wave and then faced my monitor again. Now was not the time to be feeling sorry for myself. I was certain I’d be mourning that loss for a while, but for the next hour, it was on hold. I had a war to win and a mortal enemy to vanquish. When I looked down the row of computers, it was proof enough that what I might accomplish here could change the face of gaming at Rock Valley High. Nine other guys sat at the computers. They came from all different segments of the high school. A couple chess club members, a few athletes, a debate champion, a musician, and even an artist. But they were all guys.
“This is the final round of the annual gaming tournament for the Rock Valley After-School Club,” Fred said with a smile. She waved up at the screens. “You’ll see each player’s screen on screen. I got the honor of designing the final battleground in which the battle will take place. Each player gets one life. When he or she is eliminated, their screen will go black and it’ll be game over for that player. Our first-place winner will receive the grand prize of $5,000 and their name will be placed on a placard devoted to our yearly winners.”
“Did they hire emotional support for the losers?” Michael asked from two seats over, his voice only loud enough for us players to hear. “I’d hate to see the little girl cry after she gets wiped all over the floor.”
There were snickers from a couple of the players. Still, I didn’t let it get to me. Rolling my eyes, I shot him a glare.
“Well, then, you better not look in the mirror when this is all over and I’ve got the prize money,” I shot back.
That earned even more laughter and another nasty gesture from Michael. My gaze shot to Gabriel, sitting on the other side of him. He still stared straight ahead at his monitor, but his cheeks had reddened. It made me wonder if it was out of laughter or if picking on his brother was crossing the line. I snapped my mouth shut and vowed not to rise to the occasion anymore. Besides, it was time for the battle to begin. Fred had just started the ten second count down.
“May the best gamer win,” she said, beaming at the crowd. “And begin!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
It didn’t take long to get down to the final five contestants. It was Michael, Gabriel, a football player, and one of the chess players. And then, me. We’d been battling it out for twenty minutes in the impressive new arena Fred had developed for this championship round. I’d already depleted my stores of magic spells and only had my weapons to defend m
yself with. As I crouched down on a crag along the rocky cliff surrounding the arena, a ragged noise came from beside me. The football player cried out in dismay as his online name blinked red, signaling the end of the line for him. Michael cackled on the other side of me, a sure sign that it was him who’d taken out the footballer.
The pressure was rising. Now, there were only four of us left. Our audience sitting behind us waited with bated breath. I peeked out over the ledge with my character and spotted movement in the shadows below. Pulling out my sniper weapon, I zoomed in on the spot. It was a familiar face. Gabriel’s warrior stood behind a boulder, waiting to ambush the next character to come along. I could’ve easily taken him out with a solid shot to the head. My range was good enough at this distance that it would’ve been a direct kill.
And it would’ve been all over for Gabriel Corrigan.
Creeping away from the outlook, I shouldered my sniper and headed in the opposite direction. Behind me, I heard a few gasps from the crowd. There was no doubt they’d seen what I’d done on their projectors. They probably didn’t understand why I’d pulled a punch, but it hadn’t felt right to take Gabriel out like that. Not now. He deserved better.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Michael called in a creepy sing-songy voice.
I rolled my eyes. If there was someone who deserved to be taken out by sniper, it was him. I found a new position along the cliff’s edge and waited. Silence filled the club. It was as if the entire audience waited with me. Michael’s grim reaper character wasn’t anywhere to be seen on the landscape, but I knew he was there. Somewhere.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. And with a confident move of the controls, I made my character spin in place, drawing forth its mighty battle ax. Cleaving through the air, I hit my target square on the chest as it ran toward me. The grim reaper staggered, scythe held aloft for a deadly blow that would never come.
The enemy had been vanquished.
A howling noise came from two computers over as Michael’s name turned red on the screen, ending his run. He stood up from his desk, knocking his chair hard to the ground.
“This game sucked,” he said, turning toward me. “And you suck, too.”
I pressed my lips together in a suppressed smile as he stormed away. That had definitely brought back memories of his eighth-grade birthday party. Gabriel had been right. Michael had taken that loss hard. And there was no doubt he’d be simmering in rage about this newest loss for the next few years.
But now wasn’t the time to get cocky. I hadn’t come here specifically to beat Michael. I’d come here to be the first girl to claim the grand prize. That $5,000 check was mine, but more importantly, my name was going to be permanently placed on the plaque with the rest of the winners.
That was enough to get my rear back in gear. I buckled down and my eyes scanned the screen, looking for my two remaining opponents.
Gabriel couldn’t be far away. Dread built inside of me as I thought about the possibility of putting an end to my gaming partner. This would probably be the last time we’d fight together. It was a bitter moment. I didn’t want it to end, but Fred was right—I had to fight for what I wanted. And as I turned the corner of the map, what I saw caused me to freeze.
There was Gabriel’s warrior character, stalking toward an abandoned shed. But he wasn’t alone. An ugly gremlin character with a tall red hat and pointy ears was coming up fast behind him. I exchanged out my ax for my sniper, but I was too late. With a few stabs of his blade, the gremlin took Gabriel’s warrior down to the ground.
A disappointed groan went through the audience behind me. Sour bile filled my mouth as I watched Gabriel’s name turn red on the screen. He was done.
I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done if it had come down to the two of us. Part of me had expected that I would have to put the final blow on him myself, but the chess player had done it for me. And that left one last play for me. Taking my mighty ax back out, I urged my elfin warrior forward and across the grassy knoll separating us.
The gremlin was waiting for me. He dodged right and my ax buried in the ground. His quick little feet managed to get inside my defenses, landing a nasty blow on my chest. Red flashed across my screen as a warning. With my character wounded, I drew my last defense—a small blade that I’d won only a month ago fighting a campaign with Gabriel. It was the Blade of Justice. A fitting weapon for a fitting end.
“Eat my dust, gremlin,” I said, dodging another one of his attacks and slicing downward with a hard flick of my wrist. My blow landed squarely on the target. The gremlin squealed and then fell to the ground in a wriggling mass. I leaned back in my chair, my heart thumping loudly as the viewpoint on my character zoomed back, showing my warrior doing a victory dance.
Game over.
The audience behind me clapped and cheered. I looked over to see virtual fireworks shooting across the projector screens with my profile name dead center.
“And we have a winner,” Fred yelled, jumping to her feet from where she’d been sitting. “Our first gal to win in the history of Rock Valley—Beth Frye!”
I stood from my chair, feeling a bit awkward as a few dozen pairs of eyes shifted to me. My friends were cheering embarrassingly loud. Hunter had put his fingers in his mouth and wolf whistled. Zane cupped his hands around his lips and hollered. Lexi and Charlotte both looked just as pleased. I grinned at them and waved. Fred shuffled toward me, holding a massive $5,000 check and a small plaque.
“Congrats, girl.” She pushed the plaque into my hand and then pulled me into a rib crushing hug. In my ear she whispered, “I totally knew you were going to win! This is the start of something better for all Rock Valley girls, believe me.”
I grinned so hard it hurt. Suddenly, a bunch of people surrounded me, all vying for my attention. First, was the chess player I’d defeated. He cheerfully introduced himself as Ben, pumped my hand, and told me we should play again sometime. He wasn’t the only one. Several of the guys who’d avoided me since middle school came up to tell me how awesome I’d done and invited me to game with them. Honestly, I don’t think I said a thing to any of them. I was too shocked. I had a giant check stashed under my elbow and the plaque in my other hand. By the time I was able to break free from them, most of the crowd had already dispersed.
My gaze darted around the room, searching for the one boy who probably wanted nothing to do with me.
“He already left,” Lexi said, appearing at my elbow. Her eyes were slanted down in sympathy as she gave me a knowing look. “We tried to stall him, but he didn’t stick around.”
I attempted to smile reassuringly at her, but I was pretty sure it hadn’t worked. My conversation with Gabriel before the round hadn’t felt complete. I wanted to find him and thank him for a good game, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen anytime soon. “That’s okay. He was probably disappointed he didn’t win.”
“I don’t know about that.” She shrugged. “He seemed pretty chill about it, all things considered. More distracted than anything.”
Well, that was something. He really was too good. That boy deserved more. A lot more.
And maybe I could do something about it.
“Hey, Lex, do you mind if we make a couple stops before you go crazy on me for the dance tonight?” I chewed on my bottom lip, a plan forming in my mind.
Her lips quirked, questions entering her eyes. “Sure. We’ve got some time before I have to tackle that nest on top of your head.”
I grimaced, not looking forward to that. “Good. And then I promise, I’m all yours.”
The way she wagged her sculpted eyebrows and rubbed her palms together excitedly should’ve made me groan with dread, but all I could do was laugh. This might not have ended up being the magical day that I’d wanted it to be, but there was still so much to be happy about. This morning, I’d proven that girls could game. And that they could win. Tonight, I would get to hang out with my two best friends. There was nothing to be sad abo
ut that.
Even if I’d miss that boy like crazy.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I didn’t recognize the girl staring back at me in the mirror. Her blonde hair was perfectly curled, falling over her shoulders. Her lashes were thick with mascara. Her cheeks tinted pink and glittery. A touch of gloss on her lips. Leaning closer to the mirror, I gazed in disbelief at the work Lexi had done.
“Is that...me?” I asked, gripping the edge of the sink.
“Kind of crazy what a layer of mascara and a curling wand can do,” Lexi joked behind me. She finished putting on her layer of lipstick and then smacked her lips together. She looked amazing—as usual. With a knee-length navy blue dress that highlighted the tone of her skin, she would fit right in at the Winter Ball.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I squinted warily at my reflection. We’d taken over Lexi’s dad’s house, especially the guest bathroom. Curling irons, makeup bags, and random piles of clothing sat everywhere. They did nothing to calm my nerves. “I’m not sure about this. Doesn’t it seem kind of like a lie? I mean, I don’t even look like myself.”
“Girl, you can look like whatever you want. That’s the beauty of makeup.” She turned toward me and frowned. “Is it a lie when I cover up my acne scars everyday?”
I shook my head. “No...”
“Then it isn’t a lie if you put on a layer of makeup for a dance. The important part is if it makes you feel good. Be honest. Do you like it?”
I turned to look at the mirror again. It was kind of cool to see my cheekbones stand out so much with the slight layer of contouring Lexi had done. The gloss made my lips look fuller. And the layer of sparkly white powder she’d placed on the inside corner of my eyes and beneath my brows made my eyes pop.
“Yeah, I guess I do,” I said, grinning.
“Good, because to tell you the truth, I didn’t have to do much to you.” She patted the side of her fancy updo and then smiled at me in the mirror. “You’re already gorgeous. You’re the perfect canvas.”
Dare You to Catfish the Hockey Player (Rock Valley High Book 6) Page 16
