Out of Character

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Out of Character Page 26

by Annabeth Albert


  “You really want to, don’t you?” Milo asked me softly.

  “Yeah. I do. But you asked me not to do that, so I won’t, but man, stomping him would feel so good.”

  “And if you lost?” Milo’s mouth was a thin, narrow line.

  I shrugged. “At least I would have tried. Even heroes have off days.”

  With damp hands, Milo turned me by my shoulders, so we were eye to eye. “You’re already my hero.”

  I’d waited maybe my whole life to hear those words, and my jaw dropped open, mouth filling with so many words I wanted to say and—

  “Aw, you guys…”

  I’d totally forgotten Kellan was still three feet away from us. “Kellan—”

  “I’m going. Heading out now. Catch you both tomorrow.” Laughing, Kellan grabbed his coat and ducked out the back door.

  “You mean that?” I asked the second the door clicked. “I’m your hero?”

  “You are. No matter how this turns out. You saved me from myself, and that makes you a superhero in my book.”

  “Wow. I always wanted to be the hero.” I could admit that aloud to him because he knew. He knew the kid I’d been who had wanted the cape and fancy costume and the big, daring rescues. It was part of why I loved being an older brother so much—I got to be April’s hero now and then. And Milo also knew the guy I was now, the one who let that urge to be the hero get the better of him sometimes. Like last night. Milo didn’t need rescuing, and I knew that he needed to do his own saving sometimes. However, all those big realizations didn’t stop me from wanting to swing in with the win anyway.

  “You don’t have to win me the cards, but it means a lot that you want to try, even if I hate the idea of you anywhere near that scuzzbucket.”

  “I know.” The air went out of my superhero fantasy, cape deflating. I wasn’t going to go behind Milo’s back or risk making him upset, not when we were finally in such a good place together.

  “Too bad you can’t do a fake-out.” Milo looked away, studying the refrigerator art which as usual was a collection of tickets to upcoming events, magnets from their travels, and random drawings.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re big on me asking for help. Why not ask Conrad to hook you up with another ticket? Call in a favor. George doesn’t have to know you’ve got the hookup, and then it wouldn’t feel so much like you’re gambling your whole future on me.”

  “It would be worth it though. I’d bet everything on you. On us.” I met his gaze, trying to convey how serious I was. I’d risk everything to be with him, and in the grand scheme of things, the ticket to the event was nothing compared to how I felt about him. My future employment could work itself out.

  “I know.” Milo nodded slowly. “And I’m still selling the car. Whether you win or not.”

  “Of c—Wait. You’re going to let me play him?”

  “You don’t need my permission.” Milo made a sour expression. “I don’t want to be that kind of controlling boyfriend—”

  “Hey, I’ll take you being a boyfriend, period.”

  “Be serious for a sec. You deserve a non-dickhead boyfriend and to make your own choices, same as me. If you want to play George, play him. Like Kellan said, a lot of people would love to see you win.”

  “Thanks.” Another thought occurred to me. “Two tickets would mean I could bring you along. If I won.”

  Another magical night with Prince Neptune? I was totally in favor of that, but also the scheming side of my brain was already thinking of ways to show off Milo’s art to the right people.

  “You’ll win.” He sounded absolutely convinced and I hoped he was right. I didn’t want to let him down, but more important, I didn’t want to let myself down.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Milo

  “Okay, very funny, guys.” George sneered as he entered the room, a supermodel-attractive girl and a guy who looked familiar from the revue following him. “This isn’t a duel at dawn. Did we really need fifty texts laying out the terms of engagement? Seconds? Neutral location? Judge? Isn’t this overkill?”

  “Nah.” Game face on, Jasper slapped his deck bag down onto the table in one of the student union’s private study rooms. He had Kellan and me flanking him, exactly like this was a duel as we stared down the competition.

  “I could have hosted.” George took out a leather-and-wood deck box that probably cost more than the heater for my car, never mind the pricey cards inside.

  “I don’t trust you.” Jasper echoed my sentiments, voice cool and conversational. I’d come with him to reserve the room earlier in the day, and I’d been the one to push for a neutral location. I didn’t trust George either, and while it was rather caveman of me, I didn’t particularly want us entering his space. Luckily, Jasper had agreed. “You probably have one of those eight-grand custom gaming tables with secret panels. Or hidden cameras.”

  “You’re giving me ideas.” George’s wicked smile reminded me of how I’d fallen prey to his charms to start with and made my stomach lurch. Ugh. How could I have been so stupid?

  “Ideas? More like your MO.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Arthur wouldn’t even agree to you being at the game store after hours.”

  “Your reputation does precede you,” Jasper added.

  “Rumors.” George made a dismissive gesture.

  “We’ll see.” Jasper matched his indifferent tone, like it hadn’t taken a ton of tense negotiating to get to this point where he was about to play George for one of the two cards I still needed. We’d agreed to here, two witnesses each, and a judge to enforce tournament-style rules.

  “I’m here. Sorry, my seminar ran over.” Professor Tuttle bustled into the room, leaning on his cane, backpack with a math book sticking out over one shoulder.

  “That I got an A in last term’s seminar is the only reason why I agreed to the ridiculous idea of having a rules judge.” George moved aside for Professor Tuttle to take a seat. “And I still say we should film this as an episode of the show.”

  “No.” Professor Tuttle had firmly put an end to that idea already. “I can’t have gambling on the vlog. And this is where I should point out that a gentlemanly exchange might be more civilized than a bet—”

  “But what’s the fun in that?” George all but cackled at the notion of being a gentleman.

  “Let the history books record that for the first time ever, I’m agreeing with you.” Shuffling his deck, Jasper didn’t bother looking up. I was enjoying this badass side to him, the way he was projecting a confident, devil-may-care attitude. The way he’d chattered the whole walk over here revealed that he was actually amped up and nervous, but he’d settled down the minute we’d spotted George, almost like how he sank into his role in the cosplay group.

  “Shall we get started?” Sounding like a bored host, George fanned out his deck, showing off his custom sleeves. “I assume the judge needs to see our decks.”

  “Tournament rules,” Professor Tuttle reminded both of them as he inspected the decks. Jasper had been up late last night tweaking his deck for the new rules and trying to predict what George was likely to bring.

  “Big and flashy,” I’d guessed, and I was right, as his opening play was a mirror card—an ultra-rare card type Jasper had introduced me to that was prized by players because it bestowed extra powers. He ramped up quickly after that, but Jasper attacked him with a single-minded focus that was weirdly sexy, the way he went at George, knocking down threat after threat.

  “You’re more aggressive than usual, Quigley. I might be impressed.” George raised his eyebrows before smiling at his entourage. “Might.”

  “Your turn.” Jasper tapped the table.

  “Look at you. No trash talk even.”

  “Nah. Just winning.” Unlike George, who kept playing to his audience, Jasper hadn’t glanced once at Kellan or me.
He was deep in his own head, and it was almost scary the way he dismantled George’s deck. For all he’d always counseled me about not attacking too early in a game, he was aggro in the best way, attacking methodically over and over.

  Kellan whistled low under his breath. “Geez. Don’t ever get mad at me.”

  “Tell me about it,” I whispered back. “I might be afraid to ever play him again.”

  “Oh, he’d be gentle with you. Especially if you asked nice,” Kellan teased. And for once, the double meaning didn’t make me squirm. It was getting easier and easier being a public couple, holding hands in his dorm and exchanging long looks as we walked across campus. But then, random strangers weren’t truly the issue. It was easy not to care about them and their opinions, but telling myself to do the same with Bruno or my mom was another thing entirely. Fresh dread gathered in my stomach at the thought of the coming weekend and the conversations that had to happen.

  However, those thoughts took a back seat to the game as both players traded blows. Momentum stayed with Jasper, though, and he took the first match handily.

  “Bad deal.” George shrugged like he couldn’t care less about being on the ropes.

  And indeed, he didn’t play like someone on the verge of losing. If anything, he became more relaxed and fluid while Jasper tightened up further and further. Even his grip on his cards was tense.

  “Not so smug now, are you?” Rolling his neck, George pushed back in his chair like he was about to order a drink. As I well knew, his charm tended to increase as he sensed a win. The snake.

  “Take your turn.” Jasper’s mouth was a thin line. From my vantage point behind him, I could see his cards, and I’d been working to keep my face neutral with each draw. Also, I’d watched and played enough to know that he’d gotten screwed by his opening hand. His nerves probably weren’t helping, but like always, he played better as he slipped further behind. However, despite scrappy play, he wasn’t able to recover from the bad start, which meant everything would come down to the third match.

  “See?” Flashing a victory smile for his friends, George stretched. “I just had an unlucky deal that first round.”

  “You sure about that?” Even with the loss, Jasper seemed to have recovered some of his swagger.

  “Of course.” George gave a lazy shrug.

  “Put your money where your mouth is.” Jasper leaned forward as if he were about to pounce. “Put up a second card for the final round. Winner takes all.”

  Kellan and I gasped in unison from the sidelines, and I watched George carefully. He loved escalating bets, as I well knew. Would he take the bait?

  “Tempting. You putting up a second ticket?”

  Oh. That I hadn’t been expecting. At all. George wasn’t supposed to guess our fake-out. And Jasper had scored a second from Conrad, but it had come with the warning that the event was now completely sold out. No other help was incoming.

  Jasper made an indignant noise. “I don’t—”

  “You’re crap at bluffing. Of course you’ve got the hookup. Come on. You want me to go double or nothing, you do it too.”

  Jasper subtly darted his gaze my direction. Crap. Way to put me on the spot. I’d told him not to gamble his future. But I also believed in him, believed him when he told me the job situation would work itself out. It wasn’t so much that I thought this was Jasper’s only chance, but rather my own mixed-up emotions as to how much I wanted him to stake on me. He was a sure thing. Me? I was the bad bet. I didn’t want to be the reason he lost even a single opportunity. But I was also supposed to be working on trusting him more. Letting us each make our own choices. He was trusting me about selling the car. Maybe I was supposed to do the same here.

  I shrugged, then gave the barest of nods, trying to convey that it was up to him.

  “You’re on.” Jasper smacked the table for emphasis, eyes glinting. Yeah, he’d wanted this moment, wanted to have it all on the line.

  And now he did, but he was playing like it too, slow, cautious moves that kept getting blocked. Where was aggressive Jasper? Was his confidence shot because of the loss? Was he too nervous now? I bit my finger, trying not to reveal my worry but probably failing.

  “You’re on the rocks, Quigley. Better have a good comeback.”

  I held my breath, unsure whether Jasper could pull this off. I wanted to believe in him, wanted this for him more than for me, but things were looking decidedly bleak. Everything came down to his next move.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Jasper

  “Well? I’m waiting. I’ve got plans after I win.” George’s cockiness was infuriating as always. I rearranged my hand of cards, like it might give me different answers if I sorted them in a different order.

  “You and your plans can chill.” I shot a look at his two companions who’d seemed super bored the whole match. The guy had his phone out and the girl had filed her nails, written in a leather day planner, and read over some printed handouts all in the time we’d been playing. At least she was getting shit done. Unlike me. “I’m thinking.”

  Really, I was less thinking and more counting. Calculating. I wanted to try Professor Tuttle’s gambit from Saturday night. I had an idea for a twist that was all my own, and it might be my only hope. The episode hadn’t aired yet. I might manage to catch George unprepared for this sort of move, but for it to succeed, I had to precisely weigh my odds of getting the cards I needed. Milo was always marveling about my big brain, but I needed every spare neuron as I built a mathematical model in my head. I also needed to not glance at Milo because his faith in me was more than a little intimidating.

  I kept tensing up, wanting to make him proud. This would be so much easier if it were just him and me at the pizza place, me showing off about the game or stochastic processes.

  Wait.

  I was making this far too complex. I remembered how I’d explained things to Milo, making predicting seemingly random events like which cards were likely to show up in a given card draw easy to understand. I had it. Now to show off.

  “Quick change,” I announced as I played the card. I’d added it at 2:00 a.m. I hadn’t been able to sleep after Milo left for another night at the professors’ house, and I had kept fiddling with my deck rather than confront how lonely my bed seemed without him in it. And how nervous I was about this match. But I couldn’t show my nerves. I’d let them get the better of me in round two. I wasn’t going to lose twice.

  “What fresh hell is this?” George snatched the card up, as I’d known he would. It wasn’t an expensive card, but it also wasn’t common. Few players wanted to discard their entire hand and take the risk of all new cards. But I’d done the math. This was my best chance.

  “Response?” I tried to sound bored, like I didn’t care if he countered the card. But everything hinged on him letting the card through. I also didn’t dare look at anyone. If Kellan or Professor Tuttle caught on to my move, their expression could give me away.

  “Whatever.” George waved his hand dismissively. “Do your Hail Mary.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” I discarded the five cards I’d been holding, then drew a fresh five. I didn’t waste time reviewing them. In that moment, I was the Frog Wizard and my ability to deceive and mislead was more important than what I’d actually drawn. “Your turn.”

  “This is getting pointless.” George took his turn and shaved another few points off my life total. Another turn and he’d have me.

  Showtime. My turn. I slapped down a hasty warrior princess, schooling my expression.

  “Tell me you’re not attacking.” George shook his head like he was already deciding what to wear for the launch party.

  I considered everything I’d counseled Milo about patience and not attacking too recklessly. And threw that advice out the window. Bring on the balls-to-the-wall heedless attack.

  “Attack.” I threw everythi
ng I had at George. Well, almost everything.

  “All in?”

  “Yup.” The part of me who was Milo’s boyfriend was trembling. I needed a certain response from George or else this was going to fall apart. However, my inner Frog Wizard winked. You’ve got this. George wouldn’t shake. He’d revel in the moment. Which was what I did, leaning back in my chair.

  “You’ve miscalculated,” he scoffed, exactly as I wanted. “Let me see how I want to block.”

  Taking a breath, I waited until he lined up his cards. “Kill them all.”

  Snap. I put down Grave Mistake. It had been in the lot of bulk cards Milo and I had sorted. I’d said it needed the right deck, but really it needed the right move and the right player. Me.

  “Vicious.” George whistled but didn’t move to remove his cards. “And illegal.”

  “Rules?” I’d been anticipating this.

  “According to the official guidebook…” Professor Tuttle held up his phone to reveal the Odyssey website, the rules committee page, and quoted the specific provisions that related to what I’d done. “Allowed.”

  “Do you have a counter?” I asked George, who still hadn’t moved and also hadn’t offered his hand.

  “No. The rules website has it wrong, though. You can’t be that sneaky.”

  “Says the king of sneak attacks,” Milo huffed from behind me. Almost. Almost. I still couldn’t look at him.

  All I needed was George’s concession, but the moment dragged out, George’s eyes narrowing, his hand glued to his side. His mouth pursed like he was doing internal math. I didn’t care what he calculated as long as he came to the same answer as me, saw his inevitable loss.

  “Fine. You win.” George huffed as he stuck out his hand. “But don’t go blaming me when you get a rep.”

  “For winning?” Finally, I let myself smile. All the air returned to my lungs in a whoosh, and leftover adrenaline made my hands shaky. A single glance in Milo’s direction was enough to have my eyes burning, the way he looked at me like I’d captured the sun.

 

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