by Sylv Chiang
Ty jumps in to defend his friend. “Shut up. You know he’s the fastest guy in our grade.”
“Exactly. The fastest guy!” I look up at Hailey, but she’s already on the next beam.
Ty goes in for the kill. “You like her, don’t you?”
When I don’t answer right away, he screams, “I knew it!”
“I don’t,” I say, but I know it sounds like I do. I mean, don’t we all like her? She’s pretty and athletic and . . . everything.
“Jaden has a girlfriend already.” I know Hugh’s trying to help, but who’s going to believe that? “In Montreal.”
“Oh yeah? And I have a girlfriend in Boston. And one in Florida,” Ty says.
Flash adds, “And don’t forget the one in Tampa Bay.” Idiots. They’re totally just naming NHL teams.
“No, really. Her name’s Cali.” Shut up, Hugh.
This shaming thing is not working out the way I planned. I’ve got to turn this around. “It’s not about that. It’s about how you’re cheaters.”
“We don’t cheat.”
“What about yesterday when you tackled Hailey because you couldn’t tag her.” That’ll show them.
“Hailey again! You can’t stop talking about her.”
I lose it and scream, “You. Tackled. A. Girl!”
“She tripped.” Flash is in my face now. The last thing I need is to get into a fight. There’s no way my mom would let me go to the tournament after that. She’d probably never even let me play Cross Ups again.
But I know I’m right. “Everyone knows you’re supposed to ease up on a girl. Didn’t your mom teach you manners?”
While we’ve been arguing, Hailey has gone around the entire circuit. She’s back on the beam next to us and I look up, proud of the way I defended her honor.
For some reason, she doesn’t look at me like her knight in shining armor. She just jumps down, shakes her head, and walks away.
Tanaka says, “You guys are all idiots.”
“Good news! My uncle’s expecting us. Just tell your parents that my dad’s coming along,” Devesh says when he hears how things went down with my mom.
“Is he?”
“No way—he can’t stand my uncle. But your mom doesn’t have to know that.” Devesh flops on my couch and grabs the controller to turn on my gaming system.
“She’d want to talk to your dad about the arrangements. She’d probably want to show him how my puffer works.”
“Just think about it, okay? It’s your only chance.”
He’s right. It’s Thursday already. If I’m going, I have to leave tomorrow afternoon. Ugh! Does getting to tournaments always have to involve lying to my mom?
Devesh scrolls through the list of players online.
“She changed her gamertag,” I say.
“I know.” Is it just me, or does Devesh sound cocky?
“What’d she do that for?” Hugh asks. “She’s got a good ranking.”
“Dunno. Said she wanted a change. She’s VoldemorT now.”
“VoldemorT? Like the bad guy from Harry Potter?” Hugh pulls a face.
“Maybe she wants people to know she’s badass,” Devesh says.
“Hermione’s badass,” Hugh says.
“No comparison. Hermione’s a goody-goody girl. Voldemort’s an evil wizard who kills people for revenge. There she is.” Devesh clicks on VoldemorT. She’s already playing someone.
While I’m in the kitchen grabbing chips, Melanie comes home with her boyfriend. Roy’s cool. Not sure what he sees in Melanie.
He takes my spot on the couch while she runs upstairs to shower. “Hey guys. Anyone beat Jaden lately?”
“Yeah, Cali did!” Devesh says. She told him?
“Oh yeah?”
“Just once,” I say, opening the bag of salt and vinegar. “I was having a bad game.”
“It’s good to lose once in a while,” Roy says, reaching into the bag. “Keeps it real.”
I sit on the coffee table. We pass the bag and munch chips. Hugh gives me a little wave and points to Roy. Then he mouths something I can’t make out.
What? I mouth back.
“Adult,” he coughs, flicking his head at Roy.
He’s right. Roy’s eighteen and going to university in September.
Devesh is looking at us. I’d better jump on this before he ruins it. “You working this weekend?”
Roy works at the diner with my mom. “No.”
“Any plans?”
“Just hanging out with Mel.”
“Any chance you want to go to Montreal?”
He looks at me sideways and I explain the situation.
“Mel will kill me if I take off for the weekend without her.”
“And Mom will never let you guys go away together.” I sigh.
“Why can’t Mel take you?”
I snort.
If Melanie is my only hope, it’s not happening. I should have known going to Underground Hype was too good to be true.
Chapter 8
“Cali’s finally done,” Devesh says, clicking on VoldemorT to start a match. He grabs the headset from the table and talks into the mic. “Took you long enough.” After a pause, he says, “C’mon. Just a couple games.” Another pause. “Why not?” Pause. “Okay.” He hands me the headset. “She wants to talk to you.”
I put the headset on. “Cali? What’s up?”
“I don’t feel like playing anymore. Can you please get Devesh to drop it?” Her voice sounds wobbly again.
“Yeah, no problem.” I walk into the kitchen and close the door. “You okay?”
“Yeah . . .”
I wonder if this has something to do with her mom. “I don’t believe you. What’s going on?”
“My dad said it’s okay if you stay here this weekend.”
“Oh. That’s good, if—”
“Can you?” There’s that wobble in her voice again.
“I don’t know. I’ve got one last hope.”
Her voice is small. “Please.”
I get a funny feeling, like an electric jolt running through my body. That must be why I say the stupidest thing possible. “I’ll be there.”
At dinner it’s just me, Melanie, and Mom because Dad and Josh already left for their out-of-town basketball tournament.
Roy must have some video game superpowers over Melanie. I feel like Cross Ups is happening right in my kitchen. Just like Kaigo transforms into a dragon in Cross Ups, I watch a real-life dragon transform into a caring big sister.
“I’d feel so bad if Jaden missed out on going to his dream tournament, wouldn’t you, Ma ma?” Melanie says in Mandarin. She never speaks Mandarin to Mom.
I’m confused. I’ve never seen this creature before. But I cover it up by looking really depressed, like Roy told me to.
“I’d be willing to give up my plans to take him to Montreal. I’d love to see how Cali’s doing. Maybe she could use some tips from one big sister to another.” She sounds phony as hell.
“Nu er, that is so generous. But don’t you have to work?”
Wait, is Mom buying this?
“I could get someone to fill in for me. Quin’s been begging for more hours.”
Sometimes parents just see what they want to see. Mom must really want to believe we get along. “Let me give Cali’s father a call and see if he’s okay with both of you coming.” She leaves her dinner to get the phone.
“What’s going on?” I hiss.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you acting like you give a crap about me?”
“I do care about you. You’re my brother.”
“Riiiight. What did Roy say to you?”
“He feels sorry for you.” She looks down at her plate. “And he pointed out that maybe I
’m not always that nice, and this could be a way to make it up to you. Now you owe me one, right?”
“Fine.” I’ll take owing Melanie if it gets me to Montreal. Not like I have any other options.
We hear Mom on the phone from the living room. “You sure is not too much trouble?” She speaks English to Mr. Chen because he doesn’t know Mandarin.
As soon as Mom hangs up, the phone rings again. It’s Kyle. “JStar, what’s the word?”
I throw a questioning look at Mom. She nods.
“I’m in.”
“Awesome. I’ll email you the info package for the tournament. The team meets Saturday morning for breakfast at the hotel. See you then.”
This is really happening. I go to my room to print out the forms and do a happy dance.
Because I’m not thirteen yet, I need my mom to sign a permission form.
Last time I got invited to a big tournament, I didn’t exactly tell her about it when I signed up. I’m glad I don’t have to lie this time. Still, I’m kind of nervous about asking her.
I find her in the living room watching the news. There’s a report on how crime rates rise in the summer months in big cities. Great, just what I need her to hear. Why couldn’t she be watching something funny?
I detour to the kitchen for a snack, and wait for the news story to change to something about wildfires in California. Fire is Kaigo’s power. This is a good sign.
I join her on the couch. As usual, I use Mandarin. “Ma ma, I need you to sign this.” I pass her the paper and the pen I brought.
She reads it over. “Be careful, okay?”
“Of course.”
She looks at me. “And listen to your sister.”
I nod.
“You guys are growing up so fast. You know, I was your sister’s age when I left Taiwan.”
I look at my mom and try to imagine her at seventeen. I wonder if she looked like Melanie. “Why did your family move so far?”
“Actually, it was just me and my brother—your Uncle Sammy.”
“What?”
“Our parents sent us to live with our dad’s sister here so we could go to university in English and get better jobs.”
“Why didn’t you go back home after you finished school?”
“Going back is not an option. And anyways, soon after graduating I met your dad, and . . . well, this is home now.”
Chapter 9
Camp doesn’t seem as bad Friday morning. The note in my pocket to get out early is like a free pass to skip a torture session. Hugh has a note too. His dad bought the story about Devesh’s dad coming along.
When we hand our notes over to Mr. Efram at lunchtime, he smiles. “So, you found a responsible adult?”
“Nah. My sister’s taking us.”
He laughs. “Well, have fun. But watch your back. The rivalries in the fighting game community are pretty intense.”
His warning echoes in my head as we walk down the school hall to the main doors. The Sports Leadership Camp kids are on their way to the lunchroom.
“Where are you girls going?” Ty asks.
“You know, girl is not an insult,” Tanaka says.
“Sorry. Where are you geeks going?” Ty is such a jerk.
“Actually, we’re going to Montreal.”
Why, Hugh?
“Yeah, right. You going to visit Jaden’s girlfriend?” Flash smirks.
Hugh can’t help himself. “Yup. J’s going to stay at her place and everything.”
Does he really think Cali’s my girlfriend? Or is he just saying that to shut Ty and Flash up? It’s weird. I mean, she’s my friend and she’s a girl. I like hanging out with her, and I guess she’s pretty. Does that make her my girlfriend? Is that why she kissed me?
“Whatever. You guys are so lame,” Ty says. “No one believes you.”
“Oh yeah? We can prove it,” Hugh says. We can? “His sponsor’s sending him to compete at the Underground Hype tournament. Watch him on Twitch. ArcadeStix will appreciate the views.”
That shuts Flash up. Now who’s lame?
But Ty isn’t done. “Have you heard, Hailey? Jaden’s a gamer. Maybe you want to watch him play video games. Isn’t that what girls like?”
Hailey rolls her eyes. “You guys have no idea what girls like.”
Back at my place we grab our stuff and sit on my front steps. We each have a big backpack, but I also have a little black rolling suitcase my mom pulled out of the basement. It has my ArcadeStix controller in it. The thing is so mega. When I tried packing it in my backpack there wasn’t room for anything else.
I try to imagine what it’s like for Cali at her dad’s new place. She doesn’t know anyone in Montreal. When she got to her new school there were only two months left before summer break. I wonder if she made any friends. She doesn’t even speak French.
There’s a sound, and I realize it’s my hands hitting the steps. I have this weird habit of tapping my thumbs when I’m nervous, like I’m using a controller. In the world of Cross Ups, with a controller in my hands, I can get through any battle. I wish there was a controller that could help me when I don’t know what to do in real life—which is, like, always.
“I can’t believe we’re going to Montreal, dude,” Hugh says.
“I know. This is nuts,” I say.
“It’s going to be amazing, as long as my dad doesn’t find out.” I don’t really like being part of Hugh’s lie, but he’d do it for me. And I really want him to come.
Mom pulls into the driveway. I yell through the door for Melanie. She takes forever, and I wonder if we’re going to miss the train. When she gets into the passenger seat, the whole car stinks up from her disgusting flowery body spray. Why’s she even wearing that? I look closer and note the lacy white halter top and droopy earrings. Who’s she dressing up for, the train conductor?
“You guys be careful.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Don’t talk to strangers.”
“We know.”
“Listen to your sister.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Behave at Cali’s house.”
It goes on like this the whole way to the station. Normally I’d get mad at her for being so momzilla, but I just keep my mouth shut and think about the tournament. There’s no way I’m messing this up now.
We find Devesh waiting on the platform.
“You alone?” my mom asks.
“My sister dropped me off,” Devesh says. “She was in a rush. Said she had to get back to work, but I think she’s really meeting her boyfriend.”
“This is a lot of food, Mom,” Melanie says, taking the big paper bag my mom brought from the diner.
“You’re traveling with three hungry boys,” Mom says in Mandarin.
When the train pulls in, Melanie tells us to get on the first car. “It’s the safest. If there’s an accident, statistically we have the best chance of survival,” she says when we ask her why it matters. Who is this weird responsible-big-sister droid? I don’t trust it.
When we climb onto the train, Mom takes her worrying to the next level. “Call me when you get there, or if there’s a problem. Actually, call me every hour so I know you’re still okay.”
I wave and move on before she can change her mind and pull me off the train.
It’s crowded in the first car. Seats are set up in pairs facing each other, so each section is a group of four. There is already at least one person in every section. Melanie insists we sit down in the three empty seats where an old lady is sitting alone. She finds a spot a couple of sections over as the train pulls out of the station.
We’ve just barely gotten seated when we find out the real reason Melanie agreed to come along.
Chapter 10
There’s a rush of sound when the door between train cars opens.<
br />
“Surprise!” Roy announces. “You didn’t think I’d miss out on the fun, did you?”
It all makes so much sense now: the outfit, the perfume, the caring-big-sister act. She said I owe her one and here it is. Another lie I’m in on.
Roy gives us high fives then sits with Melanie.
The old lady in our section gives me a dirty look and starts telling me off in French. My frazzled expression and repeated “Je ne comprends pas”—the only phrase I’ve really got down from French class—don’t help. Finally, a woman in the section next to us leans over and explains that I am supposed to store my suitcase on the overhead rack.
“Oh, sorry,” I say, and maneuver myself out of my seat. With the lady’s huge purse, our three backpacks, and my suitcase, there’s hardly room to step. I almost hit the lady with my case as I lift it over her lap.
I’m lucky my case is small. With some squishing, it just fits between two other small black cases. When I sit back down, Devesh is already asleep, leaning against the window. Scared to talk in case the French lady gets mad, we sit in silence, slowly being rocked by the train’s rhythmic shake. Eventually Hugh falls asleep too, and I watch a line of drool slide down his chin.
I want to sleep, but I’m freaking out. This is only my second tournament ever. What if I suck this time? I mean, even Cali beat me. And what was Mr. Efram talking about when he said there was intense rivalry between teams? The lady gives me cut-eye whenever my thumbs start tapping, but I can’t control them.
I read the info package about the tournament over and over. The rules are almost the same as the ones I memorized before my last tournament. I don’t know at what point in the five-hour journey I finally nod off, but when I wake up the train is stopped, my head is on the old lady’s shoulder, and her head is on mine.
Roy’s shaking me. “C’mon, J. We’re here.”
Hugh, Devesh, and Melanie are already heading out the door. I grab my backpack and race after them through the big station.
