by Sylv Chiang
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I say.
“Well, then she’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
For the first time in a while, I think that’s true.
It turns out Cali’s next game is against ORevoir. They’re on stream, so he doesn’t do any trash-talking. Probably worried about getting DQ’d.
Cali plays Ylva versus his Goyle. And that’s what they look like sitting up on the stage. She’s tiny next to ORevoir. But she’s fierce. So fierce that he doesn’t even taunt her once. He doesn’t get a chance, she’s moving so fast. She swipes at him with Wolf Claws from the front, then she’s up and over him, kicking him from behind. When he turns she knocks him off his lion paws with her powerful tail. Then she’s on top, getting in a fifteen-hit combo.
She takes the first two rounds with supersonic speed, each one ending with moon lasers jetting from her eyes into Goyle’s giant chest.
Then ORevoir figures her out. His rushdown style with big, bulky Goyle is no match against her tiny speed demon. So, he becomes a turtle. He stops attacking and blocks like mad until she gets frustrated. He waits for solid openings before throwing any moves. When Cali jumps over him he grabs her, spins her like a pizza, and slams her down.
K.O.
He takes all of the next rounds. The match ends like the last fight in the Karate Kid movie. ORevoir rises up onto his lion legs and kicks Cali in the head with Goyle’s Eagle Strike Super. Except, instead of one blow to the face, there are, like, fifty. And instead of the good guy winning, it’s ORevoir.
Cali shakes his hand with her head held high. “Good game.”
“You are strong player. Very . . . how you say, féroce.” He makes a clawing motion with his hand.
“Thank you,” she says.
When she gets down the stage steps, I give her a high ten. “You are amazing!” We both know I’m not just talking about the tournament.
Devesh says, “That was awesome.”
“Totally amazeballs, dude!” Hugh says.
Cali smiles the biggest smile I’ve seen since I got to Montreal.
“Tell her the good news!” Melanie says.
Mom called halfway through the match. “You’re coming home with us tomorrow!” I say.
I don’t know if it’s because of the good news or because of how well she did at the tournament, but Cali’s eyes sparkle super bright—I can practically see yellow moonbeams shooting out of them. I like looking into her eyes, but they don’t make me feel like jelly inside, like Hailey’s green-gray eyes do. Cali’s eyes just feel like . . . home.
ORevoir goes on to win Underground Hype. I figure that when you get kicked out by the guy who wins the whole tournament, it’s basically like coming in second. So you could say me and Cali tied.
Chapter 29
At the train station Monday morning Cali has two big suitcases to pull while the rest of us only have backpacks. I wonder how she packed so fast. When she was moving to Montreal it took her forever.
Marnie drove us, since Cali’s dad had to work. She passes Ruby to me so she can take one of Cali’s suitcases.
“I can take a suitcase,” I say, trying to hand the baby back.
“It’s good for Ruby to be in someone else’s arms once in a while,” Marnie says.
I wonder why those other arms are never her father’s. It’s daytime, so Ruby is fast asleep. She’s actually kind of cute.
When we get to the right platform, Cali looks at Ruby in my arms and says, “If only she would do that at night.”
“She will, eventually,” Marnie says.
“I remember holding you like that when you were a baby,” Melanie says to me.
“Really?” I ask. She’s only four years older than me.
“Oh yeah! You were like Ruby. Crying all the time. Sometimes Mom needed a break.”
“Well, they say it takes a village to raise a baby,” Marnie says.
“Why doesn’t Dad do any of the baby stuff?” Cali asks.
“You know, he works all day,” Marnie says.
“But you work all day and all night,” Cali says. “You need a break too.”
“Aren’t you sweet.”
We see Devesh, Hugh, and Roy walking toward us as the train pulls into the station.
Marnie says, “Oh, I’m going to miss you, sweetie.” There are tears in her eyes. “Say hi to your mom from us. I hope she’s well and you can get back to your normal life. But you’re always welcome here. You know that, right?”
“Thanks”—Cali gives Marnie a hug—“for everything.” Then she comes over to me and strokes Ruby’s hair. “Be strong, sis.” She leans down and gives the baby a kiss on the forehead.
I hand Ruby back and grab one of Cali’s suitcases to drag onto the train. I wonder if I’ll ever see my lost suitcase again. I had to give the arcade stick Kyle loaned me back after the tournament, and there’s no way I can afford to buy a new one.
This time we find an empty section and get four seats together. Me and Cali sit facing Devesh and Hugh with a table in the middle. Melanie and Roy sit across the aisle from us.
Hugh pulls out a pack of cards and starts shuffling. “It’s so cool you’re going to be on the ArcadeStix team now,” he says to Cali.
“I don’t know,” Cali says. “I’m not sure about doing more tournaments.”
“C’mon, you have to,” I say.
“Yeah!” Devesh says. “You’ll be so famous. Jaden already gets tons of attention for being the youngest player at tournaments. You’ve got the bonus of being a girl. I mean, there are hardly any girl players. You’re a hot ticket. Probably worth as much as Yuudai Sato. You could make good money!”
“I just want to play for fun,” Cali says.
Hugh deals the cards. “Why can’t you have fun and make money?”
“Please,” I beg. “It’ll be more fun with you there.”
“I’ll talk to my mom about it,” she says.
“I wish I was a girl,” Devesh says. “I bet more people would watch my stream.”
“You think people would take you seriously? They act like girls can’t know anything about fighting games,” Cali says.
“I didn’t say they’d take me seriously. I said I’d get more views,” Devesh says.
“Trust me, you don’t want those people watching.”
We play a million rounds of the card game President. Cali spends most of the time as president.
“Are you guys letting me win?” she asks.
“Definitely not,” Devesh says. “We learned our lesson.”
“You’re just getting all the good cards,” Hugh says.
I hope this is a sign of better things to come for Cali.
Meanwhile, I keep ending up as the scum—the last player to play all his cards. Feels like a good fit after this weekend.
Mom is standing on the platform twisting her jade bracelet around her wrist the way she does when she’s worried. Dad and Josh are there too.
We all get off the train except Roy, who hangs back. I guess he’s waiting for us to clear the platform.
“I’m so happy you are all back safe,” Mom says, giving Cali a hug, then me.
“We’re fine, Ma,” I say, pushing out of her bear hug.
“Your mom was worried about you all weekend,” Dad says, leaning in for his own hug.
“I can’t believe you lost your suitcase. Loser.” Josh shakes his head.
“What happened to it? Devesh said the bomb squad would blow it up. Is my controller okay?”
“Sorry.” Josh pops his hands open and makes an explosion sound.
My heart sinks.
He laughs.
“He’s just joking,” Dad says. “The rail company called and we picked it up from the Lost and Found yesterday. Your precious controller is at home waitin
g for you.”
“Right next to my latest MVP trophy,” Josh adds, and punches me in the arm.
I breathe out. My controller is safe. It’s no tournament win, but today it feels like a victory.
On Tuesday, Cali comes to STEM Camp with me. Mom thinks it’s a good idea for her to get to know my school.
Hugh isn’t sitting alone when we arrive.
“I thought you didn’t want to come to science camp,” I say to Devesh. We all know he’s more interested in Cali than science.
“I tried to call you guys yesterday to tell you I signed up,” he says.
“We were at the rehab center visiting Cali’s mom.”
“How’s she doing?” he asks Cali.
She smiles. “Actually, really good. Her cast is off and she’s walking okay. She needs to get stronger and practice stairs now.”
“So, you’ll be coming to Layton in September?” Devesh leans back, trying to act all casual. His big smile gives him away.
“Hope so,” Cali says.
We spend the morning experimenting with magnets, seeing how they attract and repel each other. Kind of like Devesh and Cali.
After lunch we head out to the field. The Sports Leadership Camp is already there.
“Look!” Ty yells. “Jaden brought his girlfriend from Montreal.”
“Cali?” Tanaka says. “You’re back!”
It turns out Tanaka and Cali know each other. They sit together.
“What happened? Did she dump you after she beat you?” Ty says.
“I bet she was never his girlfriend,” Flash says. “He’s a fraud.”
I channel my inner Kaigo and remain silent.
But Cali channels her inner Ylva. “I hear you’re the fraud,” she says.
There’s a chorus of oohs and someone yells, “Roasted!”
Then Mr. Efram claps to get everyone’s attention. He explains how a compass works and how to read one. “Today you’ll practice navigating with a compass. With a partner, you’ll follow these directions to find the clue boxes hidden around the schoolyard. In the last box, there’s a prize!”
At the word partner, Tanaka and Cali hold hands. Hugh and Devesh partner up. I look at Hailey. Her green-gray eyes meet mine. Do I dare? Maybe I’m better off asking a little kid.
“Come on, JStar,” she says. I follow her to get a compass and clue sheet from Mr. Efram. Once we’re off by ourselves in the field, I can’t resist asking, “Did you . . . was that you . . . are you Hailstorm?”
“Yeah.” She looks down.
She watched me play! What does that mean? If I’ve learned anything from this weekend in Montreal, maybe I should start with the obvious question. “Do you play Cross Ups?”
“Totally.” As we go from clue to clue I find out she’s a serious gamer. She mains Ylva, because, just like Cali, she loves the Moon Howl Super. She knows me from watching me play on stream and we’ve even played online before. I just never knew because I used to think all gamers are guys. I don’t tell her that. I want her to get to know the new, improved me.
“Do you know how to get Ylva to focus her moonbeam?” she asks.
Ugh. I don’t know the answer. What do I say? “Well, you have to . . . I think you need to . . . talk to Cali. She plays a fierce Ylva.”
“Okay,” she says. “So, is she your girlfriend?”
“She’s a girl and she’s my friend.”
“Just a friend?”
I feel Kaigo’s heat on my cheeks. “No, not just a friend. She’s my best friend.”
Acknowledgments
To the talented members of my critique group—Karen Cole, Heather Tucker, Sandra Clarke, Patrick Meade, Anne MacLachlan, and Steve Chatterton: thank you for loving Jaden and helping me guide him through the cross ups of life.
The Writers’ Community of Durham Region has been a great support, helping me gain knowledge and friendships through writing. Particular thanks to the three brave members who answered my call for a super-last-minute beta read—Naomi Mesbur, Barbara Hunt, and Caroline McIntosh.
The Fighting Game Community (FGC) in Toronto has been open and helpful to me whenever I attend tournaments. Thanks to Nicholas Victoria of Basement Gaming for answering random questions about tournament structure and rules. Special thanks to Michelle van Trang (Starmie G), Jacqueline Manor (Jakyo Manor), Rebecca Boudreault (Becca Blade), and Samantha M. (Toffee) for taking the time to share their perspectives about the female experience in the FGC.
Thank you to my agent, Amy Tompkins, and the team at Annick Press, especially my editor, Katie Hearn, and the talented Connie Choi who brings Jaden and his friends to life on the page.
Growing up, I never doubted I could do anything I set my mind to. That was because I had amazing parents who always supported me. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
Finally, thank you to my husband and daughters for your support and . . . everything. I love you.
about the author and illustrator
Chapter 1
“Finally!” From the sidewalk I see two UPS boxes sitting side by side at our front doors. I turn to high-five Cali, but she’s already taking off.
I scramble behind her up our steep porch steps and use my house key to tear open the tape on my box. “Yes!” I hold up my advance copy of Cross Ups V in victory.
“C’mon.” She grabs the key from my hand and opens my door while I rip the plastic off the game.
We drop our backpacks, jump out of our shoes, and run to the living room. Lights are all off, so I know I’m home first. Instruction papers fall to the floor. Who needs those? I grab the disk and slide it in.
“It’s beautiful,” she says. We’re staring at the picture on the box, waiting for the start-up screen to appear on my TV. It shows all the characters around a giant V because this is the fifth version of Cross Ups.
“Look at Kaigo!” I say. My main, a big muscly guy, has a new spiky hairstyle and more badges on his kung fu uniform. I wish I looked like him. I’m the scrawniest guy in grade eight.
“Who’s that?” Cali points to a woman with a long, black ponytail that starts right above her forehead.
“Who cares? Let’s go.” I click through to select the new Kaigo and start a match. “This is amazing.” My thumbs tap the controller buttons excitedly. Ever since the announcement that Cross Ups was releasing a new game, it’s been all I can think about. And the graphics totally live up to the hype. The new Kaigo looks so crisp. And the colors are different—his dragon side is brighter green now. Everything looks so high def.
Cali’s playing Ylva, the dire wolf–cross. Her cavewoman outfit is different, too—shorter and striped.
I go for a Dragon Fire Super, my hardest move, but whiff. She uses my mistake to grab me and spin me over her head.
The home phone rings. Yes, we still have a landline. My mom is stuck in the last century. She won’t even let me have a cellphone.
“You gonna get that?” Cali asks, her on-screen-self pouncing on me as soon as I recover.
“Nah, it’s just Devesh or Hugh calling to see if it came. They’ve been calling every day since I told them about the advance copies.” Cali and I are sponsored by ArcadeStix to play Cross Ups. Our rep, Kyle, sent us these advance copies of the new version so we can get our skills upped fast. He told me to keep it on the down low because the game doesn’t actually come out for two more weeks, but of course I told my friends.
“You should really pick up. Could be Hailey.”
“And let you say you won the first match on V? Nu-uh.”
“So Cross Ups Five is more important than true love?” I know Cali’s just going for the win because she never teases me about Hailey.
“Shut up.” I try a Dragon Breath Super, but Kaigo doesn’t transform into his dragon side and spin across the screen like he’s supposed to. Okay, that’s weird. I never m
iss that move. Why isn’t Kaigo responding right? Cali’s not having any problem with her Supers. She howls to transform into a canine beast and shoots shimmering moonbeams at me from her eyes. I crumple to the ground.
As soon as I’m out of hit stun I try again. This time I input Dragon Tail Super.
Nothing.
What the? I’ve heard of characters playing differently in newer versions of a game. Am I going to have to relearn everything?
Cali’s got me in a headlock. My face is turning blue and my Health Meter’s almost empty.
The phone stops ringing and the answering machine—yes, we seriously still have one of those, too—picks up. After a few seconds where the outgoing message must be playing, we hear: “Hi, Jaden. It’s Kyle. Listen, a great opportunity has come up. Give me a call . . .”
I jump off the couch, sending my huge controller thumping to the carpet. I get tangled in the cord and land on my knees. Then I’m up again, lunging at the phone, which falls to the ground. When I finally get it to my ear, I hear my screechy voice through the machine. “Kyle. I’m here.”
Dead air on the other end of the receiver.
“What do you think that was about?” I ask Cali.
“Dunno. But I just kicked your butt.”
This isn’t the first time Cali’s beat me. But it still burns. On screen, Ylva celebrates, shaking her hands wildly above her head. Her win quote runs along the bottom:
STAND UP AND DEFEND YOURSELF!
I wish I could. Will ArcadeStix even want me to represent them if I play Cross Ups V like this?
© 2018 Sylv Chiang (text)© 2018 Connie Choi (cover and interior illustrations)
Designed by Kong Njo
Annick Press Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical—without the prior written permission of the publisher.
