“But that’s not your true calling. I’m only trying to push you along, help you reach your full potential.”
I sigh in frustration. “What do you really want, Cece?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” She rubs her lips together, staring up at me with greed in her eyes. “I want you.”
“Too bad,” I grunt. “We can’t always get what we want.”
Done with this conversation, I exit the room and rush down the stairs. She follows behind, gripping my arm as I attempt to leave.
“Don’t go, Jamie.” Her tone is soft, pleading. “Don’t throw away the last ten years. We belong together. You know it.”
I spin around to face her, my hatred for her burning through me. “You broke up with me, Cece.” Something inside me snaps when all the feelings I’ve tried to suppress flood through my veins causing my hands to tremble. “I waited for you to change your mind. It’s been three years, three fucking years of waiting for you. And this is how you choose to get my attention? You only came back because I was happy with someone who wasn’t you. Now, I don’t even want you.”
She sniffs away fake tears, all part of the show. Cece is a good actress. When we were kids, she used to mimic the voices and expressions of the characters from our favorite video games. Though she’s an amazing coder, acting is her true calling.
“I’ve always loved you, Jamie. When I broke up with you, it was because we were moving apart for college. I thought it was better that way. Because I knew we would find our way back to each other.”
“Well, your plan backfired,” I shoot back. “Too much time has passed. You’ve done too many things to make me hate you. Whatever love I had for you is gone. Now that I know you’re The Queen, I can put all of this behind me. So, I guess, in some ways, I should be thanking you. Because now I can move on… without you.”
She covers her mouth with her hand and gasps, the tears now falling from her eyes. Mascara streaks slide down her cheeks. They might be actual tears, but I doubt they’re real. Unable to look at her anymore, I push open the front door. One last time, I look back at her. To think I ever loved someone like her breaks my heart all over again.
“Cece.” Her eyes find mine. The corners of my mouth turn up into a wide grin. “Game over,” I say with a wink before I leave my first love behind.
I hear glass breaking from inside the house. Something hard hits the door behind me followed by Cece’s shrill voice. My smile widens as I slide behind the wheel of my car.
For the first time, in a long time, I’m finally ready to move on.
Now, if only Shannon will forgive me.
Chapter Twenty
Jamie
The next morning, I stop Tucker on his way into the kitchen, telling him I need to talk to everyone. He grabs an energy drink from the fridge and then follows me into the living room. I cup my hand around my mouth and yell upstairs for Drake, Preston, and Trent. I haven’t spoken a word to anyone since leaving Cece’s house. But I have to get this off my chest. They all deserve to know who’s been trying to ruin their lives.
A minute later, the rest of my friends shuffle into the living room. Trent sits next to Tucker on the couch. Drake and Preston take their places on the other side of the sectional. With my hands shoved into my pockets, I stand in front of the coffee table staring at each of them.
I suck in a deep breath to prepare myself for the barrage of questions I’m about to receive from them.
“Cece’s The Queen,” I confess.
My confession drains the energy from the room. All of them look too stunned to speak. Slack-jawed, Preston shakes his head at me.
“That bitch,” Drake says, breaking the silence. “Taylor wouldn’t even talk to me over the dick-pic post.”
“What about me?” Preston growls. “She called me out on dating Bex before I told Coach about us. He could’ve kicked me off the team.”
“Instead, you managed to kick yourself off the team,” I quip. But he doesn’t look so thrilled by my attempt at a joke.
Preston’s jaw hardens as he stares at me.
Tucker laughs which confuses all of us.
A beat passes between us before Tucker glances over at Preston and says, “You gotta be kidding me? You hooking up with Bex is nothing. How about what she did to Trent and me?”
“And Jemma,” Trent adds. “We weren’t planning to tell anyone she was pregnant.” He holds out his hand to motion to the group. “Except for you guys.”
“I’m sorry for what she did.” I wave my hand in the air to get their attention, and once I have it, I continue, “But we have bigger problems.”
Drake crosses his arms, pushing out his chest. “She put us all through hell.”
“Why did she do it?” Preston asks.
“To get to me,” I admit.
Preston smirks. “You fucked her, didn’t you?”
I look away from him shoving my hands into my pockets. He thinks he knows me so well. But the new Jamie can control himself around Cece because she’s no longer my weakness. I proved that much last night. Even Cece was shocked by my ability to push her away.
“Like you even had to ask,” Drake says. “He can’t resist that stupid cunt.”
“Never could,” Preston adds.
“Hey, all of you need to shut the fuck up,” I growl, throwing my hands in the air. “Look, I’m sorry she told the whole school about you and Bex…” I say to Preston, “… and about you showing your dick to every girl on campus,” I say to Drake. Then, I turn to Trent and Tucker. “And most of all, you two. I mean, what she said about you guys could’ve gotten Tuck kicked out of school. She exposed Jemma’s pregnancy and a whole bunch of other shit. I don’t even know what to say other than sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Tucker says, his tone sincere. “You didn’t make her do shitty things to us.”
Scratching the corner of my jaw, I sigh. “It’s my fault, though. None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for me.”
“She left you,” Preston says. “She’s the one who walked away.”
“Yeah, but I…” I shift my weight to my other foot, avoiding their gazes.
“But what?” Preston asks.
“I did something I shouldn’t have done. I brought this on all of us.”
“Jamie,” Preston warns.
“What did you do?” Drake finishes.
“Last summer, I hacked through the firewall at her father’s company.”
Preston blows out a puff of air, his nostrils flared. “Why would you do that?”
“Because she stole a game I was working on for my dad and tried to pass it off as her own.”
“I don’t get it.” Drake leans on the arm of the couch, confusion scrolling across his face.
“What are you talking about?” Preston asks. “Cece broke up with you years ago. How could she have known anything about what you were working on to steal it?”
“I fucked up.” I join Preston and Drake on the couch, running a hand through my hair, tugging at the ends. “I did something stupid. I saw her in a forum and wanted to get her attention.”
“What’s it with you and that girl?” Trent says. “You need to let her go. Yeah, she’s hot, but she’s not worth all the bullshit.”
“Don’t go back to her,” Preston pleads. “Go beg Shannon to take your sorry ass back instead. You don’t need Cece. She’s only going to leave after she gets what she wants from you.”
“She said she wants me.”
“That’s what she says every time,” Preston points out. “And you fall for her shit every… damn… time. Don’t do it, J. You deserve better than her.”
“You should talk to her,” Drake says. “Because I want my revenge.”
Tucker smirks. “Me, too.”
Trent agrees.
“Let me handle her,” I say. “I know how to teach Cece a lesson.”
And by handle, I mean avoid. Cece is a narcissist. The only way to get your revenge on a narcissist is to sta
rve them of attention. And I plan to do just that.
Without another word, I exit the living room. It’s time to grovel and beg. Because I have to go after the one person who deserves the biggest apology of them all—Shannon.
Chapter Twenty-One
Shannon
I hear feet slamming on the pavement behind me, followed by a man yelling my name. And I know the voice without turning around. It’s Jamie. He jogs up to my right side, not even the slightest bit out of breath.
I continue walking without slowing my pace.
“Can we talk?” he asks, now walking in line with me.
He pushes the hood from his head, a mess of disheveled dark hair underneath. Jamie always looks gorgeous without even trying. My heart slams into my chest as I make eye contact with him. Too many emotions hit me all at once.
“I said everything I had to say,” I tell him.
“But I didn’t,” he counters. “You never let me explain myself.”
“What’s there to say? You have a girlfriend, and I’m not going to be the other woman.”
Jamie grabs my shoulder to stop me, turning my body so we’re facing. “C’mon, Shan. Talk to me. I don’t have a girlfriend. I didn’t have one when we were together. You were my girlfriend. You’re the only woman I want.”
I push my hands to my hips, staring a hole through him. “If that’s true, then why do you keep pictures of your ex? Why do you still keep in contact with her?”
“Look, I’ll be honest with you… I’ll see Cece again, but it won’t be by choice. Her dad’s company is merging with my dad’s. Even if that weren’t happening, I would still see her at gaming conventions. Cece is unavoidable. She’s also The Queen.”
I gasp at his last comment. “Your ex is The Queen?”
He nods. “I finally found The Queen, and after all this time, it was Cece.”
“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” I mutter, stunned by his confession. “Why would she do that? She trashed Tucker and Trent more than you. So, what was her end game? Did she date them, too?”
He shakes his head. “No, she was never with any of my friends. She doesn’t like them, never did, and the feeling is mutual. She did it to get my attention because she wants me back. I also think she did it to pay me back for crashing her hard drive at the Gamer Nation Con. But she deserved it.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
Jamie slides his hand up my arm, his fingers causing tiny bumps to dot along my skin in his wake. “Because I miss you, Shan. Because I want to be with you and only you. I’m sorry for everything I put you through. I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you. And I’m hoping you’ll give me one more chance to prove how sorry I am.”
“I accept your apology,” I say, slipping from his grasp. “But we can’t go back to the way things were before, not without you showing me. Words mean nothing without actions.”
“You want me to make a grand gesture? Is that it?” He drops to one knee in front of me, taking my hand in his. Jamie lifts my hand to his mouth and plants a kiss on my skin causing me to laugh at his silliness. “I’ll do whatever you want, Shan. I’m an idiot for messing this up. I care about you, even though I haven’t shown it. Just give me one more chance.”
He kisses my hand repeatedly, his breath warming my skin. “Please.” His voice is so desperate, pleading, and I want to say yes to him. But I can’t. Not until he shows me he’s changed.
I chuckle. “How about you get up and stop making a fool of yourself? That would be a good start.” Glancing over at the crowd gathering to our right, I add, “You’re making a scene, Jamie.”
I tug his hand, and he rises to his full height. A crowd forms around us, dozens of eyes on us. Jamie and his teammates attract enough attention on campus. Everything they do is blasted all over the Internet. I’m sure people have already uploaded pictures of us online.
“If you want me back…” I say, lowering my voice, “… then prove it. Show me you’re serious. Your actions have to speak louder than your words.”
Jamie shoves his hands into his hoodie pockets, biting the inside of his cheek. He does that when he’s nervous. I’ve memorized all of his nervous ticks over the years.
His blue eyes find mine, and when they do, I can’t breathe. There’s so much fire and intensity behind them. “I’ll show you I’m serious,” he says, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Give me time.”
“We graduate in a few weeks. A lot can change by then.”
“I don’t need that much time,” he confesses.
“What do you have in mind?”
He flashes a wicked smirk, a devious look on his handsome face. “I have an idea. Just you wait and see.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jamie
After begging Shannon to take me back, I rushed over to my dad’s office in Center City. I ride the elevator to the top floor, fly past his secretary, and hurry into his office, slamming the door behind me.
My dad spins around in his leather chair, a confused look on his face. “What’s wrong?” He gets up from the chair and meets me in the center of his oversized office.
“I need your help.”
“Okay, what’s going on?” He leads me over to a small sitting area. A wall of windows spans the entire left side of the room exposing perfect views of the city. “Are you in trouble?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I need your help with a game I’m working on.”
He lets out a sigh of relief and leans back against the leather couch. “Don’t scare me like that, J. I thought something happened at school. Why did you run in here like it was important?”
“Because it is,” I challenge. “If I don’t get this demo working by next week, I’ll lose my shot.”
“Shot at what?” He seems confused, as he should be.
“With Shannon.”
“What does the game have to do with her?”
“You’ll see.” I drop the bag from my shoulder to the floor and remove my laptop, handing it over for him to see what I’ve been working on.
Something’s missing in my code. If anyone can figure it out, my dad can. Dad studies the code without speaking. We sit in silence for several minutes before he sets my laptop on the glass table in front of us.
“For the most part, it’s pretty sound. I think you have a real winner on your hands with this game. Mind if I make a few changes?”
“Yeah, go ahead. That’s why I’m here. I can’t get the loop to repeat without it stopping here,” I say, pointing at the screen.
He nods. “I can fix it.”
As he turns to look at the computer, I clutch his wrist to steel his attention. “One more thing… I want to talk to you about the merger.”
He clears his throat, his expression darkening. “What about it?”
“I was planning to come work for you after graduation, but now I don’t know if it’s the right move.”
“Why? Because of Cecelia?”
“Yes. I can’t work for her dad. And I can’t work with her. Not anymore. She’s the reason Shannon broke up with me,” I admit. “Cece is toxic, and she had something to do with the merger. What does her dad have on you? None of this makes sense. You don’t need the money, so why sell to Carmichael?”
Dad lets out the breath of air he was holding and sinks into the leather, glancing out the window to avoid my gaze. “It’s a long story.”
“Please don’t tell me Cece’s right. I know you didn’t copy Diablo and Doom.”
His head snaps in my direction. A nasty look scrolls across his face. “What are you talking about? I didn’t copy from anyone. The Fallen Universe is mine. I created it while I was in college and then expanded on it after I met your mother.”
“Isn’t that what she has on you? There’re a lot of similarities between your games and some of the classics.”
He shakes his head. “The same can be said about most video games. If you look close enough, every game has at least one thing in common with
another. You can’t exactly reinvent the wheel, only come up with your own version. The merger has nothing to do with my games.” He waves off my concern. “I’m merging with 10X Games because it will take our company from three billion to over twenty after we launch our first joint game.”
“But you don’t care about money.”
“I don’t, never did. But I have shareholders who do care, and they voted for the merger. I had no say in the matter.”
“How did you vote?” I ask.
“I voted yes. If I hadn’t, the board would’ve removed me as CEO.”
“But it’s your company,” I whisper.
“That’s the problem with taking a company public. The board controls everything. They can replace me if they want. If I hadn’t voted in favor of the merger, I would have been doing our shareholders a disservice. The board could’ve made a case that I’m an incompetent CEO.”
“So, now what? You just hand your company over to Cece’s dad?”
“No, I’ll still be part of the company, but I’m working on something else for you, Mike, and Grace. I hope you will consider joining us.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“A new company.” Dad reaches across the couch and squeezes my hand. “I want you to be the lead developer and the CTO. What do you say?”
My mouth falls open in surprise. All of this is so… sudden. He wants me to be the Chief Technology Officer of his new company, and I haven’t even graduated from college yet.
“Who’ll run the company?”
“Mike will be the CEO and Grace the COO. They will handle the day-to-day operations. I want you to focus on developing new games.”
“What about you? Kevin Carmichael is the CEO of 10X. So where does that leave you?”
“I’ll retire after the merger and let Kevin handle everything.” He moves his hands to my back and pulls me closer. “I was thinking we could do this together, you and me. Like it used to be when you were younger. I have a few more billion-dollar ideas up my sleeve. So, what do you say? Want to do this with me?”
Jocking Jameson: Face-Off Legacy #4 Page 13
