The Gamer's Guide to Getting the Girl Page 5

  “By the way, you’re sitting on a nine-hundred-dollar dress,” I tease, pointing to the tag.

  “Maybe I can sell it to buy a new car,” Brandon says wryly.

  “Why? Hot pink’s not your colour?”

  Brandon grins. “You’re all right, Zach.”

  “I try,” I say, smiling back. “I’ll check back in a bit.”

  I spot the boys in the corner of the store. They’re sitting under a rack of dresses almost out of sight. I head over.

  “Treating people like that will get you nowhere,” I say, bending over to make eye contact with them.

  “The guy’s a freak,” one of them says.

  “No, he isn’t. And acting like jerks makes you guys look like the freaks.”

  “We wanted to sit there,” the other one says, laughing.

  My fists ball up and sweat starts to form on my forehead. I want to take a swing at these two kids but how would that look? A fifteen-year-old slugging an eleven- or twelve-year-old? I feel like they’re two Josh Logans in the making, and I’ve had enough of one Josh Logan for a lifetime.

  “Look, you rat punks — if I see you so much as utter a syllable that isn’t nice to someone here, I’ll knock your teeth out,” I say, seething.

  For once the boys actually stay silent. A little thrill runs through me. I’ve never talked to anyone like that before. I’ve always been too scared. Too scared to “rock the boat” any more than it’s already rocking. This time I feel full and charged. I feel powerful. It feels like not only am I standing up for Brandon, but in a weird way, I’m standing up for my younger self, too. Enough is enough.

  TIP #5

  Girls like a guy who’s into their family

  Samara and Cooper are deep in conversation and scrolling through their phones when I make it back to them. They both look up at the same time and seem happy to see me.

  “Come, have a seat,” Cooper says, scooting closer to Samara and opening up a spot for me farthest from her. I want to shift the opposite way and get closer to her but I figure these two are probably already so into each other that I no longer stand a chance.

  “Where’ve you been?” Cooper asks.

  “Oh, you know … here and there,” I say vaguely. I don’t want to tell them about Brandon’s panic attack.

  “We missed you,” Samara says. I smile but don’t know what to say next.

  “I wonder if that guy found Chris,” Cooper says. I nod.

  We sit in awkward silence.

  “I was telling Samara about how my parents want me to be a lawyer just like them,” Cooper says finally. “It turns out her parents are lawyers, too.”

  “Both of them?” I manage.

  Samara nods. “They even practise the same kind of law as Cooper’s parents. They probably know each other.” Samara and Cooper are practically beaming at each other. Great. Their parents are old pals and soon Cooper will be part of the same club. He’ll make the perfect son-in-law.

  “What do your parents do?” Samara asks me.

  “My dad runs a printing business and my mom works at a care home,” I say.

  “That’s cool,” Samara says. “I’d love to have my own business someday.”

  “It’s nothing big, really. Just a little place.” It’s no match for a lawyer. I’m sure she’ll see that Cooper would be the better choice — the better provider for their future family. I look at Cooper and he just looks happy. It makes me feel sick.

  “Zach’s parents want him to become a doctor,” Cooper says. It’s true. “And he’s wanted to be one for pretty much forever.” Ever since I had surgery on a broken leg in Grade 4, I’ve been pretty enthralled with medicine. Seeing that interest fuelled my parents into sending me to every STEM camp imaginable in the hopes that I’d get amazing science grades in preparation for school. I’d argue with them that technically marks didn’t count much until Grade 10, as that’s when they go on your high school transcript (and if we’re being really technical, the marks don’t really count until university when it’s time to apply for medical school), but they never listened.

  “Now that I am getting older, I’m not so sure anymore,” I tell Samara. “I mean, I’m still fascinated by medicine, but I’m not sure I have what it takes to get through the program.”

  “You’re one of the smartest guys I know,” Cooper says. “And one of the best gamers.”

  I can’t help but smile. For Coop to admit that I’m a pretty good gamer is a big deal. We’re pretty competitive when it comes to gaming. Far more than when it comes to our grades.

  “What kind of business do you want to open?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “I’d like to design shoes,” Samara says shyly. I look down at her purple suede knee-high boots and smile. They’re a bold choice so I guess I’m not too surprised. I’ve never seen anyone wear anything like them. They draw attention to her legs, though, and I feel my cheeks get hot as I study her legs at the same time.

  “Makes sense.” I nod, trying to be imperceptible so she doesn’t think I’m a creep.

  “Do you like my boots?” she asks me pointedly. Her legs would look good in any way, shape, or form but I can’t tell her that. The boots are sexy as hell with her denim skirt, but I don’t know how to answer. There’s the automatic answer swimming in my head and the more gentlemanly answer I need time to formulate.

  “Yeah. They’re great,” I manage. “They look pretty stylish.” I want to add that’s it’s the woman that makes the boots, not the boots that make the woman, but I don’t have the guts.

  “Thanks. They’re my favourite. I got them from the thrift store downtown.”

  Cooper and I both nod while she talks.

  “I’ve been sketching things most of my life,” she explains, pulling out a notebook from her crossbody bag. She shines the flashlight from her phone over the pages and flips through the book slowly so we can have a look at some of her work. It’s mostly anime. It’s fantastic.

  “You’ve got skills.” I whistle. Most of the characters she’s drawn are wearing simple non-descript clothing. It’s the footwear that gets all of the attention.

  “Thanks, Zach.” She looks down at the ground and blushes. “I’d like to get into art and design school but my parents think it’s a dead-end career. They don’t really get the whole art thing. They’d rather I go into law, too. My mom has this fantasy that we could all work together in the same building like one happy family.” She rolls her eyes.

  “Do you have siblings?” I ask. She shakes her head no.

  “I’m an only child, too!” Cooper pipes up. The two of them high-five and laugh about another similarity between them.

  “How about you, Cooper?” Samara asks. “Are you thinking of law like your parents?”

  “They really want me to,” Cooper says. “I just kind of assumed that it would be my path, too. It interests me enough.”

  “That’s cool.” Samara grows silent. We look around the store. Many faces glow blue from the light from their screens. Other than a few low-volume conversations, it’s pretty quiet.

  I get to thinking about my parents. I think of how hard my dad is working to get my new room done. He’s been spending every night in the basement from the moment he gets home until late at night. He isn’t a carpenter by any means, so he has to really research every step. He’s a perfectionist so I know it’s taking so long because he wants everything to be just right. The thought of him down there, a pencil hanging from his lips as he measures and remeasures, gives me pangs in my heart. My parents have always wanted the best for me. I’ve been lucky. They aren’t even that annoying as far as parents go. I got a pretty good deal. They try to spend as much time with Marshall and me as they can. I know Cooper’s parents are a lot more distant. They don’t have as much time, and so they try to make up for it with money.

  Cooper must be thinking of his parents, too.

  “I wonder where my parents are,” he says. “I wonder if they’re still in their car or if they tur
ned around and went home.”

  “I can’t believe the bridge got washed out,” I say. This mall just opened a year ago. The bridge and the whole development was new then. It’s hard to imagine that this storm that no one really saw coming could take the bridge out like that.

  “I hope they’re safe,” Cooper says softly.

  I pat him on the shoulder. “For sure, man. They’re safe.” We both check our phones just in case something has changed. Nothing has. I think of my own parents and what they’re probably doing. Marshall would be home from baseball practice — if he got to have one, that is, given the storm. Do they even know I’m here? Cooper’s parents know we’re stuck here and they’ve probably called my parents. I’m kind of surprised my dad’s not trying to bust through the door right now to find me. That’s the kind of dad he is, always wanting his family together for everything. I picture him outside, ready to spot any movement within so that he can rescue me.

  Then it hits me that maybe they’re not safe. What if the storm has hit near home in ways that are even worse than here? My insides tighten.

  Just keep calm, I tell myself. Everything is going to be okay.

  “Get back here!” George’s voice is shrill and it startles most of us. He’s calling down the escalator at someone. Cooper and I jump to our feet to see what’s happening.

  “We’ll all be safer if we stay together!” George yells. It’s the man in the business suit, his balding scalp the only contrast from his black hair and charcoal suit.

  “Let him go. The guy seems like a real jerk anyway,” Cooper mutters.

  “How hard is it to follow a few simple rules?” George continues. “We can’t be chasing people all around the mall. I have a duty to keep everyone safe.” He wipes sweat from his forehead and shakes his head. He aims his flashlight back at our feet.

  “Want us to go after him?” I ask.

  George shakes his head again. “No, the last thing I need is to lose the two of you. You’ve been an enormous help to me,” he says, looking me hard in the eyes. I feel a little surge of pride, even though it feels like we really haven’t done anything.

  “Now that’s four missing.” George’s eyes are dark. “How is everyone else doing?”

  “I think they’re managing all right,” I say. I think of Mildred crying and Brandon having another panic attack. “I mean, all things considered.”

  George turns back toward Designer Dresses.

  “Okay, everyone. Listen up! We’ve got washrooms to our left here.” He points to a corridor two stores down. “You are not to go past that corridor, please! If you require assistance to get to the washrooms, those of us with lights can take you there. We want to stay in this area together. Hopefully we’ll all be heading home before dark tonight — ba dum bump!” George mimes a drummer’s rimshot. “Pardon the pun. But if we don’t get out tonight, this is as good a place to sleep as any. Bet you’ve never slept in luxury fabrics like these before.” He cracks a smile but no one laughs. “I continue to be in touch with law enforcement and they are working to get to us.”

  There are a few sighs of relief. The air feels charged — though I can’t tell how much of it is from the group and how much of it is from the weather outside. There’s a definite energy circling around us. The way this large building is rattling and creaking from the wind is eerie and ominous. It’s like the storm stole the electricity and used it to supercharge itself. It reminds me of the docile, regular-looking Dr. Bruce Banner from my Marvel comics: “Caught in the blast of gamma radiation, brilliant scientist Bruce Banner is cursed to transform in times of stress into the living engine of destruction known as THE INCREDIBLE HULK.”

  “You’re deep in thought,” Samara says. “Whatcha thinking about?”

  I laugh. “Would it be weird if I said I was comparing the storm to the Incredible Hulk?”

  “Not at all. He’s a menace that unleashes his power onto others without thought.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that. He’s a genius.”

  “No, Bruce Banner is a genius. The Hulk is a crazed behemoth. They had to merge their psyches in order for him to get a hold of himself.”

  “You read the comics?” I ask incredulously.

  “Again — is that a problem? You seem pretty hung up on me being into this stuff.”

  “I’ve just never met anyone like you before,” I say, my jaw hanging loosely as I try to process our conversation.

  “Since I don’t know what you mean by that exactly, I think I should go and see if I can be of any help around here.” Samara stands up quickly, smooths down her skirt, and then walks off toward George. She’s upset. I close my eyes and berate myself. I didn’t mean to insult her in any way, but she obviously thinks I’m judging her somehow. What she must not understand is just how awesome I think it is that she likes the same stuff as I do. I’m obviously not getting across to her how awesome I think she is.

  “This is when we need Chris,” Cooper says. “He could unlock the store and we could play games all night. And forget moody girls.”

  “Not without power,” I remind him.

  “Aw, yeah. I keep forgetting that part.” Cooper looks at his phone. “How much power do you have left on your phone?”

  I dig mine out of my pocket. “Thirty-seven percent. You?”

  Cooper whistles. “I’m down to eight.”

  My stomach lurches again at the thought of all of our phones going dead and having no way to charge them. “Surely the power will be back on soon. It’s already been a couple of hours, hasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “What I wouldn’t do for a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and a Big Gulp right now.”

  “I could go for that,” Cooper agrees. “Looks like we’ll be missing our game tonight.”

  Since we started our team six months ago, we’ve never missed a night of playing Fortnite. We established an awesome squad on Discord — we all got Battle Passes and we levelled up fast so people are always looking to join us. We consider ourselves to be pretty good. Not Epic Games-tournament worthy, but definitely worth our salt. I usually stopped by the 7-Eleven near my house before our game time to get some munchies. We’d be starting in a few minutes if we were at home. No wonder I was craving my cheese fix.

  Samara makes her way back to us. “I guess they don’t need me for anything.” She flops down beside us.

  “Look, if I said something that upset you —” I start but she interrupts me.

  “Is this a gender issue with you or something, Zach? Did you know that over forty percent of gamers are female? Did you know that we make up almost half of the industry these days?”

  “I think the fact that you are into gaming and comics is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard!” I tell her. “Serious! It’s awesome!”

  “I feel like you’re making fun of me. Like I’m not cool enough for you or something.”

  God, if she only knew. She was so out of my league that I could barely talk around her. It’s why I was messing everything up.

  “Do you play Fortnite?” Cooper asks.

  “Yeah. Who doesn’t?” Samara says, shooting me a dirty look.

  “Battle Royale?”

  “You bet. I got tired of Save the World after they started putting all the money into PvP. Figured it was time to switch over.”

  “What’s your gamertag?”

  “SammichLuva.”

  “For real?” Cooper and I burst out laughing.

  “Yeah! A play on my name and my epic sandwich-making abilities.”

  “That’s awesome!” I say. A girl who loves food, too.

  “I’d like to take credit for it, but truthfully I used a name generator. It was so ridiculous I had to go with it.” She laughs. I’m relieved that she no longer looks angry with me.

  “I’m UatuxD,” I tell her. Maybe Cooper will make an exception and let her join us.

  “I’m Zoma44,” Cooper adds. “I’d invite you to our squad but we’re pretty tight.”<
br />
  “No problem. I’ve got my own,” Samara says, swinging her head to the side. I watch as her tawny-coloured hair swishes behind her. I love a girl who’s confident and able to hold her own.

  “What squad do you belong to?” I ask.

  “The one that’s going to win the prize money.” She smiles.

  “What? The money Rick Fox is putting up?”

  “I wish. Playing for Echo Fox would be pretty boss. I do compete regionally. I’m trying to head to the games though. I got to go to the League of Legends Championship Series last year.” LCS is probably the largest eSports competition in the world. Ten teams from both North America and Europe compete. As the most-played game in the entire world the last couple of years, it’d be pretty cool to watch.

  “You went to the studio in L.A.?” I ask.

  “Yeah. My mom wanted to go to Disneyland. I negotiated with them to let me go to the games instead.”

  “Wow. Lucky,” I say.

  “Wait, what? You skipped Disney?” Cooper says.

  “It’s not what you think. My mom is dating this loser who thought that taking her and her kid to Disney would make up for the fact that he’s a total perv.”

  “A perv? For real?” Cooper asks.

  “Let’s just say my mom doesn’t have good taste in men.”

  “Wait,” I say, trying to compute what she’s just said. “What? I thought you said your parents are both lawyers and they want you to come and work with them someday?”

  “They are,” Samara says quickly.

  “They’re divorced then?” Cooper asks.

  “They aren’t together anymore,” Samara admits. Why would she change the story like that? What about her parents wanting them to work all together like a big happy family? But her mother is dating someone else? Things aren’t adding up, but I see Samara’s bottom lip quivering, so I decide to drop it.

  Cooper and I don’t respond.

  “I wish I could go to the games. Or any tournament circuit for that matter,” I say, changing the subject back to gaming. It’s pretty incredible how watching other people play video games has become this huge phenomenon. People are making a living playing video games, and the prizes are huge. Last year, Rick Fox, one of the biggest people in eSports, announced $100 million in Fortnite prize money, and he was scouting for the best of the best to join his team, Echo Fox. Being able to watch them in action would be pretty epic.