I couldn’t remember the last time I was invited to a friend’s house, but all I knew was that it gave me a burst of happiness. When work was over, I went out to the parking lot, got in my car, and followed Darren back to his place. It was only about a 10-minute drive, so it didn’t take long to get there.

Darren lived in a small house, just a three-bedroom with a kitchen. The front door entered into the living room. A large flat screen and a massive sectional couch.

“Are your parents home?” I asked.

“Well, my mom isn’t. She’s working. My dad…” Darren let out a sigh. “I’m not really sure what happened to him. When I was three years old, he left our family, so, yeah.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that.”

“It’s not a big deal. My mom and I have been holding our own fine without him. Let’s go to the game room. That’s where I have the Arakan Sphere.”

His game room was clean and organized. He had a couch and two big armchairs. A TV was mounted to the wall, and a computer was off to the side on a desk. Underneath the TV was a shelving unit filled with Elite Crushers figurines and other video game character statues.

“Wow, this is a dope setup,” I said.

“Thanks, it’s probably where I spend most of my time. Here, let’s play a game.”

Darren turned on the Arakan Sphere and handed me a controller. The screen loaded up, and he selected Elite Crushers to play.

“You said you’ve played before, and it’s my favorite, so I figured we could start playing this and maybe move to something else later.”

“Yeah. That’s fine with me.”

Seeing the screen load and the music greet my ears, my chest collapsed. My eyes watered, and I started to sniffle. I set my controller down.

“Hey, Gordie, are you okay? What’s the matter?” Darren put his hand on my back. For some weird reason, it made me cry harder.

I tried to speak, but the tears poured. Darren turned off the TV and kept his hand on my back.

“It’s okay, man, just take a few deep breaths. You’re alright.”

Finally, my voice became available. “D-D-Darren, I’m so sorry. I’m s-sorry if I’ve seemed like a private p-p-person, but it’s hard to talk about my personal life. My brother passed away two years ago, and we used to play this game every night. His name was Michael.” A surge of emotional pain swept through me just to say it aloud. “And Michael was amazing at this game. I think he could’ve gone p-p-pro and landed in the top 10 if only he was healthy.” I continued to sob.

“Damn, Gordie, I’m really sorry to hear that. Life isn’t fair, and I’m sure he was a cool dude if he was anything like you.”

“You know, Darren, you w-would have g-gotten along with him really well, b-because your-remind me a lot of h-him.” That was tough to say, but it was true. “The thing that r-really s-s-sucks is that he was my b-b-best and o-only friend.”

“I can’t imagine what that feels like. My cousin Wyatt is my best friend, and when I found out he was moving away, it really stung, even though he only lives an hour away from me now. I just knew we wouldn’t see each other nearly as often. But hey, I’m in the market too for a new best friend. If it’s cool with you, I’d love to keep hanging out. Anytime you want to talk or hang, I’m here for you, man.”

I nodded in reply because I couldn’t form words.

“Can I get you anything? Like some tea or soda?”

I shook my head. “I’m gonna use the bathroom real quick.”

I left the room but only to regain my composure and blow my nose a few times. After taking a few deep breaths, I felt like I was back on planet Earth instead of a subconscious turmoil of emotions. When I returned to the room, I said, “Alright. I think I’m ready to play a few rounds of Elite Crushers. Show me what you got.”

Darren turned the Arakan Sphere back on, and we each took a seat in front of the screen.

“I think it might be good to do team battles first to ease into it,” Darren said.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to jump right in and duel one on one,” I said.

“I’m down with that. House rules, the guest always gets to pick the stage first.”

At the character select screen, Darren landed on Solar-Flame, and I picked Soul-Steel. Solar-Flame was a cyborg with a power of a star in her chest. It gave her the ability to blast opponents away like a flamethrower with her arm cannons.

Once we got to the stage select screen, I chose The Star’s Edge.

The match started, and we both came out slicing and flamethrowing. I racked up a five-hit slash combo, but Darren returned with fire bolts to the face. We played in silence except for the sounds coming from the controllers as we hammered away at the buttons. Playing the game after a long break felt just as natural as before. It was like riding a bike. I leaned in closer to the TV, we were exchanging blows, and our health bars were even. It was coming down to the wire, so I started playing more defensively, but it was my downfall. Darren landed a rapid burst of seven fireballs, and then Soul-Steel was engulfed in a stream of flames until he melted.

“Wow… Good game, man,” I said.

“I was getting worried there for a moment. I did not expect you to be that good,” Darren said.

“Let’s go again. Is Solar-Flame your main character?”

“Nah, Aqua-Axe. I’m big on the elemental characters in the game. How about you?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Really? Okay. It’s not Soul-Steel?”

“Nope, he’s my backup.” I’m saving the best for last…resort.

I laughed, I stayed as Soul-Steel, and he switched over to Aqua-Axe, and he let me pick my stage. I choose the Star’s Edge yet again.

The next game wasn’t even close, I tried my best, but Darren showed why Aqua-Axe was his main character. He chopped me up. Aqua-Axe was a character with a long, slender ax made of a metallic liquid that cut up characters and unleashed a liquid splatter after each hit. Quite the dazzling in-game animation.

“Well, I guess I have to bust out the big guns now,” I said, and when we returned to the character select screen, I chose my trusty Obsidian-Golem

“Nice pick. I’ll stay as AquaAxe.”

It was strange at first playing as Obsidian-Golem again after a two-year break, but he never felt better. Just like our first game, this one was neck and neck. We were trading the same amount of combos, back-and-forth. If he landed at six, I landed at six, then I landed a four, and then he landed a four. Our button-mashing intensified, and my surroundings faded. Zoning in, the controls glided from my fingertips. Everything was being executed perfectly for me, but Darren was still an arduous opponent. I side-stepped a strike from the aqua ax and then plunged the obsidian fist over Aqua-Axe’s head, exploding with sparks and shrapnel.

“Wow, great match, man,” Darren said.

My adrenaline was flowing, and I also felt out of breath. I was at a total one-hundred percent concentration, giving it my all.

“Did you half-ass any of that?” I asked.

Darren shook his head. “No, sir. I was giving it my all.”

“The reason I ask is that I feel wiped out, but you look just fine. I had to play at my best ability to beat you for just one game. I don’t know if I could get in that zone again so easily. If we played again, and you played at the same level, I’m certain you’d win.”

He shrugged. “Well, let’s go again, shall we?”

We played game after game to a point where I eventually lost track. I even forgot how much time had passed. Darren won most of the matches, but I could sneak a few in there. When I finally checked the time, it was already midnight, and I had missed a call from my mom. She also texted me, telling me to come home or let her know if I was staying the night. Curfew for sixteen-year-olds was at midnight. I probably wouldn’t get pulled over, but I didn’t want to risk it.

“Hey, Darren, could I stay the night here?” I asked. It felt so weird because I had never had a sleepover at a friend’s house, but it felt so exciting that I jittered in my seat, anxiously awaiting an answer.

He hesitated for a moment as if unsure of what to say. “Of course. You can sleep on this couch if you want.”

His tone didn’t give me much confidence. “It’s okay. I can just drive home. I just asked because I’m sixteen, and I can’t be out past midnight.”

“No, sorry if I seemed opposed to it at first. I just didn’t want my mom to wake you up when she got home. She usually gets back from work pretty late.”

“That’s fine. I’m a heavy sleeper anyway, so I doubt I’ll hear her.”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll get you some blankets and some pillows. You want to keep on playing?”

“Yeah, I’m down to keep playing. I’m still wide awake,” I said as Darren reached into a closet to grab pillows and blankets. “Tomorrow, we should go out to breakfast at like a diner. There’s nothing I love more than eggs and pancakes, and there’s some stuff I want to talk to you about.”

“Ha, alright, man, I’m down,” Darren said.

We went back to playing Elite Crushers, dueling each other. Before we knew it, it was already four in the morning. I couldn’t remember the last time I stayed up so late. It was definitely on a weekend night when Michael and I tried to pull an all-nighter by playing Elite Crushers.

A door opened from the living room.

“Oh shit,” Darren said. “Just stay in here, okay? I can’t believe it’s 4 AM already. Let me talk to my mom and let her know you’re here. Maybe you two can meet at another time.” He rushed out of the room.

Standing up, I walked over to the door and pressed my ear against it to try and hear their conversation.

“Shit, Darren! You scared me half to death. You’re always sleeping when I come home. Everything alright?” his mom asked.

“Yeah, sorry, I should’ve texted you, but I forgot. I’m having a friend stay the night, and he’s sleeping in the game room. I just didn’t want him to surprise you or anything. That’s okay, right?” Darren asked.

“Well, I would’ve preferred a heads up, but yes, that’s okay, of course, it is… did you tell him?”

“No, not yet.”

Tell me what? That there’s a body in one of the closets? That they were ax murderers? My skin was covered with goosebumps.

“I’m going to bed. It’s been a long night; I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, sweetie.”

I heard a kiss on the cheek, and then she walked away. That was my cue to sprint back to my chair and sit silently, pretending like I didn’t hear a thing, but I had to ask. I couldn’t just pretend.

Darren came back into the room. His face was missing his usual charm. Maybe he was just tired, but he didn’t look that way before talking to his mom.

“Everything alright?” I asked.

“Yes, sir. I think I’m gonna head off to bed,” Darren said.

“Yeah, that’s cool. I’m feeling pretty tired myself.”

“Good, there’s an extra toothbrush in the bathroom behind the cabinet above the sink. Please help yourself to it.”

“Thanks.” I looked at the ground and back up at him. I had to tell him I heard the entire conversation. “So, these walls are pretty thin, and I overheard the conversation with your mom.”

He shook his head with a look of sadness. “I’m guessing you heard the part where she asked ‘if you knew.’” He took a deep breath. “It’s not a big deal. It really isn’t. But you know how it took you a while to mention your brother even though we’ve been friends for a minute?”

I nodded.

“I’ll tell you one of these days soon if we keep hanging out and we’re still friends. It’s my family secret, so just give me some time.”

“I understand, man, no worries,” I said.

“For sure. Goodnight, Gordie. See you -well- later this morning.”