I played ranked games diligently after school.

Actually, diligently didn't cut it. I was playing non-stop, until my eyes were starting to feel square.

Extra_ordinary was put on a hiatus until after the tournament, and I was even more grateful I didn't have to pay Asa fifties anymore - I definitely wouldn't have been able to keep it up now.

It was also rather impossible to keep up the facade of sucking.

To Landon, Randall, and Camilla it had to look like I made a literal overnight transformation from a random high school amateur to a pro gamer.

"What's the deal. Are you making someone else play for you, or what?" Randall questioned me first thing in the morning after a long night, many, many matches, and very little sleep.

"I don't think using money from your college savings is a great idea, Gabe," Camilla chipped in.

"What?" I laughed, grateful for the distraction so I didn't have answer Randall's question. "I'm not using money from my college savings."

Landon, Randall, and Camilla exchanged a meaningful glance.

"But the money has to come from somewhere," Landon stated matter-of-factly. "I know it's not from your parents."

I lifted my hands in defence. "Girl and guys, I'm not paying anyone, okay?"

"So we don't get a call that you are in hiding a few weeks from now because you failed to pay some tattooed mob boss on a Harvey back?"

I snorted. "First of all, a 'mob boss' with that kind of money isn't going to ride on a motorcycle like a driving target. Second, I'm playing myself. I just..." I paused. Before even saying it, I already knew how weak of an excuse I had, but there was nothing else to say. "I just was never serious about this game. Now I am."

"That's all nice, but we don't live in an anime," Randall bluntly stated. "You can't become a master player in one night. What you're saying is impossible. Stop lying."

"Uh," I stuttered, feeling myself beginning to sweat. I slowly took a step away. "Did you hear the bell? I think I heard the bell. We got to go! Class is starting!"

I had never been in more of a hurry to get inside the school building. But French class could get a big middle finger. Mr. Boston couldn't care less if I was there or not anyway. He hardly ever checked names.

So, the plan was easy: hide out in the bathrooms and then slip into the library with my laptop for some extra playtime. And for once, things worked out as planned.

After skipping French and getting some quality gaming time in, I spent the next two classes paranoid and waiting for things to go wrong.

But, lunch time arrived and I made it to the cafeteria unscathed. I didn't feel entirely safe until I made it to the table where Landon, Randall and Camilla were already seated.

I slipped into the seat opposite Randall. He already opened his mouth to start questioning me again, but I quickly cut him off.

"No, I'm still not lying. You want proof? I'll show you."

I unzipped my backpack and placed my laptop plus mouse on the table.

Landon jumped up from his chair first, opting to sit on my right. Randall joined me on my left, Camilla stood behind me, and there was a distinct kind of unrest in my muscles I couldn't shake.

I tried to tell myself these were my sort-of friends and not people I was intimidated by. Yet, my body reacted like I was dangling over a cliff and one wrong move would result in plummeting to my death.

The first few minutes of the game I was incredibly rusty for my doing (not in the last place because of my bodged hand and the nerves), yet, Landon gasped when I pulled off a triple kill before escaping though the air vent.

"How did you do that!" he yelled in my ear.

I shrugged. "Just have good timing."

"Yeah, but if that happened to my team in an online game, on this level I mean, I'd call hacks!"

On cue I received a rather colourful chat message from my opponent that I'd been reported for cheating. And as a response, I immediately one-shotted him again.

Randall let out a laugh (the sadist), while Landon and Camilla went 'ooooh' in chorus.

Then, all three of my friends suddenly went dead quiet - like we were in the jungle and the big predators were coming.

"Bronze rank?" Rolf snorted. "That's pathetic."

"Gabriel's like a nerd but without brains." Vicky added with a cackling laugh.

"Yet, Rolf felt the need to nearly crush his hand."

Asa entered my peripheral vision across the table, hands in his pockets. My eyes darted away from my screen to his face, and I was immediately glad he wasn't looking at me.

Let's just say if he ever looked at me like that, I'd spontaneously empty my bowels. I could imagine that was what Rolf was doing behind me, because I didn't hear him nor Vicky anymore.

"I can break your fingers, too," Asa offered Rolf. Politely, like he offering him the salt shaker. "To make the tournament more fair."

There was some more silence.

Vicky muttered "freak" behind me. When I glanced over my shoulder, she and Rolf were gone.

I breathed a sigh in relief, then turned to Asa and smiled. "Thanks."

"Keep playing," Asa replied.

If Asa wanted me to keep playing, he really shouldn't tug the corners of his lips up and smile, actually smile, at me.

My eyes automatically darted away. "Right," I muttered, feeling myself blush as I continued the game.

I also felt my friends watching me.

"Hey, what's going on with you and Asa?" Landon whisper-shouted in my ear.

He tried, but was honestly so unsubtle. Asa had to realise what he was asking about. Then again, Asa wasn't trying to hide his special treatment towards me at all either.

I didn't know what to reply and Asa made no move to explain either. So, I brushed off Landon's question, pretending to be engulfed in the easy bronze level game which I could win with a hand tied behind my back.

I couldn't control my face from being beet-red, however. Landon darted a glance from me to Asa and back.

"Dude, is it, you know?" he tried again.

Asa refused to save me by answering and I was growing more uncomfortable by the second.

"Landon, drop it," Camilla, out of all people, whispered.

I could practically hear Landon roll his eyes. "Fine, fine."

He finally dropped it, but I knew my friends weren't going to forget. Landon already sounded half-convinced something was going on.

And Asa... Asa did what he wanted, but what exactly he wanted still wasn't clear. On the one hand, there was the obvious special treatment. On the other hand, there was the fact we hadn't kissed or gotten close to doing anything since that one time in the car. My favourite memory to date - one I liked to close my eyes for and relive at least once per evening.

I knew I could ask what was going on, but I already had enough stress in my life to last a decade with this tournament. I didn't have it in me to take the initiative right now, and Asa didn't do it, leaving us floating in limbo.

Then there was the warning from his aunt. It was Asa's choice, but I didn't want any more trouble added.

Later. It'd have to be later. After I played my flat, non-existent ass (which Asa had wanted to grab anyway) off.

I'd never biked faster on my way home. I even arrived before my mom left to do groceries - her car was still parked out front.

"Gabriel," Mom greeted me when I walked into the hall.

"Hey," I quickly replied while dropping off my bag with the laptop plus school books, and shimmying out of my coat."I really need to work on a school project. I'll be down for dinner, okay?"

Without awaiting a reply, I ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

The moment I entered my room, however, I immediately noticed something was off. The desk looked emptier than usual, and with a start I realised my monitor was missing. So was the keyboard, the mouse, and my actual computer.

I stared, just blankly stared, at the empty desk for what felt like a full minute. Then I ran down the stairs.

"Mom? Mom!"

I burst through the living room door and found Mom sitting on the living room couch with a cup of coffee. She didn't look surprised at my frantic yelling, which only twisted the knot in my stomach tighter.

"Mom?" I asked. "Where's my computer?"

"Gabriel, take a seat." Mom patted the couch but I didn't move.

"No... No, I don't want to take a seat. Where's my computer?"

Mom gave up on making me sit. She lowered her hand, letting out a deep sigh. "I want you to take a break from gaming, Gabriel. It's been taking on obsessive levels. You've been playing day and night, and I'm worried."

"Mom," I started sharply, before stopping myself because getting angry wouldn't solve anything with her. "Mom," I repeated in a much calmer tone. "I'm just preparing for a big competition. I need to get to a certain level to qualify."

"It's obsessive," Mom asserted. "I see the bags under your eyes, you're stressed all the time, and when I woke up to go the bathroom last night I saw your light was still on at three in the morning."

"So? What teenager hasn't played games at three in the morning once in a while?" I tried to argue.

Mom wasn't impressed. She sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. "Gabriel, it's only gaming and I really think you need to take a small break. It's not healthy to get so worked up over something that's online. Why don't you go do things with your real life friends? Asa? Or others from school."

"I don't need a break. Or going out with friends. I need my computer back! I need to qualify and compete!"

As the adrenaline coursed through my body, my voice raised. I didn't mean to, but when I looked at my mom's expression, I knew it was all over.

Mom's chin tilted up, her eyes showed she was implacable.

"Gabriel, you're not getting your computer or laptop back until after the weekend and I don't want to see you near your dad's computer. And that is final."