The Dunhams (Sequel to Better or Bad - Lizzy Walker)

Kill or End Game

Jace POV
I groaned. "Aww, no! That zombie took my head!" I said, referring to my game character. Myself and my friend Tyler were playing our Xbox game in my room. He pressed a few buttons on his controller, trying to blast the zombie who ate my fighter's head. I huffed irritatingly once two more bit his body. Quite a coincidence I'm losing this game while Halloween's around the corner. Cool. Luckily, Tyler's guy blasted him before he bit the second time. My character was losing its lifeline bar. I inhaled a deep breath and managed to fight one more zombie. Tyler playfully whistled. "Whoa, J! Yours is dying!" He spoke in shock. Not on my watch. I repeatedly pressed combat moves and used my blaster once. It melted and bursted into flames. Yes! A smile broke out in my lips. I mentally breathed a breath of relief. "You were saying?" I joked. He chuckled while dropping the controller and stretched. "Jokes on you. We'll probably see loads of 'zombies' on Halloween." He joked. I nodded in agreement. Some people might wear zombie costumes but I don't trick or treat anymore so I barely see anyone dressed up. He smiled excitedly. "So, how's working with the Stranger squad?" He asked. Of course he was gonna ask cause only him and Jungkook know I'll be on the show. I smiled. "Awesome! I've met almost everyone! Don't let my sister hear you. She's crazy about Millie." I said, rolling my eyes at the last part. Tyler hummed. "Thought you said Millie's hot?" He teased. My cheeks reddened when I paused the game. Truth is she is and man was she a hottie on set. But I'd never let Tyler know or I'll never hear the end of it. I playfully rolled my eyes. "Dude, she's my co-star. Not my girlfriend." I said. He smirked, shrugging. "Just saying. You're the only dude besides Lucas, Willie, Will and Dustin and Mike who gets to hang with her." He said. Tyler plopped himself on my bed. "Anyways, you in for later? Spending the night at Kade's. You know his Dad bought a 12-inched pool? Lit! It's gonna be cool!" He asked, smiling. I returned the gesture and nodded. "Yup! And I'll probably—my brain instantly clicked. Oh man! The script! I'll need to keep practicing the script since my character will be in five episodes. Sometimes I wouldn't have time to spend the night at my friends's. I sighed sadly. "Almost forgotten. I have to keep studying my script Ty." I told him. He scoffed. "What's the problem? Can't you study tomorrow?" He asked. I fake smiled. "I can't do tomorrow because of school." I growled through gritted teeth. His eyes widened. "Ohh." He remembered. I huffed and flunked myself beside him. Tyler hummed in response. "What about after school?" He asked. I nodded my head no while rubbing my forehead. "Between that and homework, I'll be too tired to even eat my cereal." I said. He raised an eyebrow in shock. "Wow." He blurted. No kidding. Mom always said this comes with a price. Probably means on some days I have to miss some activities. Tyler playfully punched my knee. "Cmon, J! It's one script! You're not studying fifty scripts! You can always learn it anytime. You've been practicing it a lot lately. A break won't hurt, I promise. It's good for the brain." He said. I looked at him in disbelief. "When did you become the brainiac one?" I asked sarcastically. He rolled his eyes which made me giggle. "Actually, I'm the clever one. Kade's the smart one. Jungkook's the athletic one." He told me. "What about me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Tyler snickered. "The pretty one." He joked but in a serious tone. My eyes widened. What?! The pretty one—I happen to...well it's true. I am the handsomest one. I smiled dashingly. "No shit." I agreed. He scoffed. "Your head's full of sand." He muttered. A low-snicker left my mouth. We heard a car honk from outside. He picked up his backpack and tablet. "Mom's here! Gotta go. I'll see you at Kade's if you changed your mind." He told me. I nodded, fist-bumping him before he walked out. Thoughts immediately clouded my mind.

******Two hours later******

No matter what, the decision hasn't left my mind whatsoever. Not even the game or Nintendo distracted me enough. A horrible smell lingered my nose which meant I hadn't showered. Great. I hopped off the bed and gathered my new clothes before going to the bathroom. I'm kinda surprised it helped lift a weight off my shoulders. I dried my hair and got dressed. I licked my lips. Shoot, thirsty. Blueberry Faygo is what I need from all this thinking. I walked downstairs to the kitchen. Mom wasn't here because of a meeting so I saw Dad microwaving the plate of salmon which was my birthday dinner. He saw me and smiled. "Hey, J! Just saw Tyler leave. Where you been? Hadn't seen you in two hours." He spoke. I huffed while opening the fridge and grabbing the soda can. "Apparently, thinking...which is what I'd never do." I said annoyedly. Dad hummed in response. "Care to tell what's up?" He asked. I closed the fridge and twisted the cap. "Dad, am I juggling too many things? School, friends and a TV role? Tyler talked about going to Kade's but I told him I needed to stay and work on the script. Mom always say this comes with a price. Like, I'll miss some fun with my friends, sometimes I'd do homework then learn the lines, have to cut days from—He cut me off and cleared his throat. "Jace! Listen to me. You are not juggling many things at once. You're only eleven, not an older kid. Yes, doing this comes with a price. That's why Mom and I discussed about helping you manage homework whenever you're on set and not letting you miss any days off. We never want this to be too much for you because you deserve to just be a kid. Not some washed up child actor. We all been there son. Mom did, myself, Bella, including your aunts and uncles. And it doesn't hurt to take a break from learning the script once in a while." He advised. I mentally breathed a breath of relief. Maybe Tyler was right. A break wouldn't hurt. In fact I remembered the lines when we done script reading at the set. I breathed a breath of relief. "So this means I can go to Kade's right now?" I asked. He chuckled, rubbing my hair. "Yeah. Now?" He asked. I huffed while jumping energetically. "Yeah cmon! His Dad got a 12-inched pool! Cmon!" I spoke in a jittery tone. Dad laughed and grabbed his keys off the counter. "On the way, we'll have to pick up Breanna though." He told me. I nodded. "Where's Bella?" I asked confusedly. "On her date with Jin." He quickly said. That made me shiver disgustedly. "Definitely gross." I muttered. Dad hummed. "Is there anyone you're crushing on?" He teased. My cheeks reddened. I gulped and cleared my throat. "Hurry Dad!" I blurted embarrassingly before running out. He snickered.