How to Love the Stars | Ghost (Simon Riley)

Chapter 31

"Are you kidding me?" Althea groaned, watching as her little character fell to the ground again, dead.

Soap chuckled, patting her on the shoulder as she buried her face in her hands. "Told ya I could beat you."

After Althea had absolutely wrecked Soap in knife throwing, they had gone back to his room to play video games. Althea had been hesitant to go to his room at first, but seeing his pleading face and his even sorrier haircut made her feel bad for him, so she decided to humor him. At first, she had doubted his intentions, but seeing his eager grin after pulling out his variety of video games immediately made her scold herself for doubting him.

Now, she regretted going in. Althea's frustration had grown with each failed attempt, but she was determined not to let Soap's teasing get the best of her. She leaned forward, her fingers dancing across the controller as she (somewhat clumsily) navigated her character through the virtual world.

Soap, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, effortlessly dodging Althea's attacks and countering with precision. Why was he so good at this?

Althea let out a triumphant whoop as she finally landed a hit on Soap's character, causing his health bar to deplete significantly. "Ha! Gotcha!" she exclaimed, a triumphant grin on her face.

Soap raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed by her progress. "Not bad, Althea. Maybe yer not a lost cause after all." He clicked a button and Althea lost all her hp and she lost again. "But I'm still better."

She groaned in frustration and gave him her most scorching glare, making him giggle in a childlike fashion.

Soap grinned. "At least yer better than Ghost though. Nearly broke my nose after I beat him."

Althea couldn't stifle a laugh as she turned her head to glance at Soap. "Ghost? Playing video games?"

In the moment that Althea was distracted, Soap took advantage of it and quickly finished her character, making Althea groan. "That's not fair!"

Soap opened a bag of potato chips, munching on them with glee. "Not my fault you're so obsessed with LT."

Althea's cheeks turned pink, and she scowled at him. "How many times do I have to tell you? I was just helping him out!"

Soap's mouth was full of potato chips, muffling his voice. "You sure you don't see the way he follows you around like a lost puppy?"

"Give me that." Althea snatched the potato chips out of his hand to pop a few into her mouth. "He does not- wow these are really good- follow me around."

"Sure thing, lass."

Althea sighed in defeat, emptying the bag into her mouth. "I can finally see why he almost decked you."

With Soap's guidance and some practice, Althea began to improve steadily. Her determination was unwavering, and she was a quick learner. Soon, she was giving Soap a run for his money, landing hits and dodging attacks with increasing skill.

It was during their third round, with the score tied, that Althea made her breakthrough. She executed a series of well-timed combos and finished him, defeating Soap's character and securing her first victory.

Althea's eyes widened in disbelief as the victory screen flashed on the TV. "I won?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.

Soap couldn't help but chuckle, clapping her on the back. "Congratulations, Althea. You've officially beaten me at my own game."

Althea squealed and jumped up. "Finally! I won!"

But just as she jumped up, a knock on the door interrupted their gaming session. They exchanged puzzled glances before Soap got up and opened the door, revealing a tired Price standing there with his hands on his hips, his expression a mix of annoyance and amusement.

Althea scrambled to her feet. "Captain!"

"Bloody hell. Having a party in here, are we?" Price quipped, arching an eyebrow.

Althea and Soap exchanged guilty looks, both feeling like kids caught doing something they shouldn't. "Sorry, sir," Althea said sheepishly.

Price shook his head with a chuckle. "No harm done, but it's late. You should both get some rest. We've got a busy day ahead."

They nodded in agreement, and Price walked back to his own room to catch back up on sleep.

As she opened the door to leave, Althea couldn't help but think about Ghost. She wondered how he was feeling now if his fever had subsided, and if he was getting the rest he needed. She hesitated at the door, torn between the desire to check on him and not wanting to disturb his rest.

Before leaving, she turned back to Soap, who was standing behind her. "Hey, Soap," she said quietly, "do you have Ghost's phone number?"

Soap hesitated for a moment, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Why do you want it?"

Althea mock-scowled at him befor breaking into a grin. "You know, just in case I want to challenge him to a round, of course."

Soap laughed and then relented, giving her Ghost's number. "But don't tell him it was me who gave it to you, or he'll kill me." he paused, then whispered to her in a conspiratorial manner. "Also, he gets very sour if you beat him and gloat. He can really pack a punch."

Althea nodded in agreement and thanked him before shutting the door and entering her room. As she settled into her bed, she turned on her phone, the glow of the screen illuminating her face in the dark room. She found the newly added contact, snickering at the contact name Soap had decided to use. After a moment of hesitation, she sent Ghost a quick text.

Althea: Hey, it's Althea. Are you feeling better? Do you need any more meds? Sleep well!

After waiting a few seconds, she sighed and pressed the power button on her phone, setting it on her bedside table. Of course, he wouldn't respond, he was probably asleep. Or maybe he didn't text people. She had never seen him holding a phone and almost surely hadn't seen one in his room. She could hardly imagine him sending a text with emojis in it. If she hadn't seen his face she might have even believed that he was old enough to not be able to use a phone.

Maybe he was a strange modern-day hippie and hated technology. Maybe-

Her phone vibrated, surprising her. Opening it to check her messages, half of her wasn't surprised to see the response he gave.

💀: Good.

Of course.

Althea: I'm sorry, did I wake you up?

💀: No.

Well, at the very least he was feeling better. Althea took a deep breath, setting her phone back on the table and lying back down.

As Althea settled into her bed, ready to drift off to sleep after exchanging messages with Ghost, she felt a sudden tickle in her throat. She couldn't suppress a series of sneezes that erupted unexpectedly, causing her to sit up in bed with a groan as she felt her nose begin to run.

Good grief. She really couldn't catch a break.

A/N: I'm actually being swamped with exams this week lmaooo

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!! The views have been increasing so fast this week! I'm so so happy and thank you so much for choosing to read my book! (I promise there's some angst on the way ;).    )

Omg we're almost at 15k reads? THATS SO AMAZING!!! I am so grateful for everybody who is reading my story!!