Riley x Val (Inside Out 2)

Chapter 5

I put my phone down, ignoring their texts. Who would pass up an opportunity to spend a day with Valentina Ortiz?

I settled down on her bed as she grabbed two controllers and handed one to me.

"You can look through, I'm gonna go liven myself up a bit," she said, walking into her bathroom.

I didn’t really expect her to have a bunch of games, but when I looked, she had over fifty? What a nerd, I chuckled to myself.

I scrolled through dozens before eyeing a certain game, 'Call of Duty: MW3'.

As she came back into the room, I couldn't help but eye her up. She had put her hair into a hair clip, letting two strands fall in front of her face. It seemed she had also touched herself up with some mascara. Next was her outfit—grey jean shorts and a graphic tee.

"So, CoD?" she questioned me as she sat on the bed next to me. I nodded.

"Yeah, simple, but you had too many games to choose from."

"I'll beat your ass in anything," she chuckled while I rolled my eyes.

She had the top screen, I had the bottom. 😉

We played a few rounds, just 1v1ing. She horrendously beat me 5-2.

"I knew I'd win. You suck," she taunted me, but I knew it was all sarcasm.

"Yeah, I do," I replied, my 'dirty' joke making her laugh and shut up momentarily.

We continued playing for a while, switching games and modes. Despite my earlier loss, I managed to win a few rounds here and there.

Val was surprisingly competitive, and I loved that about her. It made the game all the more fun.

After a particularly intense match, we both fell back on the bed, laughing.

"Okay, I need a break," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Agreed. Want something to drink?" Val asked, getting up and heading to her mini-fridge.

"Sure, what do you have?" I asked, sitting up.

"Let's see... water, soda, juice... oh, and I think there's some iced tea in here too."

"I'll take a soda," I said, and she tossed me a can of cola. She grabbed one for herself and sat back down next to me, cracking open her can.

"Thanks," I said, taking a sip."No problem," she replied, leaning back on the bed.

"This is nice. I usually play alone, so it's fun having someone to compete with."

"Loner" I snorted, i got her rolling her eyes in response.

"So, what should we do next?" she asked, glancing at the number of games.

I thought for a moment. "How about we build something in Minecraft? It's been a while since I played that."

"Good choice," she said, "We can start a new world.

I put my Minecraft bed next to hers. 😉

She playfully scolded me as I kept spawn-killing her, and when she tried to grab the controller, I held it back, making her lean over me even more.

I couldn't help but notice our position. She was practically on top of me, but she didn't seem to care or even realize it. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks but shook it away just as she managed to kill my character instead.

Our banter was interrupted by my phone buzzing again. It was Bree and Grace.

--

Bree and Grace:

Girl, wyd? Leaving us on read 🙄

Riley:Sorry, I was busy!! 😭

Bree and Grace: Doing what? You never pass up an opportunity to hang w us.

Riley: Hanging with Val...

Bree and Grace: Ohh, well, still wanna go out? You can invite her.

Riley: Actually, I kinda like that idea. Where you going?

Bree and Grace: Maybe arcades or cinema, we don’t know yet.

Riley: I'm down. Where are we meeting?

Bree and Grace: Half one in town near Primark?

--

I turned to Val, prepared to ask her if she wanted to come along.

"Val, do you w-wanna..." Why the hell was I turning into a stuttering mess?

"G-go wi-t-th me to hang w-with Bree and Grace?" I felt my cheeks heat up again. Why was I being like this?

"Yeah, sure, but what's wrong? Why are you speaking like that?" she chuckled.

"I don't even know." I shrugged and got up. "You got a hairbrush?

"You can use whatever, it's all in my bathroom," she replied.

I nodded and headed to her bathroom. As I brushed my hair, I took a moment to calm myself.

Hanging out with Val was easy and fun, so why was I suddenly so nervous? I took a deep breath and walked back out, feeling a bit more composed.

Val was already ready, checking her reflection in a small mirror on the wall.

"You ready to go?" she asked, turning to me."Yeah, let's go," I said, grabbing my jacket.

We walked to town, chatting about random things and it didn't even take us long to reach our meeting point.

--

Ehh chapter, not as long as I'd want, but decent.

830ish words 💪

Again, the readers have a choice, what activities should the four of them do? Or what activity could Val and Riley sneak off to do?

Using ideas from comments ☺️