Later That Night
Kenzie's almost out. I'm at the Triangular Information Station with my phone and buds, waiting for her, my night fresh on my mind.
"Play something fun," I say into the microphone.
The sultry voice listens. On comes "The Walker" for "something fun," because...I had fun!
***
The Hours Prior
Em hands me a controller. "New tourney! Best four-out-of-seven."
I take it and stand there, looking at it. At the others. At the TV screen. I probably look stupid, standing around like I don't know what to do.
Em nudges me. "Go on!"
"Don't be so fucking shy, Sherman," Drew says. "They won't kill you, but I will."
It's Stephen, you fracking idiot!
Em whacks him in the shoulder for me. "Winner faces Max," she says. "Then, Becka. Then, Drew. The champ goes last."
I adjust my glasses and tap my band. I'm...about to be Speed Bound (I remember that stupid tagline, too). Em and I go through the motions of setting up the first game, then it's on in the streets of an alpine setting. Seven years. Same series. Better graphics. But, same feel. Same buttons. Still. I'm rustier than I thought. I fall behind by three.
Come on! Focus, Stephen. You're better than this.
Now that I've let overconfidence set in for Em (my terrible excuse), I've got this. I win the next three, so it comes down to the seventh and final race. Feet before the finish line, I launch Em off a cliff and into a lake below to move on.
"What the...?"
Em's blown a lead worse than the Warriors. And why is she shocked? Peter, Jack and I used to do that cliff trick all the time. It's not new.
"Seriously?!"
Laughing. Yeah. I'm...laughing. The thrill of the game. It's returning. I look at the others. They're surprised. Max. He's next.
You got this. Let loose.
"Alright!" Max yanks Em out of his way to take over. "Move aside!"
To more surprise, I sweep Max in four races.
Becka follows. I drop the first two races because I let my stupid head get too distracted over Em and her biased cheering.
YOU ARE READING
Earhart & Noonan: An "Us Club" Novel (#1)(NaNoWriMo15)
Teen FictionFor the first twelve years of Stephen Vaughn's life, just trying to get others around him to pronounce his first name the right way ("Stee-vehn Vawn") has felt like the hardest task he's had to try and cope with. That is, until his perfect life with...
