Because I'm a Girl

Chapter 13

I was at my locker, putting my textbooks away. It was lunchtime and I was going to go outside to meet Aria. We always ate outside because our other choice was the cafeteria, and we avoided the cafeteria like the plague.

"Sarah."

I jumped at the sound of my name and whipped my head to the left. Josh was standing there, leaning against the locker next to mine. He was staring at me, his face expressionless, and I stared at him, surprised. Josh had never approached me before and I wondered what was going on.

"You scared me," I said. "What's going on?"

"You're invited to the Gamers Club meeting," Josh said. "Come on, let's go."

"Wait, what?" I frowned. "Why am I invited to the meeting? I thought you guys wanted nothing to do with me."

Josh shrugged. "I have no idea why you are."

I continued to frown as I stared at Josh, wondering what was going on. Ever since I beat Ben in Call of Duty, the rest of the members seemed uncomfortable around me. They would avoid me at all costs, so them inviting me to their meeting was a surprise.

"We'll never know why you were invited until we go," Josh said. "Come on."

Josh turned around and walked off, as if expecting me to follow. I stared after him, unable to believe him, but then followed. He was right. I wouldn't know what they wanted unless I attended the meeting.

We walked down the busy hallways and soon, we reached the clubroom. All the members were already there. Jerry stood by the blackboard and the rest of the members sat in front of him on chairs. Josh walked in and went to his usual spot - the desk directly in front of Jerry. I followed him and sat next to his desk.

"Hey," Jerry said to me, seeming uncomfortable.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked.

Jerry looked at all his members, seeming to question something with his eyes. All the members nodded back - except Ben, seeming eager. I frowned at the sight, feeling confused.

"There's a video game tournament being held next weekend," Jerry said. "Me, Ben, Tony and Josh are already going and we need a fifth member. We were wondering if it could be you?"

"Me?" I asked, jaw dropping. "You want me to be the fifth member?"

"After you beat Ben, we know you're better than most of us at Call of Duty," Tony said. "You'd be a great asset."

It was incredible how just last week none of them thought I could play video games and now they wanted me to be their on their team. The idea was flattering and left me feeling smug, but it also left me feeling annoyed. After the way they treated me, I wasn't sure if I wanted to help them.

"I don't know," I said.

"You don't know?" Jerry asked, eyes widening. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well, what do I get out of this?"

Jerry frowned and he stared at me, confused. I stared back and then let my eyes wander around the room. Everyone seemed worried and my confidence grew, but I still wasn't sure if I wanted to help them. After everything, I wanted to be petty.

"Anything you want," Jerry said. "Well, anything that's reasonable."

Thinking about what I would want, I bit my lip and looked up at the ceiling. I could feel Josh staring at me and I chose to ignore him as I thought of what to get out of this. Thinking about my club then, an idea popped into my mind.

"I want your club to help promote my club," I said. "And attend our events. We have a welcome party in a few weeks and all of you have to attend it."

Some of the members groaned and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't asking for much and I hated how everyone seemed reluctant to help my club.

"Fine," Jerry said, sighing. "We'll do that."

"Okay, perfect," I said, smiling a bit. "I'll be a part of your team."

"Sounds good." Jerry looked relieved. "Let's start practicing."

Jerry went to the tv stand and grabbed two remotes. He gave one to Tony and the other to Josh, and then turned on the tv. Call of Duty soon appeared on the screen and I glanced at Josh, realizing I had never seen him play before. He was expressionless and I glanced at Tony who grew serious. But underneath his serious look, I saw a nervousness that surprised me. From what I saw, Tony was a great player, which left me wondering what he was worried about.

Tony chose the map Hijack and the game soon began. They were quick scoping, playing a game that relied on a mix of tactics and quick reflexes. My eyes were glued to Josh's screen as I wondered what he had in him.

Tony was running across the map and before Tony could even find Josh, he was shot by him. Josh had been hiding behind a wall, deathly quiet, and had quick enough reflexes to catch Tony while he was running. I was impressed.

The game went on where Josh alternated between hiding and running at Tony. Either way, Tony never saw what was coming at him. He was always surprised and never had time to react, which left him dying instantly. By the end of the game he was groaning and I was left stunned when I saw Josh had gotten thirty kills and Tony had gotten none. Glancing at Josh, I realized he was a pro when it came to Call of Duty.

"Not bad, Josh," Jerry said, smiling as he took the remote from Josh. "I think we can win this tournament."

Josh didn't say anything to that. He didn't even react, which left me staring at him. Josh hadn't batted an eye when playing and he had won with ease. Staring at him, I almost began to admire him because I aspired to be as good as him when it came to video games. I wanted to be so good at playing video games that it would be second nature to me.

"You're amazing," I confessed to Josh, catching him off guard. "I'm in shock."

Josh looked at me, his eyes widened. Seeing him react left me feeling satisfied and I smiled at him. His expression softened at that and he looked away.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

My smile grew and I shook my head, knowing Josh wouldn't be ecstatic over my compliment. But for now, having him acknowledge it was good enough for me.