Extra Ordinary

8.

I was in a most peculiar position, and still wondering how the hell I got there. In theory I wanted nothing to do with Asa and whatever dangerous baggage he was dragging with him. On the other hand, I couldn't stop wondering what he'd said about me to Cindy. 

I figured he never talked about me outside of school. That I was this irrelevant person to him, as I was to the rest of my class, with the small difference that I paid him. 

I wished I was just as irrelevant to our slightly trying too hard to be 'hip' mentor, who insisted we call him by his name, Timothy, rather than his surname. He elbowed me in the ribs as I entered the classroom. 

"Gabe! You like video games, don't you?" he greeted me with a smile. 

"I, uh, kind of?" I replied, glancing over Timothy's shoulder. 

Rolf was giving me the stink-eye, while Timothy beamed and was all up in my personal area. 

"Kind of is good enough!" he said. "We're hosting a LAN party this Friday in the school building. Because this new game came out? It's, uh, something in space and robots?"

"Oh, yeah, I heard of that," I replied vaguely as if I hadn't been playing and teaching that exact game he was referring to all weekend. 

"You should be there!" Timothy said. "We're even hosting a small tournament!" 

Don't even dare to think about showing up, Rolf's glare said. 

"I'm not sure if I can make it, but I'll see," I mumbled in Timothy's direction  before taking a seat at the front of the classroom. 

Rolf was always around to ruin school gaming events. It was his terrain in school, and I wouldn't be able to go to any of these events with him around. How ironic would it be if he watched my stream? 

I comforted myself with the thought of playing at home Friday evening with my online friends. Which was much better than pretending to be bad at gaming at a school event with Rolf and his friends around to pelt me with literal trash.

As usual, Landon didn't understand the problem.

"I mean," he said between bites of his sandwich, spraying a bit of spit on the table, "It's probably going to be big enough to not run into Rolf and his friends. We just set up our computer at the other side of the auditorium. I don't see the problem." 

Randall nodded. "Just fuck 'em," he stated, slamming a hand onto the table surface. "We're not staying away because of them. I bet Rolf sucks and we can take him on in that tournament." 

Randal shrugged. "At least Landon, Camilla and I can," he added, blunt as ever. 

"Gee, thanks," I said. 

Camilla shifted in her seat. She had nothing to fear, really. Rolf never really targeted her, probably because she was a girl - Rolf wanted all girls to like him - and she wasn't 'annoying' like the rest of us. 

"I don't think so," I said, hardly convinced by Randall or Landon's words. I didn't ever see them take on Rolf when he told us to scram, and it was all big talk. 

"Then just make Asa come with us!" Landon pointed at Asa, who was sitting at the corner of our table and didn't even raise his eyes from his phone screen to look at Landon. 

I covered my face with one hand. "I can't afford to bring Asa with us."

"And what if we help paying Asa, huh?" Landon persisted. "Would you go then?"

Randall snorted. "Hey, speak for yourself, I'm not paying anyone." 

"Guys, can we not have this discussion about paying Asa right in front of him?" I pleaded. "It's weird."