The Game ✔

Chapter twenty seven

I arrived at work just in time to see Georgio, my boss.

''Hey Alexa, you'll be alone today. I've got some family emergencies to take care of.'' He simply said before rushing out of the door. Great.

I lean on the counter looking around a bit tired. This was going to be a long afternoon.

I start cleaning around, making the sink and the coffee machines shiny, organizing the milk in the fridge, and deciding if I should separate the napkins from the wet wipes but state that they go well together after all. With a sigh, I look up at the clock. Great, only twenty minutes passed.

Longing makes my stomach churn as I think about how my days used to be so fun with Ayden, playing ping pong on stormy days, singing at the top of our lungs to the radio while closing, eating scones while drinking the more hot chocolate we can and the first to go to the toilet would be the one buying. I usually won at that game, Ayden having a small bladder.

I lean once again on the counter, my chin propped on one hand, and stare into nothing, lost in my mind. How I wish I could just skip to tomorrow.

''Looks busy.'' My head snaps up and I see Lizzy strolling to where I am. 

''Coffee on the way!'' I cheer and almost run to make it.

''Geez, you were that bored?'' She says laughing at me and it's her turn to lean on the counter. ''How was your night?'' She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

My first thought was to say bad, really bad, but as I thought about it, I realized it hadn't been this bad. I had learned things about Cameron and he had seen a side of me no one really knows about, unless one, and didn't judge. ''I guess it was nice.''

''Only nice? Girl, seeing you this drunk last night I thought something would happen. I mean, you were literally grinding on him.''

''I was not!'' I yell.

''Say what you want, I know what I saw.'' 

''What about you and Jake?'' I ask truly intrigued.

''Well, things led to others, you know?'' She smiles dreamily. ''He's just so... wow in bed.''

''Uh, that wasn't something I thought we would discuss someday. Not your sex life but more like Jake's sex life.'' I clarify and give her the coffee.

''You might want to get used to it. He has given me some explanations about his actions and he wants to try it with me, I mean the dating.'' She giggles excitedly.

''So you guys are now dating officially?'' I'm so surprised I don't know what to ask first or how to react. ''Woh, God, that's- shit, that's awesome.'' 

''I know, I was shocked as well since I thought it would be a one-night thing... again.''

''What were his reasons then?'' I demand scratching the back of my head.

''Ayden...'' She pauses, looking for a reaction from me but I keep calm, keeping a neutral face. ''Ayden tried to get him to play as well the Game. He's not doing so well.''

''I know,'' I mutter and turn around to go wash some dishes.

''He's broken hearted.'' She continues, ''I think you really hurt him this time.''

''I didn't do anything. He decided to start playing this freaking Game, it's his fault now if we can never be together.''

''Would you really want to be with him?''

I look back at her in surprise by the tone she used, as if accusing me of something, ''You know how I feel about him Liz, we've talked about it so many times those past years.'' I remembered every single sleepover when we started to talk about boys and mine was always Ayden. Always.

''Those past years,'' She emphasizes, ''but now it's more about Cameron, and don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.'' She points an accusing finger towards me, ''You used to have those sparks in your eyes while talking about Ayden, now it's all about Cameron.''

''I-I-'' I stutter, unable to find my tongue but she beats me to it.

''I get it, he's handsome and sexy and got those eyes and this way of speaking and teasing-''

''It's not just that.'' I sigh and go back toward her, ditching the dishes, ''I love the sound of his laugh when I do silly things, or the way he jumps right in when I tease or joke around, the way he can go all serious on me when something's wrong and how he reads me like I'm an open book. I-'' I take a deep breath, ''I'm so scared of losing this stupid game to discover he was playing in every single second of our moments together.''

''I know the feeling.'' I frown but she continues, ''The Game represents in a way every single girl in this universe with trust issues because at some point we don't even know who's going to be the good guy and who's going to be the one who breaks our heart. You're not the first to start to feel like that, billion of girls do. We want to believe we can fall in love head over heels and live the perfect fairytale with prince charming but we don't have all that luck and you just got to brace yourself for the long road if you decide he's worth a potentially broken heart. And if you decide to go through with this, that you admit your vulnerability, you're the bravest person I've met.''

I chuckle through a sigh of resignation, ''That was deep, you thought about it for a while, didn't you?'' 

She shrugs one shoulder, a smile playing on her lips, ''Maybe a little.''

Two boys enter the coffee shop and Lizzy slides a little to leave some space. I quickly give them their order and they go sit at a table further in a corner.

''Let's say I do want to be the bravest person you know, how do I make sure you don't have to collect me on the floor?'' I ask lowly.

''That's impossible to do.'' She replies and we fall silent for a moment.

I straighten back up, ''Well, the Game is getting old now, I can't wait for it to end.'' 

Both boys at the table look at us when I say that and one of them, with sandy blond hair, pale skin, and brown eyes, speaks, ''The Game? Are you going to Skylar High?''

The other one, with brown hair, and cold blue eyes, beams, ''Oh yeah I heard about that game, it's sick! I love it!''

Lizzy rolls her eyes at them, ''Of course.''

''Hey, aren't you that girl, the queen?'' Blondie asks, frowning.

''If I was really the queen, would I be working right now?'' Lizzy laughs right next to me as both boys give us weird looks before going back to their coffee.

As long as the Game wasn't going out of our school, we were good.