Pushing You Away

"Babe, you're going to be okay," she whispers in my ear. Her fingers trace circles on my palm. "You can calm down now."
Those words make my breathing heavier again. I can't calm down. I lost the round.
I need to keep playing, but I cant let her see how much this video game controls me.

Zane Keating has it all; a gem of a girlfriend, tons of good friends and an acceptance to the Canadian U18 Track and Field Championships. Every second of his life has been devoted to making his parents proud, and it's payed off. But this year, his focus is somewhere else. With a household of soaring expectations, he hasn't had much time to do things kids his age normally do. After winning the championships and finally satisfying his parents for the time being, he decides to catch up on all that he's missed.
This seemingly safe goal turns into a disaster. The once-popular video game that no one really plays anymore becomes his sole desire. It's just a pass-time at first, until it becomes more. Until it becomes an addiction, a craving. Everything that once meant anything to him -track, his girlfriend, his friends- all of a sudden aren't even comparable to this video game. He is consumed by it.
With this game comes a boatload of problems, of broken relationships, of giving up. Has he dug himself a hole too deep to get out of?