Chapter Seventeen
Sophie
Well, let’s say that Operation Find Me Real Romance continues to be a bust.
It’s Thursday afternoon and I haven’t gotten anywhere close to finding romance.
I could see Addie’s heart getting chipped away with every name she crosses off the list. I told her the guys here suck, but she refuses to listen to me and instead decides to hold on to this impossible hope.
If things continue this way, I won’t be able to complete Damian’s challenge.
I guess if that happens, none of us will win.
Unless he plans to wait until college or after for me to go out with a decent guy.
Something tells me he and I would go our separate ways by then.
I don’t know why the thought of that stings. We’re friends now and it sucks to think we may not talk to each other once our tutoring sessions are over.
As soon as I get back to my dorm after meeting with Damian, I notice I have missed texts from Raven.
Raven: In the rec room. Guess who’s playing the arcade games?
Raven: Okay, you’ll never guess. Richie Farmer. I know you said he tries too hard to fit in with the rich kids, but he is on Addie’s list. And you never know what could happen, right? If you’re done with your tutoring, maybe you can stop by before he leaves.
Raven: His friends left and he’s completely alone. Maybe it’s best to make your move now, if you’re free. I wish I could reserve him for you before someone else comes or he leaves.
Sophie: Lol, he’s not a parking space, Raven. But I’m done with my lesson and am on my way. Try to get him to stay if he wants to leave.
Raven: Will do.
I’m not exactly in the mood to deal with another guy after such a long day, but I’m not one to back out of a challenge, so I hurry to the rec room. I hear Raven’s voice when I’m only a few feet away.
“We can do a co-op. Overcooked or a Super Mario Bros game.”
“Overcooked is for wimps,” Richie’s familiar voice says.
“Are you serious? It’s mega hard.”
“If you suck,” he says in a cocky voice.
Even though I can’t see her, I can feel the steam shooting out of her ears. “I do not suck at video games.”
“I mean, you’re pretty decent for a girl, but you’re nowhere near the same level as most guys.”
“I’m decent for a girl? What decade is this, the 80s? Grab a controller and let me whip your butt.”
Knowing this can end badly, with Raven possibly strangling Richie with her controller because he said the trigger words—for a girl—I push open the door to the rec room and barge in.
The first thing I notice is the smug look on Richie’s face. He doesn’t seem one bit scared of Raven’s wrath. In fact, he seems amused by it. Like he never in a million years would think a girl could beat him at video games.
Raven does indeed look super ticked off. When she turns to me, I can tell by her eyes that she’s not so sure about this guy. But she shrugs at me and continues her game, which is a platformer with a ball of light.
“Hey, Richie,” I say as I move closer to him. “Want to play the arcade games with me? I bet I can beat your high score.”
“Not in your wildest dreams. Sure, let’s do it.”
He chooses a relatively easy one. I’m not good at arcade games and don’t play them often, but I played this one a lot as a kid and think I’m pretty decent.
I don’t know why I assumed he would offer for me to go first. Like a nice guy should do.
He plays his game and curses at the screen when he messes up.
Honestly, it’s a little over the top, but I get how passionate people can get over these kinds of games.
It’s not that much different from me wanting to throw a book against the wall when a character does something I hate.
He ends up getting a very high score despite his mistakes. And he gives me another smug look. “Try to beat that, Sarah.”
“My name is Sophie.”
“Right. My bad.”
He doesn’t exactly give me enough room to take control of the machine. Not wanting to be a jerk about it or too pushy, I make do with what I have. I don’t seem to make as many mistakes as Richie did, but I’m moving more slowly than he did. The result is me receiving only fifty points less than him.
“Nice!” I say as I hold out my fist. “Almost tied.”
He gapes at the scores with his jaw practically sweeping the floor. “How did you score so close to me?”
“I used to play this game a lot as a kid. There’s really nothing to it once you take into consideration the probability of making every other shot—”
“Let’s do another. I’ll cream you this time.”
I follow him to the next arcade with a scowl. I sometimes get super competitive, too, but he’s taking this way too seriously.
This time, he does indeed cream me. And he gloats about it like he won an Olympic medal.
“Nice job,” I tell him with a forced smile. “Can you show me the game you’re best at?”
“I’m a master at Crossy Road,” he says as he leads me to the machine. “I can practically do it blindfolded.”
I stand next to him and watch him do extremely well in this game. Even though he seems preoccupied, I decide to go forth with the Operation. “Do you like being a scholarship kid here?” I ask.
“Whoa, did you see that?” He whacks the button repeatedly like a hammer. “I was this close to getting run over. What do you mean about the scholarship?”
“You know, it’s hard for us scholarship kids to fit in with all these rich people. You don’t seem to hang out with other scholarship kids.”
He chuckles lightly. “What does it matter how much money anyone has? It’s my parents who can’t afford to send me here. I applied for a scholarship and got in. No one cares.”
“Really? My friends and I always feel like the rest of the school turns up their noses at us.”
With his eyes glued to the screen and not glancing at me once, he says, “That seems more like a you problem.”
Okay, I’ve had it with this guy. I march over to where Raven sits on the couch and plop down next to her, folding my arms over my chest with a huff.
“I couldn’t stand him, either.” She tilts the controller to the side as her ball of light tries to evade an enemy that looks like a creature from a nightmare.
“Sorry for making you come all the way here. Maybe we shouldn’t trust Addie’s list. She’s only been in this school for a few months and doesn’t know the kids like we do. ”
“She’s so hopeful, though,” I say with a sigh. “I don’t want to crush her dreams. She genuinely wants all of us to have the kind of love she has with Caleb. But we can’t all experience what she has. Life doesn’t work that way.”
“I agree.”
I lean back on the couch and watch her game. Too bad I didn’t bring a book with me. I guess I hadn’t considered that this guy would be a top-tier jerk.
“Want to join my game?” Raven asks.
I shake my head. “I kind of want to think.”
“Thinking is good.”
“Proving Damian wrong is a nice thought, but what does that say about me if there’s not a single guy here I can connect with? I mean, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I won’t find anyone as good as William King, but what if…I don’t know.”
“You’re worried you’ll end up alone,” she says.
“I guess.”
“I’m worried about that, too. I know we’re young and have our whole lives ahead of us, but what if there really isn’t anyone out there for me?”
“What about Camp Lover Boy?”
Her chest inflates. “Why do you guys always bring him up? Whatever happened with him is long over.”
“Okay, fine. When Damian said to me that everyone around me will find love and I’ll be living my fake romances in my books, I didn’t care. I guess I was stubborn and didn’t want to admit that he might be right. But now that all the guys have been a bust…”
“You don’t want to admit to yourself that maybe the reason you’re insisting you prefer the romances in your books is because you’re worried you won’t ever be able to experience romance in real life, even if you desperately want it.”
“No, I still think book romance tops real romance, and I’ll prove that to Damian, even if I do have an epic romance with a guy here. But maybe there is some truth to his words. Maybe I am worried I’ll end up alone while everyone else around me builds wonderful lives for themselves.”
“Impossible. You’re too awesome for that.
” She pauses her game and slides her hand into mine.
“But if that does happen, you’ll always have us.
We’re never going to leave you. Remember how lonely I was in ninth grade?
I thought I wouldn’t have a single friend during my high school years.
But there you were with that contagious smile.
I knew immediately that we were meant to be best friends.
And we’ll remain best friends with Carly and Addie for the rest of our lives.
We’ll even be in the same nursing homes. ”
I laugh. “I can imagine us bickering and teasing each other in our old age like we do now.”
“Exactly! But you seriously don’t have to worry. You’ll meet the perfect guy one day and maybe Damian will prove you wrong.”
I throw my hands on my hips. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m just saying.”
I pick up her controller and move her ball of light around, even though I don’t really know what I’m doing. “You think I’ll still be friends with Damian in the future?”
“So you guys are officially friends?”
“We declared it yesterday.”
“Nice! Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“I don’t know if you’ll be friends. We can’t know the future, but I don’t see why you shouldn’t be. If you both want it, I mean.”
“I want it. I just wonder if he does.” I shake my head and hand her the controller. “Why am I even worrying about this? I’m too young for this. I’m heading back to the room to grab my book so I can keep you company while you finish your game.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Right as I head for the door, Richie, who apparently is still here playing the arcade games, calls, “Hey, Susan! Want to watch me beat another high score?”
With a roll of my eyes, I march out of the room.