5. Beta
5
Beta
On the surface, crashing a mall manager get-together didn’t seem like the best way to make a friend. It wasn’t a college mixer where people were looking to get to know each other. Not that those were wildly successful for me either.
I mulled it over until the last second, walking with Ash through the darkened parking lot after our shift. It was unlikely she parked in the same aisle, so I had to make this quick. I gripped my taser disguised as a tag on my keychain and fought to keep my voice steady. “So, Sal said the people here socialize on Wednesdays.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, sometimes.”
A woman of few words. I could identify with that.
I adjusted my bag and scanned the parking lot. “Would it be inappropriate if I joined in?”
She hesitated.
Of course it was weird. Why would she want to hang out with an underling like me when she could party with the toy guy? I bet he was a blast. He probably brought a bubble gun to parties.
I hurried my pace and tugged my hat down. “Never mind. I just remembered, one of my guilds does their raids on Wednesdays. ”
“No, it’s fine. It’s not an event, it’s just a casual meet-up for anyone who can make it. You know the bar with that giant ‘Live Music’ sign down the road here?” She pointed.
“Yes.” So, it’d be loud. I couldn’t wear earplugs at a social event.
“A lot of us go there on Wednesday nights. Maybe we’ll see you there tomorrow,” she said, turning down another aisle.
“Yes, perhaps.” I dialed my brother right away. It was just for the walk to my car. Then, I’d be safe. It only took two rings for him to answer, but the frequency still vibrated through my veins.
“Hello, sister,” he said, his voice rumbling low. “I’m going to have to put you on speaker in a moment.”
I tightened my grip on my phone and pumped the unlock button on my keys so the rear lights would flash. “I’m almost to my car. By the way, do you know of a Wednesday night ritual where mall employees meet up at the bar down the street?”
“No,” he drolled.
Right. He didn’t want to spend time with anyone except Kat. And maybe me.
“Could you go with me tomorrow? Maybe just for a drink?” I peered over my shoulder, then flashed a pocket light over my tires and the back seat.
“You want to go out?” he asked.
“Maybe.” If he went with me. “Ash invited me.”
Well, Sal did, technically, but my stomach clenched at the thought of explaining how we met.
“Did she also invite your family?” Victor asked.
“She said anyone could come.” I huffed and slid into the driver’s seat, locking the doors. “I was hoping you’d go with me. You know, so I could…” Handle other humans? “Get a feel for things,” I finished, swallowing hard.
He hummed and mulled .
Maybe this was a bad idea.
“I had plans, but we’ll figure something out,” he said. “I’m proud of you, Z.”
Proud? For what? Pretending I wanted to go to parties?
Propellers smacked my ribcage from the inside. I was fine. Normal, see?
“Great. I’ll see you at home.” I dropped my phone into the cupholder and breathed deeply. This wasn’t a big deal. I was making friends. Or at least capable of it. Victor would see. Then, maybe we could go back to some semblance of normalcy. Staying in, playing games, and watching movies. That was good. Perfect, for me.
By the time my brother got home, I was three hours deep into playing Craft Cove. I’d forgotten how addicting resource games like this could be. He waved at the security camera in the garage, then checked his phone.
I poked the intercom. “Hey, how was the rest of your day?”
He gave the camera a thumbs-up.
“Good.” Oh, I’d forgotten to press the button. Not that it mattered. He would walk through the living room soon enough.
My brother ambled in with the faint aura of buttered popcorn. “What are you up to?”
“Watching a movie. Playing Craft Cove. Everyone at work is into it.”
“Everyone like Ash?” He flopped onto the couch and pushed back his bangs, one eyebrow arched.
I raised my shoulder. “No. Well, maybe. I haven’t asked.”
Another non-tech conversation topic I could file away for Wednesday.
My brother exhaled sharply through his nose. Was he laughing at me or the sci-fi movie? He swiped his phone, texting Kat. Lots of paragraphs and gifs on both ends. He heart-reacted to something, and a second later, a cheeky selfie of her in a pajama-esque camisole lit up their chat. Victor smiled and grazed his knuckle across his lips.
I frowned at the TV. Love was a feature, a subplot maybe. How had he fallen so quickly? Was it her unique look? Was he projecting something? They’d gone from first date to wanting to move in together within a few whirlwind weeks.
I understood needs and curiosity. In a video game, there was nothing wrong with hooking up with the hot tentacle alien to see if they had a funny or genuinely sensual love scene. But the player usually had to build up to it. Be friends. Flirt. Tickle the tentacles and avenge their fallen families.
Presumably, real love took work too. Opportunity. Chemistry. And in some cases, strategy.
Not that I thought Kat or Victor intended to ‘play’ each other in a bad way. They seemed equally obsessed with each other even before the spider incident. Presumably, they’d studied movie scripts for years, so they knew how to flirt and reveal character. That may have expedited things.
I mentally plotted a dialogue tree for Wednesday’s gathering to maximize my chance for success. All I needed to do was find that spark of common interest. If I could befriend the inhabitants of Craft Cove with a relatively silent protagonist, surely, I could have a decent chat with Ash.
The next day, we were too busy to strike up a meaningful workplace conversation, but I had faith it’d be different at the bar. I flicked the edge of the hidden taser in my pocket as Victor and I walked up to the front. The broad-shouldered bouncer, who looked like he could’ve been a football player or a thug, eyed my brother’s unique hair and said, “IDs, please.”
I looked over my shoulder. Thankfully, no one else was around, so I handed it to him.
He fanned our IDs, then studied me and my baseball cap for a good couple of seconds.
My fingers twitched, and I exchanged a terse glance with my brother. Did this guy recognize me? Or worse, did he know my old classmates? I doubted any of those guys would be here, but there was a narrow chance this buff guy had an interest in robotics.
“Go ahead,” the guy boomed, waving us on.
“Thanks.” I snatched our IDs, then marched inside.
Victor patted my back, helping me through the crowd. “I doubt he recognized you.”
“Right.” I tugged my cap. “Let’s find someone who will.”
The only thing I could pick out amid the loud crowd was an even louder shirt.
“Sal,” I said, heading for him.
Victor’s long strides easily kept up. “Who’s Sal?”
“Ash’s friend.” Not mine. Not yet. My brain could only handle one attempted bond at a time. Same with my heart, which fluttered the closer we got to him.
Sal spotted us halfway there and did a double-take, then pulled at his button-down as if to fan himself. It was warm here. Lots of people.
I slid into a slot beside him at the bar. “Hello.”
He scanned me and my brother with wide eyes, his neck craning to fully take him in, then cracked out a chuckle. “Well, hello. Who’s this strapping lad?”
“Her brother, Victor.” He squinted, which was close enough to a smile for now.
“I can see the resemblance.” Sal furrowed his brow at me. “You brought your brother?”
Victor’s gaze bore into the side of my face, then slid to the exit. Well, I certainly wasn’t going to learn how to socialize better from him.
I crossed my arms. “He works at the mall. Ash said everyone came here.”
Sal shrugged. “Uh, kinda. ”
“Where is she?” I peered over his shoulder, desperate to get this over with.
He held up his hands and his glass. “Easy, tiger. Why don’t you get a drink first? You want anything, uh, Victor?”
“No, thank you. I’m waiting for someone,” he said.
“Who?” I balked.
“Kat,” he said, like it should’ve been obvious.
As if on cue, she walked into the bar, immediately drawing the gaze of half the people in the room. Fishnet tights. Plaid skirt. Black cropped sweater. A giant, gothic cross nestled into her generous cleavage. Thick, smokey eyeliner and dark red lips accentuated sultry eyes and a bright grin. She reached up high, exposing more midriff as she waved to Victor.
“There she is,” he purred, slipping into the crowd to fetch her.
I sighed, accidentally leaning onto Sal instead of the bar for a second. I jolted upright.
“Let me guess, girlfriend?” He grinned.
“Yes,” I clipped.
My brother wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her with barely-restrained hunger as if they’d been apart for years instead of the five hours since her lunch break. She cradled his cheeks, then wiped the lipstick from his teeth.
Gross. My stomach tangled worse than headphone wires.
Good thing I was here to make a friend, because I was pretty sure my brother just abandoned me. I turned to Sal. “I think I will take that drink.”
“Sure thing.” He flagged down the bartender and dragged a bowl of pretzels over. “You may want to start with these.” He popped one into his mouth, then held up one missing the left loop.
Well, at least someone was being nice to me. I fished around for an unbroken piece and tapped it to his. “Cheers,” I said, my lip twitching up. To starting something. Even if it did feel like the end of something that’d been so important to me.