Players Love Hard (Campus Kings #5)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jamie

Cece, as I’ve known her since we were kids, isn’t only beautiful and rich, she’s one of the smartest people I know.

I haven’t stopped staring at her since we set up our booth for the Gamer Nation Convention in Las Vegas.

Just knowing she’s here is enough of a distraction.

And that’s what she wants—to distract me.

Because she only cares about advancing her career as a video game developer and taking over her father’s company.

I was nothing more than a subplot in her story, a detour on her way to the next big thing.

“I need you focused, J,” my dad says, tugging on my arm. “This launch is important.”

I peel my eyes away from Cece to look at my dad. He’s nervous about the unveiling of Mage Wars, his latest game in The Fallen Universe he created before I was born. My dad is like a god in this world. He has fans around the world who wait impatiently for each release of the role-playing game.

“I know. Don’t worry.” I pat my dad on the shoulder. “I got it covered.”

He flashes a closed-mouth smile that looks forced. “I hope so. Any time you go anywhere near Cecelia, you can’t function.”

I laugh so hard I snort. “Not even close.”

Dad’s eyes travel from Cece back to me. “You look at her the way I look at your mother, except your mom looks back at me the same way. Cecelia only sees you as an opportunity, as someone to use. Don’t let her get in your head, Jamie.”

He’s not entirely off base. When Cece broke up with me three years ago, I never saw it coming.

I was so in love with her that I was blind to all the signs.

They say you never forget your first love, and I’ll never forget Cece.

Ever since she crushed me, I haven’t given another woman a chance.

No one compares to Cece. She gets me to the very core of my soul.

Or at least I thought she did. I thought we had an impenetrable connection.

“She’s your Gwen Stacy,” my dad says, referring to Spider-Man’s love interest in college.

Gwen was undoubtedly Spider-Man’s true love, killed by the Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Even though he married Mary Jane Watson years after Gwen’s death, I always thought Gwen was ‘the one.’ Sometimes, I feel like I will never get over Cece.

And for that reason, I can’t argue with my dad.

Spider-Man is his favorite comic book character. He’s mine, too. We’re both obsessed with Marvel Comics. He drew inspiration from Stan Lee while creating his characters and worlds in The Fallen Universe. I often do the same thing when I’m dreaming up new games.

I grew up on comic books, Star Trek, video games, and computers. My dad is a geek to the core, a master creator of worlds, and the best man I know. I learned everything from him except hockey. I learned that from my grandfather, a famous hockey player.

“My Mary Jane will come along eventually,” I assure him. “I’m not worried about girls right now. I have enough on my plate with hockey, school, and the new game I’m coding.”

The game Cece stole from me.

“How’s that coming along?”

Hmm… how do I answer his question?

I can’t tell him I let Cece demo it before she ripped it off. Admitting the truth would only lead to getting yelled at for something I already regret.

“It’s going,” I lie. “I should have a beta for you to check out next month, depending on how crazy it gets with school and my hockey schedule.”

“School comes first.” He flips open his laptop and sits behind the table I’m standing next to. “Have you thought about working for me full-time after you graduate?”

“Yes and no,” I admit. “I kinda want to see what happens with hockey.”

He peeks up from his keyboard and nods. “Well, if you change your mind, and I hope you do, you can always work for me. I’d always envisioned you, Mike, and Grace taking over the company after I retire.”

My older sister, Charlotte Grace—who everyone calls Grace—handles operations in the London office. Mike runs the Silicon Valley office. Dad still hopes I will take his place at the corporate office in downtown Philly.

I’m torn between two legacies. No matter which one I choose, I let someone down.

My dad wants me to follow in his footsteps, whereas my grandfather wants me to chase the dream of professional hockey.

No matter what I decide, I’ll never live up to either of their legacies.

The paths they both forged are too narrow, leaving no room for me to grow.

In the NHL, people will compare me to my grandfather.

He holds the records for most career points, season points, and playoff points.

How could I ever compare to that? And then there’s my dad.

He blew the gaming world away when he developed the artificial intelligence that controls his Universe.

His face has been on every magazine cover, and his tech is mentioned worldwide.

I doubt I’ll ever be on the cover of Wired or have my games featured in PC Mag. It’s not that I lack confidence in my coding or hockey skills. I have that in spades.

Mike, my older brother, climbs the staircase leading up to our raised platform, smiling like the Cheshire cat. He has the same brown hair as my dad and me, except he wears his longer on the sides.

“They’re having issues over at the 10X booth,” Mike informs us. “Someone hacked their server.”

And now I’m the one who’s grinning like an idiot.

Cece made me look like a fool two months ago when I allowed her back into my life.

We reconnected in a gaming chat room, leading to private messages and late-night texts and calls.

I couldn’t tell my friends I was talking to her again because they all hated her.

My family does, too. They have every reason to.

Cece is a horrible person. So, why does my heart still pound when I see her? I hate that it does.

She had the audacity to use my vulnerability—more like stupidity—to steal my code and reverse engineer my game. Her dad loved it and added it to his current platform. I have nothing more than a half-formed idea and no proof she stole from me.

Some part of me will always love her, and I hate that I do. We met at a gaming convention like this one when we were ten years old. She schooled every guy on the floor. Hell, she even beat me in one of my father’s games. It was embarrassing, and for me, it was love at first sight.

But I’m done being her doormat.

I can’t allow her to win again.

That’s why I corrupted her father’s system with a virus.

I glance at the 10X Games booth and watch Cece and the technical team scramble to stop the blinking spider web flashing across the screen.

Everyone in the room can see my signature, yet only Cece and my dad will know it was me.

Embedded inside the web is my screen name—Jamer.

My dad called me that when I was a kid. It’s a combination of Jamie and gamer, a nickname that has stuck.

If Cece looks close enough, she’ll see it, though it’s hard right now with how rapidly the web blinks.

Cece is no idiot. Her eyes find mine for a split second.

She deserves this, and she knows it. For once, I can place a check in the win column.

With Cece, it always feels like a loss… no matter how big the victory.