Chapter Twenty-Two
Max: Do you have time to go to a game store with me after school? I thought we could pick up some D&D miniatures for the game.
I blink and reread the message as I walk to my sixth-period class, still getting used to the fact that Max and I text now. It’s Wednesday, the one day each week when we don’t have extra band practice after school, so technically I’m free this afternoon.
Hazel: Where? We don’t have anything in town.
Max: I know, it’s one of the worst parts about living here. I found one about forty-five minutes away though. I can drive us.
I squeeze my phone a little tighter. A whole afternoon with Max and a game store? There’s no way I can say no to that.
I’m outside as soon as he pulls into my driveway after school. My heart speeds at the sight of him.
“Hey,” I say as I climb into his car. I’m proud of how normal my voice sounds. “This is unexpected.”
“I know.” He backs out onto the road. “But I was thinking about it, and the game doesn’t feel legit without some miniatures. I think it’ll help us to be able to visualize the layout of the city.”
Mental note that I need to figure out the layout by Sunday.
“I was going to order some online,” he continues, “but I figured it was probably smart to include the DM in the process.”
“I appreciate that.”
I sneak a glance at him. Is that the only reason he invited me—so that he wouldn’t overstep in the game? Or was he looking for more ways to spend time alone with me too?
“So, what should we listen to on the drive?” He runs a hand through his hair, looking almost self-conscious. “I have some pretty great playlists. I even have some classics on them, which I know you’ll like.”
I take his phone and scroll through his Spotify. Okay, I’ll admit there are some nineties bands on there like Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, and Stone Temple Pilots that I like. But there’s not a single female artist on any of the lists. I sigh and hand it back to him.
“I think we need to broaden your horizons. I’ve got the perfect playlist.” I have about two billion, but the one I’m thinking of is a little less angry than my usuals. More “Lovefool” from the Cardigans and less “You Oughta Know” from Alanis Morissette.
I’m expecting to get some side-eye from him when the first song starts playing, but instead he smiles lightly and relaxes against the headrest. We listen quietly to a few songs before Max sits up abruptly.
“Now we’re talking.” He leans forward to turn up the volume. “You know I love a good drum opening.”
“This is one of my favorites.”
It’s a cover of “I Want You to Want Me” from Letters to Cleo, one of my favorite nineties bands.
They played this song on the rooftop at the end of 10 Things I Hate About You, and it was absolutely perfect.
I can’t help singing along, and it seems Max is incapable of listening to music without using the steering wheel as a makeshift drum.
Soon we’re laughing and bopping along as we zoom past cornfields.
“See, this is what happens when you listen to more female lead singers,” I tease him.
“Fine, fine, you’ve made your point,” he concedes. “But I’m not giving up Nine Inch Nails.”
Eventually we switch from music to listening to Don’t Split the Party so that we can be properly inspired before we get to the store.
We make it to Scottsville and Max pulls into a parking lot that’s seen better days.
The game store, Sword and Board Games, is in a neglected shopping center next to a pizza shop, a nail salon, and an off-brand dollar store. It’s not exactly inviting.
I give Max a dubious look. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’ve heard good things. We should at least check it out.”
We’re a few steps from the door when two teenage girls walk out.
The South Asian girl is wearing purple d20 earrings I wouldn’t mind owning, while the white girl next to her is decked out in a green paisley maxi skirt and tank top with a ton of long beaded necklaces.
They’re laughing and talking quietly to each other, completely oblivious to us.
I’m honestly surprised to see other girls my age here.
I haven’t been to a lot of game stores, but when my parents have taken me in the past, I’ve always felt a little out of place.
“—tell Logan how much jewelry they bought from us,” the necklace girl says to her friend as they walk past.
“I know, I can’t believe it, Quinn!”
I do a double take and look over my shoulder at their backs. That’s…weird. Weren’t some of the livestream players named Logan and Quinn?
Max pauses at the door. “Ready?”
I shake my head so I can focus and turn my attention back to him.
The interior is way cozier than I’m expecting.
Large wooden shelves fill most of the space, with a long checkout counter along the left-hand side.
Behind it is a man wearing a Monty Python shirt.
In the far back, I can see a door to another room.
There’s quiet chatter and laughter coming from there that makes the store feel welcoming.
We aren’t in a huge hurry since we both told our parents not to expect us home for dinner, so we slowly meander through each aisle. When I turn the corner, I laugh and look over my shoulder.
“Uh-oh. You might not want to come over here unless you’d like to be reminded of your epic loss.”
This aisle is dedicated to board games, and many of the shelves closest to me are filled with various versions of Settlers of Catan.
Max comes to my side and examines the shelves. “You did not win that game.”
“Keep telling yourself that. I schooled you constantly at board games.”
“You did not,” he argues, but he’s smiling. “Anyway, I could take you now. I’ve changed a lot since we played last.”
Yes, you have, I think, and allow myself a quick glance of appreciation. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that.”
“About how good I am at board games? I like to reflect on that too.”
“No,” I say, rolling my eyes. “About how you’re different now than you used to be.”
He stills. “For better or worse? Actually, never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“That answer depends on when you ask me,” I tease. We leave the board game aisle behind and move into Warhammer. “But you seem, I don’t know, more self-confident. And popular. Every time I see you in band, you’re laughing with someone or making a ridiculous bet—”
“My bets are not ridiculous—”
“Or people are hovering around you. You didn’t used to be like that. You were a nerd like me.”
He gently grasps my upper arm. I stop walking and turn to look at him.
“You say that like being a nerd is a bad thing. Do you know how excited I am for our game Sunday? Or how many notes I’ve taken on my phone about Axolotl and his hobbies?
By the way, he has an artisan background and likes to spend his free time forging intricately designed weapons and little metal sculptures.
One of my favorite things about being back is getting to be a nerd with you again. ”
My breath hitches. I missed this—him—more than it’s safe to say.
Max clears his throat. “We should probably find the D&D section, yeah?”
D&D merchandise fills the entire right-side wall of the store.
It’s both impressive and intimidating to see how much they have.
There are rule books, spellbook cards, battle mats, and even themed greeting cards.
I skim the seemingly endless rows of painted and unpainted miniature figurines.
You could play for fifty years and not even get close to playing each possible character type.
“I don’t have a ton of money, but I want to make sure we get miniatures for Felix, Li, and Nova too,” I say. “And maybe some terrain?”
“Look, a dragonborn fighter!” Max says and holds up a miniature.
I scrutinize it. “Is that how you pictured him, though? I didn’t think he had red scales.”
“Yeah, true…”
I find elf druid minis for Li and Felix, but they also don’t look the way I’d imagined their characters.
“What do you think?” I ask and show Max. “Will the others be disappointed if these don’t match their character descriptions? Li already knows every detail about how Ellywich looks.”
“We can’t afford to have custom characters made for everyone. But, if you’re worried, we could get unpainted miniatures. That is, if you think we’d be up for painting them? It would be time-consuming.”
That sounds like another excuse to hang out together, and I’m not going to fight it. “We could have a nachos and painting party some afternoon. Then surprise everyone with their minis at the game?”
He nods. “Sounds like a perfect idea.”
We decide we’ll each buy two—I’ll buy the ones for Li and Felix and he’ll get the others. We take our time picking out the four characters, and Max grabs a ton of different paints. It’s expensive, but he insists on paying for those.
The man at the register earlier has been replaced with a girl my age. Her blond hair is piled on the top of her head in a messy bun, and she’s wearing a bright orange shirt covered in strawberries along with dangling Pop-Tart earrings.
“Hi, did you find everything okay?” she asks Max as he hands her the items.
“I think we found too much stuff, actually.”
He pays, then leans toward me and puts a hand on my lower back. “I’ll be right back,” he whispers. He’s gone in an instant, but it’s like he’s sent an electric jolt through me. He walks to the other end of the counter where lots of open boxes sit in rows.
I push my items toward the employee. “We could’ve easily spent a few hundred dollars here if we had the extra money.”
“My friends and I have the same problem. It’s a constant struggle even with my discount.”
“Sounds like a workplace hazard. I love your earrings, by the way.”
She smiles softly and touches one. “Thanks. They were a gift from my boyfriend.”
I glance over at Max, wondering what he’s doing, and see he’s now chatting with another guy. Max is holding some card packs, but I can’t tell what kind. The girl hands me a small shopping bag.