Theo #2
“He totally will.” The sudden sound of Brynne’s voice slammed into me, nearly choking the air from my lungs. “Just like last time.”
“That was years ago,” I countered.
Scout ripped open a bag of potato chips and shoved her fist inside. “It’s ten in the morning, dude. Seriously?”
“What?” Trinity asked.
“She’s eating chips.”
“Yeah, and I’m eating cookies,” Brynne said.
“I literally made Ronan leave his house to go get a burger for me.”
“You are insane. Every single one of you. Insane.”
“The game’s starting,” Scout said around a mouthful of chips.
I settled back, spreading my legs wide as I focused on the screen. “I heard Larry had a morning snack?” Brynne asked, and I groaned.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“More Tom Ford slacks in the trash,” Scout said, sounding unsympathetic.
“I won’t have any left soon.”
“I’m sure you already made an order for a million more pairs,” Trinity said with a laugh.
I hadn’t.
Maybe I should.
“Not yet,” I muttered. I pulled my phone out while we waited for the game to start.
My character was boring, wearing just cargo pants and a muscle shirt. Scout’s was in leggings, a cropped sweatshirt, and a hat. Brynne’s was wearing some kind of weird helmet and was galaxy print.
I squinted at Trinity’s. “Is that Andie Hart?” I asked.
“You know who Andie Hart is?” Scout sounded shocked, and I glanced at her.
“I don’t live under a rock.”
“Yeah, Andie was this season’s music guest.”
“Music guest?”
“God, you’re so old,” Trinity groaned. “Yeah, every few months, Dropzone gives us new musical guests. Emotes with their songs, skins that look like them—you know, a bundle of stuff relating to the artist.”
“Do they have anyone cool?” I asked.
“Andie Hart is cool,” Scout grumbled. Brynne and Scout danced together on the screen while Trinity ran around, grabbing guns off the ground. I stood, watching the countdown until we were loaded into the game.
“She’s alright.”
I scrolled through my apps, checking notifications and group chats. But my gaze caught on the Pulse app. I chewed on my bottom lip, ignoring the girls’ chatter.
I shouldn’t.
I knew I shouldn’t.
But I did it anyway—I tapped it.
Tilting the screen away from Scout, I scrolled through photo after photo, looking for a particular redhead. Something about Pulse added a layer of protection, almost like it was a fantasy, a dream. If I texted Brynne instead, it would become something . It would become real .
But behind the safety of our silly little dating profiles, we could pretend we were nothing but two internet strangers finding each other. Whatever conversations we had, any flirting, any confessions, could stay in the app, neatly tucked away from our real lives.
Finally, I landed on her profile, my stomach twisting when I saw that she was online.
Surely she’d seen my message, right?
Was she talking to someone right now? Was she flirting with someone else? Planning a date with them?
My thumb hovered over her name.
“We’re dropping at Magic Oasis,” Trinity announced. I glanced at the screen, finding a blue beam shooting into the pixelated sky.
Fuck it .
I typed out a quick message, locked my phone, and pretended like my heart wasn’t in my throat.
ME:
I guess you’re not mad at me anymore?
My leg bounced wildly. I could barely focus on what was happening on the screen, could barely hear what Trinity and Scout were saying. Brynne was oddly silent, and that made it all worse.
I shouldn’t have sent that. I should’ve pretended like I didn’t see her on that stupid app weeks ago.
But the harder I tried to ignore it, the more she took up residence in my head. And seeing her every afternoon at school pick-up only made me go more and more insane.
My phone vibrated, and my stomach flipped.
I grabbed a few guns from the ground and jumped into the car Trinity was driving. I snatched my phone up, my hands stupidly trembling as I unlocked it.
brYNNE:
Why are you messaging me?
ME:
Is it a crime to talk to you?
Her response was almost instant.
brYNNE:
Why are you even on this app? You have enough going on in your life without adding a woman into the mix.
ME:
Who said I was trying to add a woman to the mix?
brYNNE:
Why else would you be on a dating app?
ME:
Hookups?
brYNNE:
Alright. Bye.
ME:
I’m kidding.
Unless you’re down
Brynne cleared her throat through the headset, and I grinned. I loved knowing the effect I had on her.
ME:
Is that a yes?
brYNNE:
That’s a fuck no.
ME:
Damn.
Ouch.
brYNNE:
Try keeping your dick in your pants
ME:
I don’t need to take my dick out to make a woman come.
“Come on!” Trinity shouted, jolting me out of the app. I closed it and refocused on the game as another team ambushed us.
Trinity went down first, and a string of curse words I didn’t know she knew fell out of her mouth. Next was Scout. She grumbled under her breath before shoving a fist full of chips into her mouth, the crunching loud in the speakers of my headset.
“My left,” Brynne said softly, her voice a caress against my skin. Her health dwindled quickly, nearly killing her. “ My left, Theo. Jesus.”
“I went left!”
Her health disappeared, and her character fell to her hands and knees.
“Fuck!” she shouted.
“I’m sorry!” I shot at the opposite team, but my bullets went too high and missed them completely. They easily killed me, and the screen went black.
Silence fell. Scout glared at the screen. Trinity’s breathing was harsh. Brynne was totally silent.
But then she quietly said, “Can we vote Theo out?”
“Yeah, he needs to go,” Scout muttered.
“Okay, it was my first game,” I said defensively. “Be nice to me.”
“One more chance,” Trinity said.
We readied up for the next game, and I grabbed my phone as it started loading.
ME:
You’d kick me out?
brYNNE:
Yes.
ME:
You really hate me, huh?
brYNNE:
I don’t hate you, Theo.
ME:
Then why do you want to kick me out?
brYNNE:
Because you suck at this game
ME:
Hurtful.
But you’re not wrong.
Speaking of sucking…
I laughed at the sound of her sighing heavily.
brYNNE:
Not everything has to be sexual
ME:
It doesn't?
That’s news to me
brYNNE:
You’re insufferable.
ME:
But I think you like it…
She scoffed, and I tapped out another message quickly.
ME:
Don’t deny it. You’ve liked me for years
brYNNE:
I’m not admitting anything.
ME:
I won’t deny it
brYNNE:
What are you talking about?
What does that mean?
ME:
We have to play the game.
brYNNE:
You’re not denying what, Theo?
“God, this game is so fun,” I said pointedly. She huffed out a breath, but I ignored her. I sneezed, my eyes watering. “Damn rabbit.”
“Be nice to her,” Scout cooed, smoothing her fingertips down the sleeping Larry’s back.
“I’m nice to her. She’s mean to me.”
“You probably deserved it,” Brynne grumbled. I felt my phone vibrate again, and I knew it was another message from her. “Don’t let us die again.”
“Maybe you should be better at the game, Red.”
“Maybe you should learn how to aim and shoot, Playboy .”
“Focus!” Scout snapped, throwing a gummy bear at my face. It landed in my lap, and I reached down to pop it in my mouth. Scout gaped at me. “No way.”
“What?” Trinity asked.
“He just ate a gummy bear.”
“Really? Is he sick?”
“Maybe.”
“Sick in the head,” Brynne mumbled.
“Focus,” I repeated, grinning as they all groaned.
My phone vibrated again, and I finally looked at it.
brYNNE:
What did you mean?
Are you kidding me?
Fine. I won’t deny it either. Is that what you wanted?
ME:
You like me.
brYNNE:
For a short time five years ago.
Not currently.
I came to my senses pretty quickly.
ME:
You like me, Red.
brYNNE:
You are the worst.
ME:
Whatever
You like me
brYNNE:
Bye!
ME:
I can’t believe you like me.
brYNNE:
BYE THEO
For the record, you said you like me first.
ME:
I said I wasn’t denying it
That could be about literally anything.
brYNNE:
Whatever. Bye.
I chuckled as I closed my phone and set it face down on the cushion beside me. “Can I have some chips, please?” I asked, holding my hand out. A moment later, the bag was placed in my palm, and I set it in my lap.
And then we spent the rest of the day playing a silly little video game.