Chapter 47
Lara
Take part in the weekly book club to improve your relationships and get new book recommendations.
Hell is crowded, but it feels lonely. I’m sitting on Nataly’s lap, and we’re taking up one of the gaming chairs needed to play Novel Haven, but I don’t care.
Steam and Discord are open on the screen in front of us, and Nat is absent-mindedly scrolling through the posts.
Those who have tested our demo over the last few days have started writing us kind messages.
Not all of them are positive; there’s criticism here and there, and now and then, Lawless fans come onto our Discord server, calling us thieves and demanding we take down our game.
But the people who did test it loved it.
They loved it, and yet it doesn’t matter.
“‘This is the best thing I’ve played in a long time. I need more. Can’t Bytes don’t you forget that.”
“All time does is run through your fingers. And all I do is remember and live in the past. Time can only heal you when you go with the flow, and I’m standing still.”
Nat kisses my shoulder. “You see? You’re such a poet, you’ll have coded a new game in no time at all.
” When I don’t return her smile, her face turns as serious as my own.
“Lairy-Fairy, it’s going to be all right.
I know it is. And I’ll tell you why: Because you’ve survived so much worse, and you’ve overcome so much worse in the way of obstacles.
And because, when push comes to shove, I will sell my soul for a year, do marketing for Nestlé or some soulless bollocks like that, and I’ll keep us afloat in London. ”
Now I do smile, unable to help myself. “Thank you.”
“For you, always.”
Sighing, I turn to Sophia, who’s running the booth, chatting with visitors like nothing happened. But her smile is tight, and the excitement from day one has left her eyes. Small surprise. As expected, her solicitor was unable to find us a loophole. The contract is clear.
“Do you think she’s going to be OK too?” I ask.
“Oh, I’m sure,” Nat whispers, but she sounds less convinced than when she was talking about me. “Come on, let’s write a few one-star reviews for Bytes the other games.”
“You’ve been waging war in the comments since yesterday. Don’t you think that’s enough?”
“I’ll be done once I’ve made at least ten misogynist gamers cry,” Nat retorts, scooting her chair closer to the computer.
I jump up before she can squash me between her and the edge of the table.
Shaking my head, I watch as she opens the desktop version of Instagram and pulls up an article on the Hank-and-Sophia drama with her fake account.
“You need a new hobby.”
“Well, I’ll have time to pick up a new one soon, won’t I?” she mutters, pounding away at the keyboard. “Until then, I’ll defend Sophia.”
I turn to our boss, who is just handing a little girl one of our bookmarks. The girl gives her a cheerful wave goodbye and leaves our booth with her parents in tow.
“Everything just still feels so normal here,” Sophia says. “Meanwhile, I’m sitting here waiting for Hank to stomp it all to a pulp.”
“You should talk to Elsa.”
“Why would I?” There are dark shadows beneath Sophia’s green eyes. I’m guessing she didn’t get a wink of sleep.
“When I did, Shane was kicked out.”
“Yeah, but you were justified. We are lucky we’re even still allowed to be here and that the statement on their website doesn’t drag us through the mud. If I go and talk to them, we run the risk of getting asked to leave. I was so stupid, Lara.”
“You were not! That could’ve happened to anyone!”
“I don’t think . . .” She stops herself, and a crease forms between her brows.
“Maybe the stomping-us-to-a-pulp part has arrived,” she says, nodding at something over my shoulder.
I expect to see Hank, but the next moment, I sigh in relief, because it’s Luca.
Despite all my racing thoughts and feelings, seeing him still makes my heart beat double-time.
And despite all the sadness and the loss, I was happy to see him standing up on that stage. He deserves his spot in the final.
Yet the spring in his step and his usual confidence are gone.
Instead, he looks nervous. But why? Does he know something?
Is Hank winding up for his last blow? Nat has noticed him now too, as he hurries toward us with long strides, and we exchange a worried glance.
The fact that we didn’t make it to the top three and are officially out of the race for funding is one thing.
But Hank continuing to take out his frustrations on us in front of the whole convention is another matter.
The comments on Steam are bad enough already, but if this whole shambles goes any more public, that’ll certainly be the end of us.
Luca stops in front of us, but he’s looking at Sophia, not me. “Can we talk?”