Chapter 11 #2
Time of day meant nothing to gamers living in their online world.
So even this early in the day, I served sandwiches and sodas, pizzas and energy drinks, or fries and shakes.
None of which looked appealing because, to top it all off, I hadn’t been eating well lately.
If only Mom hadn’t told Lin and Charisse the other day that I had been accepted.
The thought of telling my friends that I still couldn’t go had my stomach going queasy almost constantly this week.
As did thinking about the fact that IK was attending SCAD.
Even if I did figure out how to go, did I want to?
Could I keep the separation of my real life and online life knowing that he was there somewhere?
I wiped the sheen from my forehead with the back of my hand. I really needed Lin to wave her magic lollipop.
“Morry, help with posters.” The double l’s of my name always tripped up Buzz. He carried a freestanding banner and gestured with his head toward a box on the counter. What was happening now? We hadn’t redecorated the whole time I’d worked at DragonByte.
I read the top of a stack of eight-by-eleven flyers, revealed slowly as I removed the rolled-up posters and put them on the counter. I paid little attention to the last one as it bounced off the pile, several rolling to the ground.
A game jam. I’d heard about them. Anyone who had the slightest interest in creating games knew about the competitions to create a game in a limited amount of time.
I’d watched endless videos of some of my favorite game builders and the different game jams they’d participated in.
I’d collected tips in my idea notebook about how to do well in a game jam, but I hadn’t had the time or guts to enter one. Maybe...
As I read, my vision tunneled, and I had to force myself to breathe. DragonByte—my personal gaming haven—was marketing a game jam at SCAD. I sniffed hard, holding back tears. Buzz had just become my personal fairy godfather. How had he known?
Inside the box was also a stack of applications to sign up for the event.
I folded one up and stuffed it into my back jeans pocket to read the details later, then helped Buzz and the crew put out the flyers and hang up the posters.
All the while zinging internally. I had hope.
There was a genuine possibility that I could take a big step forward toward my dream. DragonByte looked—magical.
My lunch had been delayed by the flurry of activity, so Buzz shooed me off to pick at my sandwich at an empty table, resting my throbbing feet for a few minutes.
Tuning out the normal chaos of gamers coordinating and razzing each other, I unfolded the paper and flattened it against the smooth surface. I stared at it. A single developer. A two-day chance to create a simple platform game.
“What’s that? Acceptance or rejection letter? You’re staring at it like it’s a love letter. This must be the college you really want to get into.”
I jumped and turned at the voice in my ear.
Ni leaned over, looking at the paper, his face inches from mine.
My heart pounded like a blacksmith’s hammer, and my stomach did a flip that had nothing to do with my anxiety...
yes, it did. I refused to be moved by a pretty face.
What was he doing here, anyway? Shouldn’t he be off to some college football practice?
I hadn’t expected to see him anymore, and here he was calling me wrong.
I looked back at the blank application and tried to focus on the words I had barely started reading.
He stood and leaned his rear against the table’s edge next to me. Why was I noticing his rear again? I closed my eyes for a second, then refocused on the page in front of me.
“So you’re planning on entering this thing?”
My hackles immediately rose, hearing disbelief in his voice. I kept my eyes glued to the paper. Of course, he didn’t think I could do it. He could probably get first place with his eyes closed. Mr. Perfect. He wasn’t planning on entering and stealing my glory, was he?
“My money’s on you.”
What? Had I heard that right? I bit my lip and looked over at him. He was actually rooting for me? Why was that smile so affecting? And he was so sincere... No. Nope.
I was nodding. Disloyal body—just agreeing to a leading smile.
“How do you know I’m any good at making games?”
“That’s true. I’ve only seen you play. But you seem confident. And I know firsthand that you’re pretty good at programming.”
Our eyes locked, mine questioning, but his seemed to be searching. Could it be possible that he was actually interested in me? No, this was no-date Ni. He was handsome and great at everything. Even if he would be a freshman, he would do well in college.
Speaking of college, I’d be a freshman soon too.
I was sure that campus would have plenty of other popular boys who were of the jerk persuasion to remind me that beauty usually went hand in hand with entitlement and a bad attitude.
I could forget all about Ni and focus solely on IK.
He was the one that I had a genuine connection with, not just some fleeting physical chemistry that would fizzle out in a few months.
I don’t know if he found what he was looking for, but he nodded and looked down. “Do you need any help filling it out?”
“Nope. I got it all covered. No need for reference books for this. But thanks.” I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants under the table, then pulled out a pen.
His eyes lit up and his grin widened even more, if that was possible. “Did you see what the first-place prize was?”
I waited for the shoe to drop. It was like that moment when you’d almost defeated a major boss and they suddenly healed themselves or dropped the ground away, leaving you stuck within their hit range.
“A full ride to SCAD. I think they’re trying to pull in fresh blood to their game dev program,” he said.
“A...what?” My mind whirled. A scholarship. They were offering a scholarship.
“They’ll pay for tuition, books, housing, food—the works.” He caught my gaze. “You’d be all set for the next four years.”
“A full ride?”
The page had turned. from something I’d wanted as a way to be close to the friends I planned on letting down into a holy grail.
My future suddenly opened, and it was as if a lead weight had dropped from me.
I could be a dev. Luckily, I was sitting and he was standing, because I could’ve hugged him in that moment. Thank goodness I didn’t.
“Good luck!” he called. He swept off to slap some backs.
I checked my watch. I had some time. My hand shook as I rushed, filling in box after box. I had a chance. Now I just needed to think of ideas for possible games. Not that I would know the theme until the day of.