Chapter 1

1 My roommate, Stacy, had this takeout-thieving habit. One day, she went too far - she scarfed the food my online gaming buddy, "ShadowStrike," had ordered for me.

Later, ShadowStrike sends me a screen-grab from the delivery guy's camera and hits me with, "You look like that? How dare you even talk to me? Gross!"

He dumps me and immediately hooks up with "Valkyrie," the top female gamer in our scene.

Everyone starts posting pics of Valkyrie, laughing at me, "Look at the whale who got dumped. Serves you right!"

"You're no match for Valkyrie! She's gorgeous and a gaming god!"

I stare at the picture... and freeze.

Isn't that... me?

...

I logged into the game, and bam, my gaming buddy, ShadowStrike, had cut ties with me.

I tried to message him, but he'd just sent "Disgusting" and then blocked me.

Just then, my roommate, Stacy, saw me online and invited me, "Hey, Liv, I'm one game away from Diamond, could you carry me?"

I tried to shake off the weird feeling I had. Figured I'd help Stacy then figure out the deal with ShadowStrike.

But when I hit the group-up, someone else was already in the lobby. The ID was way too familiar: ShadowStrike.

Stacy and ShadowStrike were chatting on voice comms. When he saw I was in the room, the friendly tone he had been using turned immediately sour.

He snapped, "Ugh, why'd you invite her?"

Stacy, from her bunk above me, whined, "What's wrong, ShadowStrike? You know her?"

ShadowStrike was blunt, "No, and I don't want to know her. Don't ever associate me with her."

I frowned and asked, "What's your problem?"

ShadowStrike's voice was cold, "How dare you ask me that? I feel sick just thinking about us being buddies. Don't ever say we were a thing. I'd be too embarrassed."

With that, he muted me and said to Stacy, "I don't want to play with her."

Stacy leaned over her bunk, grinning smugly. "Sorry, Liv, ShadowStrike is way better than you. Maybe next time."

And then she booted me from the room.

ShadowStrike was good, yeah, but it wasn't why I was his gaming buddy. I knew him from real life.

His real name was Chad, and he was the star point guard on the basketball team at the university next door.

Once, when I was at a competition, I twisted my ankle, and he carried me to the nurse's office. He was so worried, making jokes to keep me from freaking out. I was smitten with this kind, good-looking guy.

So when I realized that he was also ShadowStrike, I accepted his invite to game together.

We played a long time. Him the jungler, me in mid, and we clicked.

So, I said yes to being his gaming buddy.

He’d said I was the best female gamer he’d ever met and hated those cringy girls who just flirt to climb the ranks.

But now I was hearing Stacy, up in her bed, cooing as she played support, "Oh, Chad, honey, can you give me the blue buff? Pwease?"

Chad laughed, "Sure thing."

It was super cutesy.

I bit my lip, feeling mixed emotions.

I decided to get out of the dorm.

Just then, Stacy suddenly asked, "ShadowStrike, why do you hate Liv so much?"

Chad didn't hold back. "She's just plain gross. Makes my stomach turn to look at her."

I froze.

Gross?

I’m not exactly conceited, but I had actually been runner-up in the school's "Hottest Student" pageant last year.

This was the first time anyone had ever called me "gross."

Stacy, hearing that, seemed taken aback for a second.

But then she went back to her overly sweet voice. "I get it! Guys like you should be with a goddess! I hate ugly people too!"

Chad laughed. "Like you, you mean, you goddess?"

Stacy giggled like they had just shared an inside joke.

I turned to look at Stacy who was facing away from me playing the game.

Her bed was a mess.

Her sheets and pillowcases hadn't been changed all semester; they were yellowed and dingy.

Her hair hadn’t been washed in two weeks, she probably last showered a few days ago, and her body was emitting this gross fried-food smell.

She was sitting on her pillow, all two hundred plus pounds of her, simpering to Chad, "Oh, you're so bad!"