Jayden
I sat amidst the hum of computers and the murmur of my friends at the gaming center. My closest friend, Tyler, let out a frustrated sigh beside me.
“Gosh, I can’t seem to beat this guy,” he said, tossing his controller onto the table. “He’s fucking good.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, giving him a confused glance.
Tyler gestured to the screen, a small frown on his face. “This guy’s a beast. I keep losing to him.”
“Hmm,” I raised an eyebrow, throwing a chip into my mouth. “Challenge him to me. Pass me his ID.”
“You sure about this?” he asked. “He’s really good.”
I grinned confidently. “I’m better, Tyler, and you know it. Pass me his ID so I can send him a request before he goes offline.”
Tyler sent the ID, and I quickly challenged the mysterious player. My message flashed on the screen: “Hey, you want a challenge? Let’s fight.”
The response came quickly: “Sure.”
I smiled, anticipation building within me. Bring it on.
The fight was intense, lasting a grueling fifty-two minutes. I was at the peak of my game, my fingers flying across the controller as I dodged and weaved through the virtual battlefield. My opponent was tough, but I was determined to emerge victorious.
Just as I was about to deliver the final blow, my opponent suddenly unleashed a devastating attack, blowing me up with a last-ditch effort. I stared at the screen, my eyes wide with shock and disappointment.
Tyler, who had been behind me cheering, burst out laughing.
“Jayden, this dude really won. I told you he was good, didn’t I?”
“How do you know it’s even a dude?” I asked, my brows furrowed.
“Come on, no girl would play like this. Besides, this is a guys-only game,” Tyler said with a laugh. He shook his head, chuckling. “It’s really embarrassing if it’s a girl. Imagine losing to a lady, ugh!”
I slowly raised my eyes, my gaze narrowing as I disconnected from the game without a word. It didn’t even take a minute for me to connect back in and then send another quick message to my opponent: “Let’s challenge again.”
Why would I lose? Never. It was ridiculous-I’d never lost before. Maybe the person had cheated, or their father was the CEO of the damn company.
The response came quickly: “Sorry dude, we can do it next time.”
My opponent went offline, leaving me seething with frustration. I slammed my fist onto the table, making Tyler jump.
“Dude, chill,” Tyler said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. “It’s just a game.”
But I wasn’t having it. I was furious, my competitive streak burning brighter than ever. I glared at the screen, my mind racing with strategies and tactics for the next match.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
“Maybe next time,” I swore, my fists clenching hard.
Letting out a deep sigh, I decided to while away the time. I pulled out my phone and went to Instagram. As I scrolled through my feed, I noticed Allison had posted a few pictures.
The caption read “After class” with a sun and two hearts emojis. She was basking in the warm sunlight, which made her face look even brighter and more beautiful.
I couldn’t help but smile as I scrolled through the pictures, admiring her. But my smile faded immediately when I saw the last picture. A guy was standing close to her, his face inches from hers. My eyes narrowed, and I felt a pang of jealousy. Who was this guy?
“Hey, that’s Colby,” Tyler said, staring at the photo.
I turned to face him, my eyes narrowing. “You know the guy?”
“Yeah, of course,” he nodded. “I mean, he doesn’t know him. He’s Boston’s best soccer player in the team. He’s really good.”
My frown deepened.
“Also, he’s your girlfriend’s brother… and your neighbor. I heard he’s very close with your sister. Don’t you know all these things?”
“Not that I care,” I snarled, taking another look at the annoying picture. “But seeing this, I seem to care now.”
“What?” he asked, puzzled, but I didn’t respond, my eyes still on the picture.
Tyler looked at me quizzically. “What’s wrong, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Then, I focused on the comment section, and that’s when my eyes landed on the pinned comment from a user named Cool Colby, the same person Allison had reacted to. It read: “Look at how pretty you look! I’m glad I met you after class. My day became so much fun.” He even added a silly smiley emoji.
My eyes widened in annoyance as I saw the silly replies from other people shipping them as a couple. What?! She’s mine!
A surge of jealousy flooded me, and I reported the comment for foul language. So annoying! I wished more people would report it too-maybe even get rid of this obnoxious 300k follower account!
I went back to scrolling through the photos, my eyes fixed on Allison’s smiling face. That’s when Tyler spoke up again.
“Hey, what’s with the beautiful necklace around your sister’s neck? I heard it’s quite expensive.”
My eyes snapped back to the photo, my gaze zeroing in on the delicate necklace around Allison’s neck.
“Can you stop staring at my phone, by the way?” I frowned, and he muttered a “sorry” before taking his eyes away.
I glared at the necklace, my mind racing with questions. Who gave it to her? Could it be Colby? I felt another strong surge of jealousy, my anger simmering just below the surface.
I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed Allison’s number. She answered after a few rings, her voice cheerful. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Where are you right now?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“Is there a problem?” she asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice.
“No, just tell me where you are,” I pressed.
“I’m at the canteen, but I’m getting ready to leave and head to the hostel,” she replied.
“When you get to the hostel, give me a call,” I instructed.
“Everything alright?” Allison asked again.
“Yes! Just call me when you get home,” I repeated, ending the call.
Tyler looked at me, a concerned expression on his face. “Is everything alright, dude?”
“Mind your business,” I growled.
I quickly got up, leaving the gaming center without another word.
***
As I walked towards Allison’s dorm, my mind was racing with thoughts of the necklace and Colby’s comment. I couldn’t shake off the feeling of jealousy that had been building up inside me.
I knocked on the door aggressively, and Allison opened it, looking surprised. “Hey Jayden, so, what are you doing here? What’s the matter?”
I walked in, shutting the door behind me, and she took a step back, her eyes widening. “You should leave before my roommate gets back. We don’t allow boys in our room.”
But I didn’t care. I looked at the necklace, my anger boiling over. Then, I reached out, ripping it off her neck. The delicate chain broke, and the necklace fell to the floor.
“Jayden!” she screamed my name in anger, panting hard, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
My hand closed around her neck, my fingers wrapping tightly around her slender throat. Allison let out a soft grunt, her eyes widening in surprise.
“What’s… What’s your problem?” she stuttered.
“Now, that’s the perfect necklace,” I sneered, my eyes glinting with a mix of anger and possessiveness.