Chapter Five
Tyler
After Layla texts me that she’s going to the mall with Rachel without her phone, I decide to call the guys for some heavy gaming. I refuse to invite Mark, but Austin and Jared said they would show.
As I’m setting everything up, Jared enters the gaming room with Austin in tow about ten minutes after I called. “Hey,” I say.
Austin looks around the room. “Dude, ‘bout time you cut that ball and chain and decided to hang out with your boys.”
I narrow my eyes. “She’s not like that, asswipe.” Have I turned into a whipped candy-ass?
Austin rolls his eyes before taking a seat on my leather sectional. “Whatever, man. You’ve been hanging out with her every damn day we’ve been on break. I hope she’s worth it.”
Jared shakes his head. “Don’t listen to him Tyler, he’s just pissed off that Rachel’s been blowing him off.”
“I’m not pissed. I’m cool. She’ll come crawling back as soon as she sees me putting up all the points at the basketball games.” Austin is so delusional.
Jared and I exchange looks. I take a seat in the middle section of the couch. “Well, let’s stop bullshitting and play some Fire Dome,” I say and start up the game.
“Ready to take this ‘Splicer’ person down?” I ask.
They both say, “Yeah, man.”
We’ve been trying to take down this gamer named Splicer for weeks now. It seems like this person has seriously upped their game since winter break started. Every time we think we’ve got an in, this Splicer person destroys us.
“I’m getting tired of this jerkoff,” Austin says. “I bet it’s some dorky little fifth grader handing our asses to us each time too.”
“Man, I refuse to believe a fifth grader is kicking our asses like this,” Jared says. “It’s probably some damn freshman who whacks it ten times a day.”
We tap our controllers furiously, working through a barricade to where Splicer is.
“Bullshit! Can you believe this shit?” Jared snaps. “They have us cornered. Look at all the bombs they set up.”
“I want to know who this guy is, take his ass out in real life,” Austin says.
“He’s probably ninety pounds soaking wet,” Jared says. “You might be able to kick his ass. Although Tyler and I have both seen what you’ve been bench pressing lately.”
I chuckle as Austin throws one of the decorated couch pillows in our direction. “You guys are assholes. I bench three hundred.”
“Is that according to your math or real math?” Jared asks.
I try to tune them out and focus on the game and the problems with Layla. Distracted by everything, I miss the trip wire in the game, and it blows us all up.
Austin rips off his headset. “Dude. You killed us. We just told you there were bombs everywhere.”
I scrub a hand down my face and groan. “Shit. I know. Sorry. I’m just … I don’t know what to do about Christmas.”
“You open presents, eat food, and listen to boring family stories,” Austin says. “What else is there to do?”
Jared shakes his head. “Dude. He’s talking about Layla.”
“Bro, are you breaking up with her already? Is she too clingy or something?” Austin says.
“No! I’m worried about if I should get her a gift or not. We haven’t been dating that long. My mom wants her to come to dinner, but you know how my mom can be. I don’t know if I want to subject Layla to my family just yet. What’s the protocol for this?”
“What’s the protocol for this?” Austin mocks me, and I realize how damn ridiculous I sound.
Jared sets his controller down. “Well, I say get her something. Be prepared for everything. Get the gift. Bring it. If she has something for you, you’re prepared. If she didn’t get you anything, keep it. Save it for her birthday or something. This way, all your bases are covered. God, I’m starting to sound like my dad.”
“Your dad makes some good points sometimes though,” Austin says.
“Yeah. He also sounds like a total asshole when he makes them,” Jared snaps.
Austin says, “Well, you seem to have that part down too.”
I get off the couch and start pacing. “What should I get Layla then?”
“Dude, I didn’t come over here to listen to you whine like a baby over a girl. Get her a card and call it a day. You’ve only been together for what, a week?” Austin says.
Jared smacks him. “You idiot. This is why you suck at dating. You don’t get a girl you’re dating just a card for Christmas. You need to ask one of her friends what she likes or why don’t you just ask your sister or something?”
“I can’t do that.” If I ask my sister for help she’ll more than likely suggest a signed copy of her book. Layla would hit me in the face with that book. I can’t ask Layla. Even though it would make crap a whole lot easier.” Part of me wants to surprise her. What if Layla isn’t planning on exchanging gifts? What if we’re not at that level yet? Still, I need to be prepared. I can’t be that boyfriend who shows up empty-handed just because she might not have a gift for me. I’ll feel like a total jackass, and she’s already dated one jackass too many. “I’ll just do some recon.”
Austin laughs. “I hope it’s better than your recon skills in this game because, bro, you suck.”
Austin pulls out his phone and says, “Oh damn. ‘Ha. Ha. Ha.’ Did you guys get this?”
He turns his phone toward us. On it is message-after-message from Mark to Juliet with apologies. They keep coming too.
“Wait. There’s a video,” I say.
Austin clicks on it. The video plays with Mark crying. It looks like real tears too. “Juliet! Please talk to me. It wasn’t my fault. I swear. Please.”
“Oooooh, shit!” Austin covers his mouth with a fist. I chuckle at how pathetic Mark looks.
Jared makes a grab for the phone. Austin pulls it back. I know Jared is livid. “Shut it off!” Jared snaps.
Austin shrugs and ends the video. “Wow. I didn’t think Juliet had it in her to put Mark on blast like that. She seems super shy and quiet whenever I’m around her. I guess it’s those types you’d better watch out for, huh?”
I am about to agree until it dawns on me. Juliet doesn’t have her phone, Layla does. Aw shit. Wonder if she knows what she’s done?