Chapter Twenty-Four
Simon
I can’t believe in less than 12 hours Team Nomad will host our first Race to Prestige. We won the event last year, ultimately securing us this hosting gig. It’s a huge undertaking and Bernie has been working feverishly for months now with the event coordinator from VisionWave. She really has outdone herself. If she ever needs a job outside of the video game industry, she should consider being an event planner.
The livestream event will happen here in our training room. We will take shifts over the next seven days, all day and night long. We’re working our team account to Prestige, which is the highest accomplishment in Call of Battle. While it’s something that all professional gamers who play CoB accomplish, it’s tough to do within the first seven days of the newest installment releasing. Last year, we won The Race in only six days. While we didn’t have to go all out last year putting on a show, we did have to plan our strategy in order to win.
While each CoB installment has new features and a new storyline, they are just similar enough that we can play to win and there isn’t much of a learning curve. Each year when the new installment releases, on the first Tuesday of November, it’s always a race to Prestige. The “race” starts at the precise moment the game is released wherever you are in the world. With this charity event, we do the same thing, but raise a lot of money and survive on little sleep and lots of junk food but it’s fun and worth it.
As a team, we work off one account, taking turns to Prestige. We won’t win this year, since we are streaming live for 24/7 but we have a lot of people throughout the industry stopping by to add some fun and mix things up. Thanks to Bernie and Link, we’ve got several big-name CoB YouTubers and Twitch streamers either stopping by and/or calling in. We’ve also got a few big names from the publisher, and developers coming by. Not only did Bern coordinate the event, but she also organized food and lodging for all these folks. The girl is going to need a vacation when it’s all said and done.
I hop out of the shower, dress and head to our training room for the evening. We don’t have much prep to do, but we are having one more team meeting before we all scatter to prepare individually for the start tonight.
I step into the room and am relieved to see I’m not the last one to arrive. Chuck and Ben aren’t here yet, but they are both usually late. Bernie has pretty much lived in the training room for the last week. Link is helping her with some finishing touches on our gaming area and camera setup.
“Yo.” Dex nods in my direction from the couch, which is normally across the open-layout room but it’s been rearranged for the time being.
“So, we are going for comfortable instead of professional, I see.”
“Yeah, but we’ve left some room to make sure we can wheel in some of the gaming chairs from our new sponsorship with Vertagear. Since there are a few times we will have a lot of people here, we will need seating,” he tells me.
“Makes sense. Aren’t we giving one away?” I ask Bern.
“Yup! And I was thinking that we could up the bids by offering one of our own, signed by the team,” she says from the side of the whole setup, adjusting one of the TVs.
“Oh, good idea, Bern. You could even let the winner pick whose chair they want,” Link suggests.
“Uh … I’m quite partial to mine, thank you,” I add.
“Si. It’s for charity! We got our chairs for free, and whoever gives theirs away will get a brand-new one,” she huffs. She’s got one hand on her hip, glaring at me this time.
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure I spilled some nacho cheese on his last week. No one is going to want it. No need to worry about it, Simon,” Link offers casually.
“What the actual fuck?” I stand, walk over to find my chair. Our names have somehow been engraved in the leather at the top of each one and sure enough the douchecanoe got cheese on my $800 gaming chair.
“Sorry, man, I borrowed it last weekend while you were over at Gia’s and the cheese had its way with me and things got a little out of hand.” He shrugs.
“Why didn’t you clean it up?” I ask, standing and going to the kitchen area to find something to clean it with.
“I did. See? I got most of it.”
“But you still left some. Why not clean it all off?” I mutter halfway under the sink, sifting through all the shit that’s been thrown down here.
“I don’t know, man, I really don’t know.” He contemplates this. “But look at it this way: now you should want a new one. And think of the added value when you tell the viewers that they could have your chair that includes cheese from the popular YouTube star, Link Whitt!” Bernie snorts at this, sitting down next to Dex with a plop.
“If Ruby were here, she’d have a heyday with that comment.”
Walking back into the room with a rag and some fabric cleaner, I chuckle, “True story.”
Link takes a seat in one of the other chairs and twists it from left to right with a half-annoyed, half-amused expression on his face.
“Good thing we got that out of the way then. Are the ladies coming over before we go MIA for seven days?” he asks.
“Yeah, but you know, we won't really be MIA. I’m planning on seeing Morgan during every break I have,” Dex tells us.
Straightening her back, Bernie puts on her mom face, pointing to each of us as she says, “Uh, that’s fine, but just so we are clear, NO one is allowed to leave this apartment building once we go live.”
In near unison, the three of us reply with a “Yes, Mom,” which makes us all snicker. But Bernie just rolls her eyes and mutters under her breath. Then, just as she remembers something, an evil grin slides across her face.
“Ruby won’t be coming over today though. She’s going on a date.”
Knowing that Dex is probably doing the same thing, my eyes swing to Link to check his reaction. Sure enough, his jaw tightens.
“Oh, yeah, with who? That weatherman?” Seeming satisfied with the reaction, Bernie looks at her nails.
“Not a weatherman, he’s a sports reporter. He’s super hot and seems to be really into her.”
“Wait, how do you know? Have you met him? You’ve seen them together?” he asks.
I glance Dex’s way. He’s trying not to laugh.
“Nope, unfortunately I haven’t but she can’t stop going on and on about him. She says he’s just so dreamy,” she uses air quotes.
He’s quiet for a moment, as if in thought, then gives a short, almost missed nod. “Cool. Whatever makes her happy.” After a second to soak in what he just said, he’s right back to his usual self.
“Let me just rewind a moment here, Dex, are you planning on keeping Morgan locked up in your bedroom for booty calls every break you get?” he asks.
“Uh, no, but she knows the schedule and will be around for most of my breaks. If not, there’s FaceTime,” Dex replies.
“So … it’s the other way around? She has your balls locked up?” Link laughs as Dex throws a couch pillow at him.
“Shut up, dude.”
“I’d just like to remind you that I’m sitting right here and point out that since I’m good friends with Morgan, I’d prefer not to talk about Dex’s balls,” Bernie deadpans.
I jump in, “I’m pretty sure it’s not a booty call if it's with your girlfriend.”
“Speaking of girlfriend,” Link says, lifting an eyebrow at me.
“Oooh, now this I don’t mind gossiping about,” Bernie says, leaning in toward me.
“We do not gossip,” Dex tells her.
“Pfft. We do too,” Link replies.
I roll my eyes. I was expecting this. We’ve talked about my relationship with Gia once, that day we came home from seeing her brother. Even so, the conversation wasn’t as in-depth as the one Gia had with Morgan and Ruby. Link wasted no time asking me if we screwed. I told him to shut up but the confident, cocky look on my face said enough. But mentally, I’ve prepared for this.
With a huff, I make myself comfortable on the couch. “Go on.”
“So, are you two official? Good ol’ boyfriend and girlfriend?” Link asks, his elbows resting on his knees as he leans in toward me.
“Yup. Next.”
“It’s been like two weeks. Why haven’t we seen her over here yet?” he fires off.
“No reason, I’ve just gone over there,” I offer just as quickly.
“How’s the sex?” he asks.
I make an explosive sound and hand gesture in reply. He starts nodding his head with a big douchey grin.
“Nice,” he says, drawing out the word.
“Don’t be a douchecake, Link,” Bernie mutters.
“Are you happy, Simon? She seems happy,” Bernie asks with a dreamy look in her eyes. I smile at her, because I love that she cares.
“I am.” Dex leans over Bernie and smacks me on the shoulder.
“Happy for you, man.”
“It’s still odd though. You know? Seeing you two … together. You’ve hated her for most of the time we’ve known her,” Link says skeptically. “It’s almost like this is an act. Like you could go back to giving her the stink eye instead of an eye fuck at any time.”
Dex starts laughing, Bernie chokes on the water she was drinking, and I look at him with disgust.
“What the hell, man, an eye fuck? What is that? I’m not going to fuck her eye.”
“Noooo. You know, as in you’re fucking her with your eyes,” he offers, confused at the situation.
“Dude, just, no. Please don’t say that again,” I tell him, shaking my head. “And no, I promise you this is real. This is me and Gia, the way we use to be, but with sex. Great sex. And I never hated her.”
Laughter hits me from all sides.
“You totally did, man,” Dex says. Bernie nods her head in agreement.
I sigh. “I didn’t hate her. I hated what she did. I had a bad attitude toward her. And her popping up in my life so unexpectedly just threw me for a major loop. But we are good now. We’ve worked through everything.”
“If you say so, then I’m happy for you. I wish you and the fair maiden nothing but the best,” Link says with a regal head bow.
“God you’re so fucking strange sometimes,” I tell him. Our conversation comes to an end when Chuck, Ben, and our manager John walk through the door.