“Maaaaybe,” I say. Warmth swells in my gut. Sometimes I forget that even though I have a crappy family by birth, maybe more important is the family I’ve found.
I glance over at Ian, who has a strange look in his eyes like…envy. Good thing I asked him to come.
And if I’m lucky, maybe one day Lucy can meet these fuckers too.
“Everything’s set up downstairs,” Trix says, and we follow her down the stairs.
This is where we spend most of our time. It’s a gamer’s haven. Just seeing it again reminds me of all the times in high school Trix and I played for hours in her parents’ basement.
But Trix’s basement is on an entirely different level.
“Damn, you weren’t joking,” Ian says, looking at the multiple screens, headsets, Xbox consoles, and gaming chairs. Trix has relaxed her all-neutral colors rule for this room—the monitors, Xbox consoles and gaming chairs are black, and apparently her favorite headphones don’t come in cream—so they’re white. Plus, as usual, there is a veritable buffet of snack food on the back table.
“The fridge is stocked,” Trix says. “So feel free to grab a soda or beer whenever you want.”
“Trix usually sits in the middle,” I say, as Luke plops into his usual seat left of Trix. “I’m on the right of her, but you can sit next to me.”
Ian chuckles. “I see how it is.”
“Hey, don’t get in the way of a person and their gaming spot,” Luke says. “Trix will pop you if you sit in her chair.”
Trix rolls her eyes. “Whatever, Barrett.”
“We hook up online instead of trying to do co-op on one Xbox so we all get our own screen,” Luke grins.
Ian shakes his head in disbelief.
“Shocked at the extravagance? Welcome to the Winstead place,” Luke says, adjusting his cap. “By the way, Trix, have you heard the whole scoop on the ridiculous movie-worthy situation our boy Jake has gotten himself into?”
Trix lifts her eyebrows as I glare at Luke. “Do tell.”
Sighing, I quickly regale her with the highlights.
“I’ve never talked this much about my personal affairs in the span of a single day,” I grouse, but part of me revels in the natural rhythm of our conversation. I’ve missed this more than I realized.
“It’s your own fault for having such an entertaining love life,” Luke guffaws.
Then I remember I have ammo of my own. “I heard you were a dipshit to one of Lucy’s friends. I think her name was Zoe?”
Luke stares at me. “The redhead?”
Hah. He knows exactly who I’m talking about. “Yup. Sounds like you made a great first impression.”
Shifting in his gaming chair, Luke mutters, “I’ll show you a good first impression, asshole.”
Trix clears her throat over my laughter. “Are we ready to play? Or are we gonna gossip like old biddies for the rest of the afternoon?”
After a few minutes, we all settle down into our spots.
“Four campaigns like the last one,” Trix says. “Fasten your seat belts, gentlemen. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”
As in the first game in the series, the “zombies” are people infected with a rabies-like virus, which transforms them into dangerous, killing machines. There are various types of “bosses” with different difficulty levels. Some of the special zombies are super hard to kill. For example, the Hulker can run players down like bowling pins, causing lots of damage. As we make our way through the first level, it’s clear that Ian needs a refresher. We're constantly rescuing him and healing him with first-aid packs.
“Ugh,” Ian growls, as he respawns yet again. “I guess this is how you guys feel when we play tennis.”
“Yup,” Luke and I say simultaneously, and we grin at each other.
It seems unfathomable to me at this moment that I could be this content. I’m taking out a beautiful girl on a real date. And I have really good friends that I can count on.
