They both led me over to the bleachers and sat me down between them. They rubbed my back as my mind whirled. Lexi was right. I wasn’t a liar. I hated lying. Just as much as I hated putting on clothes that weren’t me or making myself up to be some fake beauty queen. That wasn’t me. And keeping the truth from Gabriel wasn’t me, either.
“I have to tell him tomorrow, don’t I?” I muttered with my hands over my face.
Charlotte chuckled sadly next to me. “That’s probably for the best. And whatever happens, we’ll be here for you.”
“And no matter what he says, you’re going to kick some serious tail at the finals on Saturday,” Lexi said firmly. “Because no boy is going to hold you back. Not even Gabriel Corrigan. You’ve got a lot to prove.”
I chewed nervously on my bottom lip. She was right, of course. I’d set out on this journey to make a point. A point that was bigger than me. Gabriel had been a wonderful find along the way, but if I didn’t at least try to win this war, it would eat away at me. Just like the guilt of lying. I really had no choice. I had to put my neck on the line.
“Do me a favor?” I asked, dropping my hands from my face.
Lexi smiled. “Anything.”
“When you go find that dress for me tonight, can you pick up some chocolate, too? Whichever way this goes tomorrow, I might need it. I’ll ask him to meet me at the club and then I’ll break the news.”
“Deal.” She gave me a thumbs up. “But I’m sure it’ll be a happy chocolate binge.”
“I hope so.” I glanced over at Charlotte. “But make sure she keeps the receipt for the dress. Just in case.”
Her lips curled into an understanding smile and they both wrapped their arms around me, pulling me into a Beth sandwich of support.
Dread settled over my skin like a wet, damp blanket. Still, I swallowed down the nerves and clasped my fists tightly. It was time to do what was right—for both me and Gabriel. It might change his plans for Saturday, but I’d never regret living truthfully. Either way, where we went from here would be up to him.
I could only hope that when I saw him on Saturday morning at the final battle, it wouldn’t be as enemies. That would hurt more than anything.
But doing the right thing was never easy.
Chapter Eighteen
Usually, the Rock Valley after-school club was kind of like my sanctuary. It didn’t matter who else was there—even Michael Corrigan—I could find some sort of safe space in one of the study rooms or the half-court gym where guys came to shoot layups after school. But today...today was different. I paced the slowly emptying lobby, cold droplets of rain running down the small of my back from the dreary weather I’d run through to get inside.
Maybe Gabriel wouldn’t even show. It could happen. I didn’t do social media and since we hadn’t exchanged numbers yet, I’d written him a hastily scrawled note and shoved it into his locker between lunch and third period, asking him to meet me here after his practice was over. Maybe he didn’t see it. Or it got lost somewhere in the dark vortex where all random missing things from high school lockers went to ferment—along with the missing socks from the dryer. I could only hope.
I was looking less and less like the super hero figure Gabriel had drawn of me and more like the cowardly lion. If I waited much longer, I’d be nothing more than a nervous puddle on the ground.
“And you’re not helping,” I grumbled at the bulletin board beside me.
They’d taken down the brackets from the first two rounds of the gaming tournament and replaced them with big bold printouts of each online player’s handle. CurrerBfighting was right there, printed in ink as dark as the thoughts rolling around in my head. Battlescar13 was there too. Along with UBDead—Michael’s profile name. There were ten of us in total. Each destined to fight to the death on Saturday with one champion to claim the prize.
I already felt enough pressure.
This display wasn’t helping.
“Can I help you?” a feminine voice said behind me.
I spun to see a slender woman wearing wire-thin round glasses standing there. She had her hands calmly folded in front of her thick gray wool dress. Recognition hit me immediately. With a shaky arm, I held out my hand.
“Ms. Brown, it’s an honor to meet you.”
This was the woman who’d sponsored the tournament. The one who’d moved to Silicone Valley and was basically living a dream in the tech world. I couldn’t have been more awed.
“Please, call me Fred.” She shook my hand firmly and then blinked up at the bulletin board. “Are you in the gaming tournament?”
“Yeah, sort of,” I blurted. She smiled curiously at me. “I mean, yes. Yes, I am. It’s kind of a secret, actually. No one is supposed to know that I’m playing. But that’s me, right there.?
??
I pointed at CurrerBFighting on the wall. For the first time in days, pride swelled up inside of me at the knowledge that I’d made it this far in the tournament. And there was only one round left to cinch this victory.