Out of Character (True Colors 2)

“Wow. And you have to beat all of them?” Suddenly, our prospects seemed much dimmer.

“No.” Finally, I got a laugh out of Jasper. “I have to rack up points, then I get to pick things on the prize wall. I’m not looking to make the finals or even place. I’ll let the people trying to qualify for the pro tour worry more about standings at the end of the day.”

“There’s a pro tour? Like, people making their living playing cards?” I’d never considered this before, and I probably should have. Stupid. I was so stupid to think that a couple of lessons from Bruno made me into some badass card-playing genius when there were people out there making real money doing this.

Jasper raised an eyebrow at me. “You name it and people have probably made money doing it. Gaming is huge, man. Vloggers and streamers make good money if they’re big enough names. And the game companies pay too. I have a buddy who works for the Odyssey folks and he’s in heaven, playing cards all day. But it’s work too.”

“And is that what you want to do? After graduation?” As far as I knew from the mom gossip network, Jasper was on some sort of math scholarship. I’d always figured he’d get a doctorate, be an important professor, but now I could also see him going the professional gamer route.

“Yeah. I’ll probably join Conrad at Odyssey this summer, see what they have for me.” Jasper didn’t look all that certain as he shrugged, but then his voice brightened. “I’ve got a ticket to an exclusive launch party next month in New York for their new set. That’ll be my chance to chat with the management people, see if they’re still interested in me.”

The line moved marginally closer to the front. My leg was already tight from driving and the line wasn’t helping, but I tried to be subtle as I shifted my weight around. “I’m sure they will be if you’re as good as you say you are.”

“Oh, I’m good.” He gave me a pointed look that made heat pool in my belly and made me forget all about my leg. “I’ve got other options too. Like, Ned from the hospital foundation has said I could do an internship there this summer, work in finance maybe. But I’ll probably go with the game. Leaving Gracehaven’s going to be so hard, though. Not sure I’m ready, honestly. But graduation awaits.”

“Yeah.” Undoubtedly, that was the right option for Jasper. And it wasn’t his fault that the thought of him in NYC instead of Gracehaven sucked the energy right out of me. He’d be moving on to bigger and better things. As it should be. And I had no reason to let that make me sad. Pushing those thoughts away, I gestured at the crowd around us. “So how does this work?”

“I get registered and my decks get checked out, then I get a schedule of matches. From that point on, I’m pretty busy.” Jasper bounced a little, like this was an excellent development. Him excited was simply too cute and I had to smile at him. “You’re free to watch any of the matches, shop the vendors, or get some casual play in. I brought an easier deck like the ones we use with the kids if you want to try some of those games.”

“That was nice of you.” And it was, made my insides bubble to think about him packing up, thinking about me right as I’d been thinking about him with the doughnuts. Maybe—

“Eh. We can’t have you bored.” Well, okay then. Not a personal thing at all. I frowned as Jasper continued, “Most likely I’ll barely get any breaks. Thank goodness for those doughnuts.”

“I’ll leave around lunch, get you a sandwich and some soda, and bring it back,” I offered. Perhaps he hadn’t meant anything by packing the deck for me, but I was still pleased enough to do him a favor. And he was trying to win the card for me after all.

“Thanks. That would be sweet.” Not that I would be sweet, but the gesture. He undoubtedly didn’t mean it as some sort of deep sentiment. However, my face still warmed at the compliment. I liked doing things for him, far more than was probably smart. It seemed to make me happy in a way I hadn’t been in quite a while.

He fished a ten out of his pocket. “For my food. You got the doughnuts already. And my registration.”

“Least I could do.” After the parking fee we’d encountered, I wasn’t too proud to take his cash. I pocketed the money as we shuffled forward again.

“Jasper! How the heck are you?” A tall Asian guy around our age who seemed to speak exclusively in exclamation points strode over to us.