Chapter 1

I’m sitting on the edge of my battered couch, mashing buttons on my controller, intently staring at the battle raging across my television screen. On the coffee table in front of me are three dead bottles like a little beer cemetery. The fourth one’s still half-full, sweating onto the cheap wood top, leaving a ring. I risk a second, taking my eyes off the carnage to glance at my phone screen, 10:30, we’ve been at it for hours.

“Fuck me, Jay, don’t let him get behind the barrier.” Eric’s voice is a drawn bowstring. His controller rattles as he leans forward, rapidly tapping on the trigger buttons.

“Maybe if you’d fuckin’ help, instead of being a loot goblin,” I say, slamming the joystick to the right.

Chris throws his controller down. “Well fuck me, now I’m dead,” he exclaims before sinking back into the cushions of my worn armchair.

“You missed the power-up,” Eric says, exhaling in exasperation. I try to blame my misstep on Chris’s outburst, but the truth is, Eric’s better at this game, and he knows it. He’s got the smug energy of a guy who’s never lost a round of anything in his life. “Watch out for that...,” Eric yells too late as my character gets blown to smithereens, “trip-wire.”

I toss my controller onto the coffee table with just enough force to make the empties clink. I stretch and shift on the couch so I can kick my feet up on the table, watching a dust bunny float by in the air conditioning.

We do this every Thursday evening: My friend Chris, whom I have known since elementary school, and Eric, a guy I work with, swing by with a case of beer, and we play video games. It’s our mutual unwinding, an evening of trash talk and camaraderie.

My phone buzzes on the arm of the couch, a text from my girlfriend Laura. I tap the notification.

be there soon save me some beer

Laura is a waitress at a nearby restaurant known more for the server’s tits and asses than for good food and drinks. I really don’t like her working there, which is ironic because that’s where I met her, but the tips are good, and she seems to enjoy it.

I snatch up my controller. “Come on, Chris, one more battle,” I say.

“Yeah, yeah, let me take a leak,” Chris huffs as he heads to the bathroom.

Eric and I are alone for the first time all evening. He doesn’t say anything for a bit, just stares at the game menu on the screen. Then, quietly, “You and Laura, is it serious?”

The question seems to come out of nowhere. “I dunno. I mean, it’s only been a couple of months. I guess we’re seeing where it goes,” I reply.

“Good.” His voice takes on a different tone, something almost predatory. “She’s hot, man. Like, really fucking hot, and cool as fuck.”

The sound of Chris plopping back into his chair saves me from having to respond. “Let’s kill these fuckers,” he chuckles as he starts up the game.

Our battle rages on-screen when the front door swings open, and Laura walks in, still wearing her skimpy green and white work uniform. Even after putting in a full shift, she is beautiful and sexy as hell. Her light brown hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail, loose strands framing her face. The tight shorts hug her curves, and the low-cut top does nothing to hide her cleavage.

She dumps her overnight bag on the floor. “God, I need a beer,” she sighs, walking over to me and giving me a peck on the cheek.

“Rough shift?” I ask as she heads to the refrigerator to grab a cold one.

“Full moon,” she says, which I’ve learned is waitress code for every patron being a lunatic. She drops onto the sofa between Eric and me, crossing her legs at the ankle and peeling off her boots. “Some guy offered me fifty bucks for a handy.”

A smile crept across Eric’s face. “So, did you do it?”

“Fuck no,” she said, “not for fifty, hundred maybe,” she chuckled, taking a long pull on her beer.

Eric leaned a bit to his left and fished his wallet out of his back pocket. “I’ve probably got a hundred,” he says, waving his wallet with a smirk that’s half-joking, half-something else entirely.