Help! I Have A Crush On My Rival!?: Prompt 18

(Read the previous prompt here.) 

Prompt 18 - The Invitation:

I feel like I want to go to the space below my current location.

Card Draw: Joker  - Oh no!  That ends the game, except for handling my one “Save” darw.  Let’s hope it’s a red.

Save Draw: 2 Clubs - Nope. That means that Potential does not increase, and any card that does not increase Potential is ignored during a “Save” draw, so nothing is affected.

Time to determine the end.  I have a total of 5 potential.

From the rules:

The game ends with a confession.

In a moment of tension, the consequences aren’t enough to stop emotions from breaking loose.

If you have “X” Potential…  (Of course, this will remain a secret until the end!)

*          *          *

“Things are going to be rough for the next several weeks,” Erik explained as he and I gathered and sorted cards after our Andromeda Factions demonstrations.

“Really? How so?” I asked.

“I have this programming assignment due before winter break, and it's using a language I’m not that familiar with.  It’s not very intuitive, either. At least not to me.”

Unlike Gwen and I, who are each on hiatus from school for various reasons -- Gwen for family, and me for . . . well, I really just don’t want to go -- Erik and Wayne were both attending Rainger University.  It was located a couple cities away, but close enough for them to carpool together and save money by staying at home.  Erik was working on a Computer Engineering degree, hoping to land a job in cybersecurity.  Wayne was simply going for a Business Administration degree, having heard that such a degree can open the door for almost anything.

“I hope your project doesn’t cut into your Saturday time,” I said.

“Oh, I’m sure it will, but I’ll be here for the Bowl.  You can count on that.”

By now, all the cards were collected and put back into their storage boxes.  It was getting late, so I said goodbye and headed out to my car.  I was barely out the door when Gwen strode up beside me.

“Hey, Lance.  I wanted to thank you properly for saving my skin this morning. That could have been a disaster.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.  “You gotta protect the game.”

“Was that all?”  She asked with a knowing smile.

“You caught me,” I admitted playfully. “I didn’t want you to get embarrassed.”

We reached my car and stopped. Gwen faced me and grasped my hands in hers. “Thank you. I mean it. And thank you for your offer of coffee. I had no idea how important it was to you.  I thought I was saving you some trouble.  I won’t be so thoughtless next time.”

We stared at each other.  I found myself smiling, but not sure what to say.

“You want to meet Fisher?” She said suddenly, her eyes widening as what she believed was a great idea.

“Sure,”  I said. “I’d love to meet him sometime,”

“Sometime?  How about now?”

“Uh, sure. But I don’t know where you live.”

“Just follow me.” And she took off for her car.

*    *    *

“Are your parent’s home?” I asked as she unlocked the door.

“They’re probably out grocery shoppings or doing some other chores,” Gwen explained. “Dad tries to take the whole Sunday ‘Day of Rest’ thing pretty seriously. So, he tries to get as much done as he can on Saturday.”

“Must be nice to not do anything all day.”

“Well, that probably going a bit far,” she admitted as the door opened.  “Let’s just say, he does less.  And, of course, there’s church.”

“Of course,” I agreed, not exactly sure to what I was agreeing.

Gwen pushed the door open and I followed her inside.

“Fisher!  I’m back,” she cried. “And I brought a friend.”

“Morgan?” a hopeful sounding male voice answered from somewhere down the hall.

Gwen motioned to me and I followed her down the hall into another room.  Fisher’s room was extremely neat and clean.  His desk was clear except for a laptop.  All that was on the nightstand was a lamp and a single soda can, sitting squarely on a round cork coaster.  The light blue walls were bare, except for one framed picture of a pack of wolves stalking between the trees in a snow-covered forest. The owner of the room sat in the middle on his bed holding a small gaming device.  He wore a dark-colored t-shirt and shorts and other than being a bit gangly, he looked just like any normal teenager.

A look of disappointed immediately crossed Fisher face as we entered when he noticed I wasn’t Morgan.  However, disappointed quickly turned to curiosity about this stranger standing in his room.

“Fisher, this is Lance,” she introduced me.  “He’s one of the boys from the “Dice & Deck.”

“Lance Walsh?,” Fisher brightened.  “You’re the Andromeda Factions nut, right?”

Nut, huh?  “Yeah, that would be me.”

“I’ll be right back,” Gwen said. “You two get to know each other.”

“You’re friends with Morgan, right?” Fisher asked as I took a few steps closer to the bed.

I don’t know If I’d say friends. “Yeah, she hangs out on Saturday mornings.”

“Okay,” he said warily. “But just so we’re clear, I’ll let you date my sis, but don’t get any ideas about Morgan. She’s mine!” He gave me a knowing wink to let me in on the joke.  Still, I quickly glanced over my shoulder to make sure Gwen was actually gone and didn’t hear her brother’s comment about us dating.

“Trust me, you don’t have to worry about that,” I assured him once I knew we were alone.  “Gwen tells me you like Morgan.”

“We’re friends.  That’s all,” he said, brushing the idea away.  “I’m not going to kid myself that we could be anything more.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.  Gwen tells me you’re a great guy, and if you and Morgan are such good friends, why wouldn’t she be interested.”

“Even if she was, what’ve I got?  Five years at the most.  Nah, she needs to find someone who’s gonna be around.”

“Don’t talk like that!” I said, shocked at his fatalist view, but also remembering Gwen tell me she suspected Morgan might feel the same. “You seem rather healthy.  You can beat this.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Lance.  This is one of my good days.  By Monday morning, I’ll barely be able to get out of bed.  Look, the doctors aren’t sure of everything that’s going on with me, but they try to give me hope.  They say there’s this experimental cure, or that treatment, but I know it’s mostly lip service.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“About dying?”  He gave a chuckle, of all things.  “I can’t stop it. Dying, I mean.  And honestly, I know where I’m going, and I can’t wait to be done with this.”  He spread his arms and wiggled his fingers at himself.  “Know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” I said, but in my mind, I didn’t understand.  I guessed it was a faith thing. What really took my by surprise, however, was his nonchalant attitude.  Fisher was taking this all in stride, like his was any other life.  I had seen others miserable with cancer, trying their best to appear unconcerned while still emitting a sense of fear.  But not Fisher.

Still, I wanted to move on from what I at least felt was a morbid topic.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointed to the device in his hands.  “An old Gameboy?”

“Nah!  This is one of those retro devices that plays those games old people like my dad used to play when they were kids.  Some of them aren’t that bad, but they’re no Mission of Honor.  But who cares about that?”  He mindlessly tossed the tiny console aside and laid back on the bed, resting his head against the headboard and motioning me to sit.  “What I wanna know is about you. I’ve been wondering how long before Gwen brought you home.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, accepting his invitation to sit on the side of the bed.

“Sis has had a thing for you ever since high school.”

“She has?”

“Yeah. She’d come home every Saturday talking about what ‘game she played with Lance.’ How she hoped you’d be there next week.  I’m assuming you didn’t play with her much once she’d been there a few months, ‘cause I could tell when she was unhappy after coming home. She wouldn’t exactly tell me what was wrong, except to mention how you were too busy with the other kids to play with her. Then came the Turf Wars incident. I was sure it would be all over after that.”

“You heard about that, huh?”

“Of course!” Fisher cried, as though it would be obvious.  “Gwen cried every day for a week after that.  I told her she didn’t need a friend like you and to forget you.  I mean, I didn’t know you, of course, but if nothing else, I was tired of hearing about my big sister’s crushes.  You know what I mean?”  His flashed me a big knowing grin.

Not having any siblings, I could only guess at what he meant. I smiled and nodded back, as though I did.

“But then,” he continued.  You bought her lunch.”

I looked at him puzzled.  “No.  Last week she paid for our lunch at Sand Which?”

“Not last week, silly.”  Fisher rolled his eyes.  “Back then, when you paid for her pizza. My goodness, you'd ’ve thought you were some gallant knight in shining armor, promising to sweep her up on your white horse and whisk her away.  You made a friend for life that day, Lance, and I don’t think you even knew it.”

“I had no idea,” I said. Sure, Gwen told me a little about she felt, but I never imagined she felt this strongly. “Gwen never said anything back then.  In fact, I only thought of your sister as the competition.  She was good and she won almost anything.  And she was smug about it, especially to me.  She liked to rub it in my face. At least that’s how I felt.  I decided it was best just to avoid her.”

“She knew,” Fisher confirmed. “By her senior year, she barely mentioned you anymore.  She went out with a few guys from her school, but nothing stuck.  Then sis left for college.  I think she was seeing someone for a little over a year, but again, nothing came of that.  But shortly after coming back home last spring, do you know what was one of the first things Gwen asked me?”

I shook my head.

‘Do you think Lance Walsh still hangs out at the Dice & Deck?’”

“What are you guys talking about?” Gwen’s voice came from the door and I wondered how long she had been there.  I must have looked worried, because Fisher redirected the conversation without missing a beat.

“Lance was teaching me about Andromeda Factions.” He winked at me for reassurance before continuing our feigned conversation.  “You said there was that really bad card?”

“Uh . . . Um . . . You mean the ‘Black Hole’,” I said, following Fisher’s lead and trying to sound natural.

“Is that all you want to talk about?” Gwen said as she sat on the side of the bed.  Her leather jacket was gone and she had let her hair down. 

“How often to get to talk with an expert?” Fisher asked, even though he had no way of knowing if I deserved that title.

The three of us sat in the bedroom for neary a half an hour as Fisher and I talked about collectible card games and Gwen listened, jumping in whenever she had something to add. Our eyes met occasionally, and she would smile at me, glad that I was willing to take time with her brother.  When we were done, Fisher and I made plans to meet over the next couple of weeks when I could bring my cards and we would play. I said goodbye and Gwen led me back out to the living room.

“So, what do you think?” Gwen asked.

“About Fisher?  He’s a great kid.  I don’t know what I was expecting.  I thought he would seem more . . . sickly?”

“He has his ups and downs.  He’s feeling better right now because he had dialysis yesterday. Still, other than getting dressed, I suspect he hasn’t been out of bed all day.  He’s well rested now, but it’ll be different come nine o’just keep feeling worse until Monday.”

I couldn’t stop thinking about her brother told me about high school. I stood for a moment, wondering what to say next.

“Gwen,” I started.  “Can I tell you something?”

“Sure,” Gwen said, curious.

“I’m really enjoying getting to know you. Thank you for bringing me over and sharing your brother with me for a little while.  These last few weeks have made me realize how stupid I was back in high school and what I missed out on by avoiding you.”

“I was a different person back then,” Gwen said.

“We both were,” I admitted. “But you were kind and helpful to any new kids who came through that door.  You were . . . are honest and trustworthy. The type of person that makes me want to buy them coffee.” Gwen smiled at that. “And I guess that’s why I got so upset last week.  It wasn’t because of whose game would eventually be chosen.  It was because I thought that everything you were, what I wanted you to be, was a lie.”

Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but I held up my hand to stop her.

“I know. I know. Besides that being extreme and an overreaction, what’s more important is that the truth is, you were being exactly those things, making sure your brother was in good hands and taken care of.

“To be honest, I was jealous this morning of Mark.  He was getting to spend the time with you that I wished I was.  Part of me wanted that coffee to fall . . . to break up the game. Luckily, I came to my senses.  I knew doing nothing was wrong, and worse, what it would mean for you.  Embarrassment aside, Mark would probably have been really mad at you.  I don’t want anyone being mad at you.”

I took a deep breath to stop myself from rambling.

“I think what I’m trying to say is, I really like you, Gwen. I want to continue being your friend . . . and possibly, something more.”

I looked away before finishing.  This was the moment.  I didn’t want to look. I wanted to hold off the rejection as long as possible.

When Gwen didn’t respond, I looked up.  She was smiling and her brown eyes were bright.  After the briefest of moments, she closed her eyes and leaned into me as her lips softened. Of all the possibilities that had gone through my mind, a kiss was not one of them.  But it certainly wasn’t unwanted.  I leaned in, as well, as Gwen and I . . .

“I’m getting a soda from the fridge.  You two want anything?”

Gwen and I immediately backed away and straighten up at the sound of Fisher’s voice. Gwen’s brother was passing through the living on his way to the kitchen. I looked toward the door, ceiling, anywhere but Gwen or Fisher.

“Thanks, but we’re okay,,” Gwen answered, even though Fisher was already out of the room.

She looked at me, face red but smiling. Giggling, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the front door. Outside, once the door was closed, all we could do was laugh.

<I had to get in the proverbial “Hallmark Interrupted Kiss.”>

“Do you think he got any ideas?” I asked.

“That depends. Were you asking me to be your girlfriend?” Gwen waited for my answer with a conspiratorial smile.

“Well . . . um,” I stuttered.  “I didn’t exactly say ‘girlfriend’.  But, yeah. I . . . I guess so.”

“Well then, we better make sure he has the right idea.”

Without hesitation, Gwen reached around and pulled me close.  In response, I wrapped my arms around her waist as we kissed.  Nothing prepared me for this, and it felt wonderful.  We lingered in our embrace, neither wanting to stop.

Eventually, we parted and looked in each other eyes.  All I saw was joy, and I hoped she saw the same.

Suddenly, I had a sensation.  A sensation that we were being watched.  I looked over and saw an older couple standing a few feet away and watching us.  The man was large, with dark hair and a salt-and-pepper colored beard.  The woman next to him stood nearly a foot shorter. Her shoulder-length hair was greying, but you could still see traces of the auburn that had been passed down to her daughter.

I pulled myself away and faced them, jumping to attention like a soldier.

“Uh, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Anders,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

“Hello,” the man said, a question in his voice. “Gwen, dear, would you care to introduce us to this nice young man?” Her father’s emphasis on the word ‘nice’ made it obvious that this was more an expectation as opposed to an assumed fact.

“Mom. Dad.  This is Lance Walsh.,”  Gwen introduced, grasping my hand in hers and pressing up close. 

Then, gazing at me adoringly, she announced,  “He’s my boyfriend!”

===============
The result of the game . . .

If you have 5 or more Potential…

It’s out there. Now they know. For several heartbeats you are sure you’ve ruined everything, but then... your Rival accepts your confession?! What do they do and say? What challenges will you face together, now that you’ve done the impossible?

(Read the Afterpost here.)
==================
1 Cor. 13:4-7,13

===============
Like what you are reading?  Consider sharing it with a friend or visiting the support page for Tev's Next Idea and its sister site, Half Air.