Roommate’s Grub Grab Gone
Wrong
My roommate, Stacy, had this takeout- thieving habit. One day, she went too far –
she scarfed the food my online gaming
buddy, “ShadowStrike,” had ordered for me.
Later, ShadowStrike sends me a screen–grab
from the delivery guy’s camera and hits me
with, “You look like that? How dare you even
talk to me? Gross!”
He dumps me and immediately hooks up with
“Valkyrie,” the top female gamer in our scene.
Everyone starts posting pics of Valkyrie, laughing at me, “Look at the whale who got
dumped. Serves you right!”
く
“You’re no match for Valkyrie! She’s gorgeous
and a gaming god!”
I stare at the picture… and freeze.
Isn’t that… me?
01
I logged into the game, and bam, my gaming
buddy, ShadowStrike, had cut ties with me.
I tried to message him, but he’d just sent
“Disgusting” and then blocked me.
Just then, my roommate, Stacy, saw me
online and invited me, “Hey, Liv, I’m one game
away from Diamond, could you carry me?”
I tried to shake off the weird feeling I had.
<
Figured I’d help Stacy then figure out the deal
with ShadowStrike.
But when I hit the group–up, someone else
was already in the lobby. The ID was way too
familiar: ShadowStrike.
Stacy and ShadowStrike were chatting on
voice comms. When he saw I was in the room,
the friendly tone he had been using turned
immediately sour.
He snapped, “Ugh, why’d you invite her?”
Stacy, from her bunk above me, whined,
“What’s wrong, ShadowStrike? You know
her?”
ShadowStrike was blunt, “No, and I don’t
want to know her. Don’t ever associate me
<
I frowned and asked, “What’s your problem?”
ShadowStrike’s voice was cold, “How dare
you ask me that? I feel sick just thinking
about us being buddies. Don’t ever say we
were a thing. I’d be too embarrassed.”
With that, he muted me and said to Stacy, “I
don’t want to play with her.”
Stacy leaned over her bunk, grinning smugly.
“Sorry, Liv, ShadowStrike is way better than
you. Maybe next time.”
And then she booted me from the room.
02
ShadowStrike was good, yeah, but it wasn’t
by Lee bie seming buddy I know him from
<
His real name was Chad, and he was the star
point guard on the basketball team at the
university next door.
Once, when I was at a competition, I twisted
my ankle, and he carried me to the nurse’s
office. He was so worried, making jokes to
keep me from freaking out. I was smitten with
this kind, good–looking guy.
So when I realized that he was also
ShadowStrike, I accepted his invite to game
together.
We played a long time. Him the jungler, me in
mid, and we clicked.
So, I said yes to being his gaming buddy.
He’d said I was the best female gamer he’d
L
So, I said yes to being his gaming buddy.
He’d said I was the best female gamer he’d
ever met and hated those cringy girls who
just flirt to climb the ranks.
But now I was hearing Stacy, up in her bed,
cooing as she played support, “Oh, Chad, honey, can you give me the blue buff?
Pwease?”
Chad laughed, “Sure thing.”
