Page 54 of Drama Queens Don't Fall For Charming Boys

Declan seems surprised that I asked him a personal question, but he says, “They own a few businesses in L.A. and have a lot of friends there. I didn’t want to be selfish and take that away from them.” He pauses and then adds, “I feel like I’ve been selfish enough the last few years.”

I have no idea what to say to that, so I just busy myself with my book.

“Do you ever feel like you were too selfish to your family?”

My eyes snap to his through the rearview mirror. “What?”

He quickly shakes his head. “Never mind. We’re almost at the mall.”

After he parks in the lot, we get out and he scans around. “It’s pretty big. I guess I assumed it would be small because Edenbury is a pretty small town.”

I put my hands on my hips. “We don’t live in the Stone Age.”

He holds up his hands. “I never said you did. I actually really love the town. It’s very…I don’t know how to describe it. Like calm and peaceful. And it’s cool that people recognize each other in the streets.” He shrugs. “It’s just different from L.A. It reminds me of my old home in Alabama.” He narrows his eyes at one of the shops. “Is that the video game store?”

“Yeah.” I lead him inside, and as soon as we enter, I take a deep, satisfied breath. “Welcome to paradise.”

He takes in a large breath, too. “Nothing has smelled sweeter.”

“I think the headsets are over there.” I point to the right. “I’m going to check out the mice.”

“Okay. See you in a bit.”

We separate in opposite directions. What I love about this store is that they have everything a gamer needs, unlike other stores that sell almost everything online. But like I suspected and dreaded, they no longer have the brand of my old mouse. “Rats,” I mutter. Then I sigh heavily. Looks like I have to check online for reviews. If I don’t have the perfect gaming mouse suited to my play style and needs, my gaming experience won’t be the same.

As I go online to search for a mouse most similar to my beloved departed one, Declan joins me. “Any luck?” he asks.

“No. What about you?” I lift my eyes from my phone and notice him holding a headset. “Ooh, nice. Can I see?”

He hands me the box and I study it. It’s a pretty good brand and quite expensive. “You game online?”

“Yeah. I play with some of my old friends from Alabama, and some people I met online.”

“I heard some quests in Chronicles of the Eternals are more fun with friends.”

“For sure. It’s tons of fun with friends.”

Bummer Rylee and Zoey don’t like to game.

“You can’t find a mouse?” he asks.

“They don’t make my old one anymore, and I’m trying to find one that’s similar.”

“Oh. The brand I use doesn’t seem to be here, either. I’ll ask one of the employees.”

“You don’t have to—”

But he’s already walking over to one of the employees and asking him for help. After they exchange a few words, Declan leads the guy back to me. I tell him about my old brand, and he asks me more details about what I’m looking for, like how many buttons I want and if I want lights and a cool design.

“There’s a brand we used to carry that fits what you’re looking for,” the dude says as he searches through the mice boxes. “I thought we still have a few in stock. Ah, here.” He reaches all the way in the back and produces one of the coolest gaming mice I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s on the expensive side, but oh my gosh, it’s so worth it.

“Thanks!” I gush as I hug it to my chest. “I love it already.”

The guy nods and walks away.

“We’re going to kick major butt later tonight,” I tell my mouse as I continue hugging it. “Valarina is ready to pound the demon lord’s skull into the ground. And then she’ll save her best friend and I’ll finally get the staff I’ve been waiting for.”

“I remember that quest.” Declan’s eyes light up. “Oh man, those were the early days of Chronicles of the Eternals. I remember how obsessed I was with the game back then. I still am, but there’s nothing like diving into a video game world for the first time. I wish I could go back in time and experience it again for the first time. You should cherish every second of it because you can never experience that feeling again.”

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