Page 71 of Forbidden Game

My body moves like a robot as I push past Aleks and make a beeline for the elevator.

“Ow, the fuck? You didn’t have to throw it at me,” Aleks’ yell filters through the apartment just as the doors open.

I slip inside and hit the button for my floor a billion times, hoping it will make the doors close faster.

It’s only when they shut completely that I let my grip loosen on the box. My head tips back against the metal wall.

This boy is going to be the death of me.

FOURTEEN

PARKER

“Oh my God, you’re English! Can you, like, sign my boobs?”

I blink down at the girl in a Gods League cosplay.

Honestly, I’m surprised she wants to ruin the outfit with my signature. It’s a really good one. She looks just like the character Lee mains when she plays.

Which is probably why Lee is currently shoving a permanent marker at me while announcing, “He’ll totally sign them.”

“All right, all right,” I laugh back.

I uncap the marker and make some light small talk as I sign her chest. The girl’s friend films us, and I’m careful to keep my eyes on my hand and not the giant pair of tits in my face. Fan service is one of my favorite parts of the tournaments. I love meeting people who watch my videos and my streams. There’s this addictive rush of dopamine when someone recognizes you, and it makes you feel on top of the world. Although sometimes it gets a little weird.

Like now.

At least this isn’t like that time some chick threw her knickers at Aleks.

“Can I get a picture as well?” The girl asks as I finish my signature.

“Sure.”

She glues herself to my side, and I smile despite the mask I’m wearing. After the girl and her friend leave, I pull off my mask for some air. I need to blink a few times to clear the blue hue from my vision.

The Seattle tournament is easily double the size of the Denver one. Lee and I have been stopped no less than a hundred times in the last two hours since our FrozeLine match. Syd’s been keeping an eye on us, but Jackson and Aleks are participating in a charity Gods League match, so she’s been flitting back and forth around the arena.

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble for taking that off?” Lee uses her lollipop to point at my mask.

This girl has an addiction to lollies like no other.

That being said, I would kill for an energy drink right about now. The tournament has been going on for hours, and I had to be here first thing to play my speedrun match. For some reason, they decided to schedule it right at the beginning of the day.

Eleven might not be early for most people, but in our world, it was basically dawn.

“Nah, I’ve worn it for long enough.” I loop my arm with Lee’s and give a nod to her security detail. “Can we head back to our greenroom?” I ask the James Bond-esque man who is the head of her team.

He gives me a nod and helps guide us through the crowd so we don’t get stopped by any more fans. Without Lee’s security team, I doubt she would ever be able to move an inch. For every person who comes up to me, there’s another three fawning over her. It’s part of the reason I recommended them to her in the first place. Nothing is more secure than a Covington-approved security detail.

We get back to our greenroom without incident, and I immediately beeline for the mini fridge, grabbing a cold, blue energy drink and cracking it open.

“How’s it out there?” Deer calls from the couch. She’s lying on her stomach, feet kicking in the air, as she plays a game on her Switch. Her bright pink hair cocoons her face as her matching nails move over the joystick. She’s been holed up in here since her panel this morning.

“It’s really not that bad. The crowd has calmed a lot since everything is winding down for the night.” Lee flops down next to her best friend.

“Mmm,” she hums. “No more creeps?”

“No more creeps. Parker here did a lovely job scaring any of them away.”

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