Page 39 of Forbidden Game

Parker immediately bats Jace’s hand away and replaces it with his own as he tugs me toward him. “Thanks, it should be a good speedrun.”

Jace studies the movement until Parker tucks his hands back into the pockets of his black pants.

“I’ll catch you for a drink later tonight? You owe me a round.”

“I have a pretty packed schedule. Everyone wants a piece of the Parker pie.”

I beg myself not to roll my eyes at that cringe statement.

“English needs to get ready for his run and head back to the greenroom,” I remind him. “Make sure you down an energy drink beforehand, okay?”

“You’re staying here?”

“Unless you plan on getting in some sort of PR nightmare in the next thirty minutes, yes, I plan on staying here. I’ll meet up with you after the run like planned.”

Parker looks down at me, and I stare up into the blue LED Xs of his mask.

Is he nervous about the run? Does he need a pep talk or something? It didn’t seem like he was worried earlier.

I give his shoulder a light squeeze.

“You’ve got this. You’re going to crush it, trust me. I believe in you.”

His hand comes up to rest on my own, and it sends a jolt of electricity through my body.

“Just keep your eyes on me, Syd.” The way he says it is strangely intimate. “And Kelton?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t touch what isn’t yours,” Parker calls out as he jumps backward off the raised platform.

My heart lurches at the move. He spins around and follows the waiting security guard back through the throng of fans.

“What about you, Ms. Lake?”

“What about me?”

“Care for a drink while we wait?”

“I don’t drink.”

“Never said it had to be alcoholic.” He grins.

I would not be getting rid of this man.

Then again, what is the harm? They are still setting up the stage for the speedrun match. Four players will be going head-to-head.

“Sure,” I relent. “I guess there’s some time to kill.”

“Brilliant.”

Jace holds his hand out to me. I sigh and take it, allowing him to lead us through the fans crowding the stands as we walk up to the main deck.

I’ll admit, the event is busier than I expected. It’s one of the smaller tournaments this season, so I didn’t think a lot of people would turn out. We have one in two weeks in Seattle that is a major event, and then the rest should be on the same level as that until we hit the championship.

Because speedrunning isn’t as big as the esports-focused games, it’s harder to find events for Parker to compete in this close to the end of the season. If we were just focused on FrozeLine or even VERTEX—another popular esports game that is battle royale which Parker excels at—it would be a different story. The opportunities there are endless.

But the guys aren’t focused on becoming pro-esports gamers, and Mathias has never had an issue with the boys doing as they please. The money they make from streaming and uploading videos is more than enough. Mathias has been pushing for more sponsorships lately because he wants to take advantage of the face reveal, but he still doesn’t care much about the guys dipping into the esports arena.

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