Page 23 of Now Streaming

A siren sounded in the room, lights flashing as the“You Win”filled Min’s screen, even as the animation showed the zombies breaking into her room. She had won with a literal second to spare.

Min stood up, stretching, and turned immediately to where she knew Kevin’s streaming bay was. She pointed right at him, a huge grin on her face, waiting. For his part, he stood and threw down his headset before turning to scowl at her. She knew he was pissed at losing, but even from this distance, she could see a smile forming.

“You got lucky,” he yelled over to her.

“Lucky you suck at the game,” she sassed back. He flipped her off, and she laughed. He appreciated a smart kill, even if he was on the losing end of it. The room filled with applause from their live audience as the announcers proclaimed FlameThrower the winner.

It feltdelicious.

Min hadn’t competed since the photos leaked, and she had missed it with a literal ache in her body. That was another thing Alex had robbed from her—just the simple joy of playing a game she loved with her friends while streaming with fans.

For now, the crowd apparently either forgot or didn’t care about her scandal because the ones there in person were cheering loud and screaming her name. Min waved, waved at the announcers, then made her way to the private exit.

In the sudden quiet of the green room, Min snagged one of the complimentary bottles of water and drank while she checked the board for the results from the other groups. She smiled when she saw DeathsHead posted as winning his group, not surprised. He was as serious about this competition as she was.

“Hey, Flame.”

She turned to find Kevin there, in front of her. Before she could react, she was immediately lifted off her feet into a tight hug.

“I hate you so much.”

She laughed at that, returning his hug. “You love me.”

“Same thing.”

Kevin was one of the few players who actually knew her real identity. But he was always careful and respectful of her privacy.

She tapped his shoulder. “Can’t breathe. You’re squeezing too tight.”

“I’ve missed you. You’ve been gone too long. I’ve had to play with noobs lately who have no idea what they’re doing. Not even a challenge. I’m practically sleeping during streams.”

“Okay, but I need to breathe.”

He finally dropped her onto her feet with a laugh. “I’m gonna get you for that move with the corpse.”

Min’s pink mouth split into a grin. “You mean you can’t wait to try it yourself.”

He laughed and tried to ruffle her wig, but she pushed him away.

“A group of us are gonna get some drinks at the Waterfront tonight. Join us? You can be you or Flame. We’ll roll with it.”

It was tempting, but she ultimately shook her head. “It’s been a long day. I need to decompress and get some rest for tomorrow’s bracket.”

“You’re too serious.”

“You’re not serious enough. That’s why the zombies ate you first.”

He flipped her off as he walked away, grabbing his boyfriend around the waist with a big kiss to his neck. Min smiled at how happy he was, even though he’d just lost a high-payout tournament. She would’ve been crushed.

She headed to her private dressing room and slowly stripped every sign of FlameThrower off and carefully packing the items in her backpack. She then washed all her makeup off, throwing her now sweaty hair into a ponytail. Sometimes the subterfuge of switching her persona gave her a thrill, but sometimes, like today, it just made her tired. She wondered vaguely what Hayden was doing with his first night at the con, then immediately banished the thought from her head. Just because they had had a nice day walking the floor together didn’t mean they would spend the whole convention together. He was her competition. She didn’t need to think friendly thoughts about him. Ever.

With a mental shake, she pulled on her tennis shoes and stepped out into the world, just another nerdy girl excited to be at a convention. No one around paid her any attention.

The walk to the trolley and then to her hotel took the last of Min’s energy, and she found herself having some pretty hedonistic fantasies about showering, ordering room service, and falling asleep while watching a scary movie. When she stepped into the elevator with a small group of other attendees, Min pressed herself to the side and out of the way, trying not to think about that fateful elevator ride with Hayden. The way he had pressed into her space. Held her wrist against the wall. Breathed into her ear. That deep voice resonated down her spine.

Fuck. He had ruined elevators for her.

Finally, the elevator dinged on her level, and she dragged her tired feet over to her door, managing to get it to open on the first try, and stepped in, only to freeze in shock.

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