Page 2 of No Save Point

I groan and shove away from my desk, rolling my shoulders as I stand. The second I do, my back cracks like I just aged twenty years, and I wince. “Okay, no more ten-hour gaming binges without breaks,” I mutter to myself, stepping over a pile of unfolded laundry on my way to the kitchen.

As soon as I grab a trash bag, my phone buzzes on the counter. Cassie.

I swipe to answer and put her on speaker. “Hey, I was just about to call you.”

“Bullshit, you were gonna sit in your own filth for at least another day before I bullied you into doing something about it.”

I snort. “First of all, rude. Second of all, I am actively cleaning as we speak, thank you very much.”

“Oh, wow. Mark the calendar. Haven actually did something productive.”

I roll my eyes and shove a handful of takeout boxes into the trash. “Are you calling just to roast me, or…?”

Cassie hums. “Mostly, but also to tell you that you need to get laid.”

I nearly drop the trash bag. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, please. I watched your whole stream. You were way too worked up over that Ghost dude, again.”

I groan, shoving the bag down into the trash can with unnecessary force. “Cass. He’s the worst.”

“He’s obviously into you.”

“He’s into ruining my life.” She ignores me. “And let’s talk about Carter, again.”

I pause. “What about Carter?”

“You do realize he’s, like, wildly in love with you, right?”

I snort. “He is not in love with me.”

“Babe. The man throws money at you and calls you pet names every time you log on.”

“It’s just his personality!” I say with a tone that I can’t even convince myself.

“Okay, but you guys still haven’t video chatted have you?”

I hesitate. “…No.”

“Exactly. And yet, he wants you to drive all the way to his tiny-ass town to meet him. Alone.”

I huff. “He’s sweet.”

“He’s a man you met on the internet.” I rub my temple, leaning against the counter. “I know. That’s why I’m still debating it.”

Cassie sighs. “I just want you to be careful. He seems nice, but until you see him in person, you don’t actually know him.”

She’s right, but something about Carter has always felt… safe. Familiar, even. Maybe I’m a little too curious for my own good.

Cassie hangs up after extracting a promise from me that I won’t, under any circumstances, get murdered by a man I met online. Which, you know. Fair.

I toss my phone onto the couch, eyeing the mess around me. The problem with ignoring your responsibilities for two straight days is that, eventually, they gang up on you.

I start in the kitchen, cleaning up mystery crumbs from the counter and tackling the leaning tower of coffee mugs in my sink. As I clean, I let my brain replay the night’s events the tournament, Carter’s flirting, Ghost’s absolute menace behavior.

I hate how much real estate NoOneGhost takes up in my head. There’s just something about him that just grates on me in a way I can’t shake.

The arrogance. The way he always has a response ready, never rattled, never unsure. The way he calls me pretty girl like he owns the words.

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