Page 20 of Whirlwind
“No shit?”
“No shit. Just moved to Seattle to play for the Blades. Was in Vancouver before this.”
“Wait a fucking minute,” Sydney says. “Tyson Murphy?”
“That’s me.”
“We’re playing with Tyson Murphy? A heads up would have been nice.”
“You would have been weird about it,” Kit says. “Like you’re being now. He’s just a guy who plays video games in his spare time.”
“Fuck,” Sydney curses. “I should have put it together from the cheesy gamertag.”
“Ouch.” I fake outrage. “You follow hockey, eh?”
“Not really. But I have brothers and I grew up in South Dakota. It’s not something you can avoid. They’re going to freak the fuck out.”
“Shit, I lost her. Not sure what way she went,” Kit says. “I’m going to jump on the gen upstairs.”
“Almost done here,” Ramona says.
We manage to complete all but the last generator without the killer hooking any of us. Further proof that this killer is inexperienced. We decide to go easy on them and form something of a conga line, following one another around the map until we find them. Eventually, we do, and they join in for a few minutes before we let them get some points on us.
The next couple of matches don’t go quite as easy, but these ladies are fun as hell to play with, and by the time I log off for the night, my cheeks hurt from laughing so much.
I send a message through the console to Kit.
Me:
Thanks for tonight, I needed some fun.
I give her my cell phone number, telling her I’m being neighborly. A few minutes later, a text message comes through.
Kit:
Thank you for joining. We hate playing with randoms. Glad we could help, hope your trip is going okay.
Me:
It’s going well enough. Still a little awkward.
Kit:
Because it’s a new team?
I weigh my response before sending anything. Kit isn’t someone I know, but I have to assume she knows more about my situation than the average person. Does that mean I can trust her with my secrets? My feelings?
My heart tells me I can. My brain strongly protests. This is someone deep inside Isla’s circle. If I were to tell Kit how hard this is for me, it could get back to people it would affect the most. It could jeopardize the team dynamic that I’m already on the outskirts of.
Me:
Basically.
For my own self-preservation, I keep my response vague.
Kit:
I imagine it’s difficult. A new team, a new city. Especially when you’ve been in your hometown. You have family there, yeah?
