Page 34 of Didn't See That Coming

“He was obviously cheating!” Jonas snaps. “Don’t be putting this on me, Elon. Just because you’re a shitty team player. You guys should’ve had my back! You know this asshole’s been after me for days now.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

Heh-heh. I grin at Liam as we settle into our seats.

“Sounds like Jonas is having a hard time onWarfront,” Liam mutters under his breath.

“Yeah,” I giggle. Then stop. I stare at Liam.

“What?” He stops short, his eyes widening ever so slightly. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No, it’s just…how did you know they were talking aboutWarfront Heroes?” They’d only mentioned the characters’ names, not the actual game.

“Oh.” Liam lowers his voice so I have to lean closer to hear him. We’re so close to each other now that I can see the curve of his eyelashes. My heart thumps so hard I can feel it in my neck. “I play too. But don’t tell anyone, because Jonas has been trying to get me to join his gaming crew for ages.”

My throat is so dry I can barely get the next few words out. “Wha-what’s yourWarfrontname?”

Liam frowns at me. “Sourdawg, why?”

Is it possible to black out for half a second? Because that’s exactly what happens to me. The world falls away, and in that split second, everything is pitch-dark and silent. All I can hear is the sound of my breath and the roar of blood rushing through my head.

I’ve found him. Sourdawg. It’s Liam.

“—okay? Hey.”

I’m snatched back to the present moment. I blink. Liam is staring at me, and his hand is on my arm.Sourdawg’shand is on my arm. My real arm, not my in-game character’s arm. I jerk up at the what-the-hellness of it all, and Liam must havethought I was reacting to his hand on my arm, because he says, “Sorry!” and pulls his hand away.

The teacher walks in then, and for the first time, I’m thankful that he has chosen this very moment to arrive in class, because WHAT THE HELL?! I turn to face the front of the classroom and stare at the blackboard with laser eyes, refusing to even glance at Liam, because, have I mentioned, WHAT THE HELL?! My hands are bunched into fists on my lap, and the whole period, I have to keep from screaming, “SOURDAWG?! IT’S MEEE! YOUR ONLINE BESTIE! DUDEBRO!”

Oh god. Dudebro. My online male persona. How would Liam react if he were to find out that Dudebro is actually a girl in real life? I swear my rib cage hasn’t just tightened; each rib has turned into a snake, and now they’re all writhing about and squeezing my lungs, and okay, maybe that’s a weird metaphor, but holy shit, I’m sitting next to Sourdawg.

The moment class ends, I choke out, “Bathroom!” and rush out of there, pausing outside the classroom to grab my phone from the basket. I sprint all the way to the bathroom and slam myself into the farthest cubicle.

Kiki:Aaaa! AAAHH!!!

Sharlot:Omg what?

Cassie:Wkt?

I guess Cassie’s typing in class again, which means she’s typing while staring ahead so she doesn’t get caught doing it.

Kiki:I found out who Sourdawg is!!!!!!

Cassie:OMJ!!!

Sharlot:Ahh!! Who??

Kiki:LIAM! The guy who sits next to me!!

Sharlot:!!!

Cassie:!! The hot juy?? He’s hot, tight?

Kiki:Ew, ‘tight’?

Cassie:I meant “right”

Kiki:You need to stop typing in class, you’re gonna get caught

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