For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,136

be wrong, and it's not because I want to. It's because I don't get it. I can't. I've never lived through what you are, so I'm just trying to follow your lead here."

"You're doing just fine," she promised. "And believe it or not, I don't need you to be perfect. Ask if you want to know, just accept that I may not answer."

His eyes held hers, but his lips curled up into a boyish grin. "I have a feeling you'll tell me to fuck off, not realizing how cute it is when you do that."

"Fuck off," she said, rolling her eyes before turning toward the Eternal Combat booth. "And you can watch QQ kick my ass for this thing."

"Nah, I'm gonna be watching yours," he said. "Besides, you're already a winner, beautiful. PLG champion, right here."

Chapter 45

Psyc watched Rhaven step behind the counter of the Eternal Combat booth. Braden was there waiting, and he moved in to press a kiss to her brow. She ducked her head and smiled, but inside, Psyc hated it.

Why, of all the people, did his competition have to be some monster of a man known to be good-looking? He couldn't fucking compete with that. He couldn't complain either, because she'd picked Braden first. The fact that he was being given a "hall pass," basically, should've been cool, but his goal wasn't to end up as her part-time boyfriend.

Not that it mattered, and the match would start soon. Wanting to find a better place to watch, he looked for the best vantage point, because this whole thing should be good. Weaving through the crowd, he aimed for a spot that would let him see both Rhaven's face and the monitors at the top of the booth.

He was almost there when he got spotted. "Hey, Psyc!" Knock lifted a hand, proving he'd had the same idea.

So Psyc moved to stand beside him. "Q here yet?"

"Nah." Knock huffed a laugh. "She's priming herself with some tequila. Heard you stand up for Rhaven to the reporters, though."

"Yep," Psyc said, watching the table where Kate and Zara were taking their seats across from Rhaven. "She outed herself to them. Wants to make sure that others like her don't feel alone."

"Shit," Knock muttered. "Yeah, that's a good point. Think I should say something?"

Psyc scoffed. "Bring your boyfriend to a convention. That'll be all you need to say. Shit, bring both!"

"Jeri can't come," Knock said. "Her mom's paranoid about the drugs and booze at these things. Her older brother OD'd and died. So until she moves out for college in the fall, out-of-state conventions aren't going to happen."

"That sucks."

"Yep," Knock agreed. "So, um, what's with you, Rhaven, and Braden?"

"No fucking idea," Psyc admitted, pausing as the crowd noise began to change.

And there, through the mass of bodies starting to gather, he saw a hollow spot in the crowd weave its way toward the booth. Flashes of the top of a dread-covered head proved that was Riley, shorter than the men around her. And like always, the woman made an entrance. Once inside the booth, she moved to give Braden a side hug, then claimed the chair beside Rhaven. The two shared a few words, then both laughed, and the smile stayed on Rhaven's face.

But a squelch from the speakers made everyone watching wince. "Sorry," Braden said, proving that had been him turning on a mic. "So, since there's a lot of you already here, I guess the word has spread? We have a head-to-head match with the best-known gamer girls in Eternal Combat. Some people think that 'playing like a girl' is a put down, but these ladies? They're about to make it clear it's not."

"You got a guy on the stage!" someone yelled from the middle of the crowd.

Braden just waved him down. "Don't worry. I'm not playing. Someone has to man the servers, you know."

"Not you, jackass," another called out. "The tranny in a skirt."

Riley immediately jumped to her feet. "Not cool!" she snapped. "You want to talk that way, then come say it to my face."

"All four of us are gamer girls!" Zara yelled. "All four! And if any of you want to put on a skirt and heels, then you can try to keep up."

Psyc had to slap his hand over his mouth. Zara played with PsychoDreads as Pantomime. She also played with Paradox as Zaraphim. The girl was a loyal outfit member, and probably the only person who wasn't scared of Cynister at all - since she