For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,173

thing wrong with him was that she couldn't wrap her mind around what he saw in her, but that was her issue, not his.

And she never wanted to lose him. This feeling she had? It had a name. A short, strong, and kinda scary one, yet she knew what it was. She also didn't want to think about it right now. Nope, this was her time to blow off steam and relax. But, she also deserved to brag just a bit.

"So," she said, "I have news."

"Good news?" Zara asked. "Because I heard about the weekend."

"Then you can guess." Because Cynister had probably told her what he was doing.

Murder groaned. "Ok, if you keep distracting me like this, babe, I'm gonna get my ass kicked by my girlfriend. No, don't fucking help her Riley. Jesus. Fuck. Knock!" He sighed. "And now I'm dead. Tell us the news."

"I'm a woman," she announced.

Psyc chuckled and Zara giggled, but Murder didn't. "And?" he asked. "What's the new part?"

"Legally!" she squealed. "I got my name changed and my new driver's license says Rhaven and female. I am officially a woman."

"Fuckin' A!" RuffDog said, sounding honestly happy for her. "That's a big deal, right?"

"Huge," she said. "It's... I mean..."

"You know Cyn didn't do that, right?" Zara asked. "I mean, he wanted to help you when you got doxxed, but the legal stuff? That was Bradley's idea."

"No shit?" Psyc asked. "That guy's kinda a dick."

"He's not," Zara said. "He's a bit of a fed, but his 'by the book' attitude helps Cyn get away with some shit. I actually don't hate him."

"Anymore," Murder added. "Ok, Rhaven, while I want to jump back into this fight and knock my own woman down a notch, I think we need a thing." He paused. "Command. Hold up everyone. We need everyone in PD's main room for a sec. Have news to share."

"Murder!" Rhaven hissed. "What the fuck?"

Because when he said Command first, it meant he was talking to everybody on the server. Needless to say, it didn't take long before the names began to appear. Void was one. QQ was another. She saw Knock, Kitty, Cynister, IceMan, Lithium, and then even Dreadknot hopped in.

"Dread!" she said, knowing he'd been offline for far too long. "Hey, how's the baby?"

"Oh, she's gorgeous," he bragged. "Don't worry, she looks like Myst, not me. Granted, this is also the first time I've been online in god only knows how long. And grats on Denver, by the way."

"Oh, it's more than Denver," Murder assured him. "Wait for it."

Then Riley spoke up. "Ok, do we have everyone?"

"Looks like," Void said. "The stage is yours, Murder."

"Nope, Rhaven's," Murder said. "Take it away, babe."

She laughed. "Ok, so I'm sure most of you know that I got a new job?"

"No," a guy named Fizz said. "Where?"

"I am now the lead interface developer for Deviant Games," she told him. "But wait. That's not the best part. I won the tournament in Denver and couldn't get a sponsor because I'm trans, right? That was when Dez offered me a job. Straight from Dez! And KoG's pissed about it, and there have been a few things said on the forums, but it's so worth it."

"Saw you got doxxed," Riley broke in.

"I did," she admitted. "But since I've already moved for the job - with my boyfriend - it wasn't too bad. I got a new number, so if some of you have a message that doesn't make sense, it might be me. Anyways, all of that meant I needed new ID. A new social. All of the stuff. Well, our friendly neighborhood spook helped me out and..." She drummed her hands on her desk for more effect. "Today I just got not only a name change, but I am officially recognized as a woman legally!"

The entire chatroom thundered with the cheers from all the people waiting. She couldn't even make out the things they said, but she was still grinning. Leaning back in her chair, Rhaven closed her eyes and just took it all in. For as long as she could remember, she'd waited for this day. She'd hoped for very few things, and in less than a month, she'd just gotten them all. A win in the PLG, a job as a developer, and to become what she considered a real woman - since no one else's opinion mattered but her own.

Then a sharp whistle cut through the cacophony. "I got something to say!" Kitty yelled, making the cheering die down.