My roommate, Stacy, had a bad habit of eating other people’s takeout. One day, she went too far.

chapter 5 The local arena was packed for the Tri-State LAN Tournament. Purple and blue lights cut through the haze of fog machines. Two soundproof glass booths stood onstage, each filled with top-tier PCs. The audience buzzed with energy, cameras flashed everywhere, and stream overlays glowed across giant hanging screens. Vanguard Varsity arrived in matching black-and-gold jackets. We were seeded second. State, of course, was first. As we walked into the competitors’ lounge, I kept my hood up and my face hidden. I didn’t want Chad seeing me until the exact right moment. From the next room over, I could hear his voice. “Bro, where is she?” One of his teammates groaned. “Matches start in an hour.” “She’s coming,” Chad said, though he sounded nervous. “She’s just shy.” “Man, if Valkyrie flakes, we’re screwed. We kicked Liv for her. If we lose over this, I’m going to lose it.” I said nothing. Vanguard tore through the quarterfinals. Then the semifinals. By four in the afternoon, it was official. Grand finals: Vanguard University versus State University. The organizers called both teams to the stage for introductions and handshakes. This was it. I unzipped my hoodie and let it fall onto my chair. Underneath, I was wearing my fitted Vanguard jersey with Eclipse printed across the back in gold. My hair was down in loose waves, and around my neck rested my grandmother’s silver pendant. The exact pendant from the Valkyrie photo. We walked onto the bright stage to roaring cheers. From the opposite side, Chad led State out in white and blue. He looked polished and handsome under the lights, but his eyes were darting all over the arena in panic. He still hadn’t found Valkyrie. We met in the center for handshakes. He shook Marcus’s hand. Then our jungler’s. Then he stepped in front of me. He extended his hand without really looking, his eyes fixed on my jersey. Then he lifted his gaze to my face. His hand froze in midair. All the color drained out of him. His eyes dropped to the silver pendant, then back to my face. He recognized the jawline from the photo. He recognized the girl from the café. He recognized me. “You,” he breathed. I smiled sweetly. “Hi, Chad.” He stared at me like his brain had stopped working. “Wait… you’re Valkyrie?” I tilted my head. “No, Chad. I’m Liv. Your old gaming buddy. You know, the gross whale whose face made you sick.” He physically recoiled. “No. No, that’s impossible. I saw the delivery photo. Liv was—” “My roommate,” I said smoothly. “The same roommate who stole my takeout and used my pictures to catfish you.” Behind him, several of his teammates started murmuring. Their captain stepped forward. “Chad, what the hell is she talking about? Where is Valkyrie? We have five minutes.” Right on cue, a commotion erupted near the stage stairs. A security guard was blocking someone. “Let me through! I’m on the team! I’m Valkyrie!” Every head turned. It was Stacy. She had actually shown up. She was squeezed into a State jersey that was at least two sizes too small. Her makeup was heavy and uneven, her hair still looked unwashed, and she was sweating through everything. She clutched a mouse pad to her chest like it might save her. Chad’s jaw fell open. Stacy stumbled up the stairs and gasped, “Chad, it’s me. I made it.” He looked from Stacy to me and back again, visibly unraveling. “You’re… Valkyrie?” “Yes,” she said, trying to grab his arm. “I told you I’d come.” He jerked away from her as if she had burned him. “Don’t touch me.” She froze. Then his voice rose. “You’re the girl from the delivery photo. You used Liv’s pictures? You’ve been lying to me this whole time?” Stacy’s face went white. She looked at me with sudden fury. “You did this. You set me up.” I crossed my arms. “I didn’t do anything. You stole my food, stole my photos, and lied to everyone. All I did was show up and play.” The State captain was furious now. He shoved Chad in the shoulder. “You kicked our best mid laner for this? Because you thought some random catfish was hot?” “I didn’t know!” Chad shouted. The audience had gone quieter now, sensing live drama. Phones were already out. I raised my voice just enough. “By the way, she’s not Diamond. She bought a boosted account.” That did it. State’s captain swore under his breath. Stacy burst into tears. Chad rounded on her, humiliated and furious. “Get out. You’re off the team. I’m never speaking to you again.” She sobbed harder, turned, and ran offstage in a clumsy panic. The referee stepped forward with a clipboard. “State University, your fifth player has left the stage. Do you have a substitute, or are you forfeiting?” For the first time all day, Chad looked directly at me without arrogance. Only desperation. “Liv,” he said quietly, trying to sound charming again. “Listen, I messed up. I was stupid. If I’d known what you looked like… we were such a good duo. We clicked. You remember that, right? Don’t let them make us forfeit.” I stared at him. Then I smiled. “You’re right, Chad. We did click.” Hope flashed across his face. Then I finished. “And then you showed me exactly who you are.” His face fell. “You’re shallow, cruel, and pathetic. You deserve every second of this.” Then I turned my back on him and walked toward the Vanguard booth. State avoided an official forfeit by dragging in a random Silver-ranked volunteer from the audience. It was a massacre. I locked in my most aggressive assassin and hunted Chad all over the map. Every time he showed up, I killed him. Not quickly, either. I styled on him. I humiliated him. In front of a live audience and thousands of viewers online, I made him look helpless. By twenty minutes, his character was worth less gold than a cannon minion. When State’s nexus exploded, the arena erupted. The crowd rose to its feet, screaming as confetti cannons fired over the stage. Vanguard had won the championship. We won the ten-thousand-dollar prize. We won the sponsorship deal. And best of all, Chad’s entire world had fallen apart in public.