Read Gamer Girl Online

Authors: Mari Mancusi

Tags: #Divorce, #Science & Technology, #Sports & Recreation, #Cartoons and comics, #Fantasy games, #People & Places, #Comic Books; Strips; Etc, #Massachusetts, #Schools, #Juvenile Fiction, #Social Issues, #Love & Romance, #Comics & Graphic Novels, #United States, #Children of divorced parents, #Games, #Marriage & Divorce, #Fiction, #School & Education, #Role playing, #Family, #General, #New Experience, #High schools, #Moving; Household

Gamer Girl (9 page)

BOOK: Gamer Girl
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83

"Uh, well,
I'm just learning. We've got a little club that's been going up every
weekend. It's totally fun." "Club? Who?"

"Oh, a
bunch of us. Ashley, Dana, Shantel. You know, the gang."

I did know.
Mainly because it used to be my gang.

"I'd
invite you along, but there's no room in the car, you know? Too bad,
though. David's going to be there."

Yeah, just dig
that knife a little deeper, Cait.

"But you
should come another time. Ooh, they're here. Gotta go. Later, gator!"
Caitlin chimed, sounding way too happy about getting off the phone. I
guess I would be, too, if I had David Silverman waiting for me in the
car. But still . . .

"Okay.
Bye." I hit the End button and dumped the phone on the table. I
didn't even know why I was surprised at this point. My friends had
clearly forgotten about me.

I pulled out my
sketchbook. Guess I should work on my manga for the contest. After
all, the deadline was fast approaching and I still hadn't figured out
my story line. I examined my sketches with a critical eye. Was I just
kidding myself to think that my artwork was prize-worthy? Or was
Billy right? Did I completely suck?

I shook my
head. Couldn't think like that. Had to stay positive.

I flipped from
sketch to sketch, studying each one. I liked the drawings I'd done of
Fields of Fantasy Allora, but the ones of me in high school, facing
the Haters, weren't bad either. So should I do a reality manga--a
shojo set in high

84

school? Or
create a fantasy epic with dragons and knights in shining armor? It
was a tough choice.

Then
inspiration hit me like a lightning bolt. What if a normal high
school girl started playing a video game and literally got sucked
into the virtual world? Suddenly she was an all-powerful magician,
living in a medieval land, instead of the friendless, emo girl she'd
been. And she'd have to go on some kind of quest to be able to get
home. This way I could combine both story lines and make something
that was unique.

I grabbed my
pen and started sketching out a few rough scenes. This was going to
be so cool. "Whatcha doing, honey?"

I looked up.
Dad was hovering in the bedroom doorway.

"Just
drawing," I said, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. I
instinctively put a hand over my drawing, then moved it away. After
all, I was entering a contest. I needed to get used to people
checking out my art. Still, it seemed weird. Something so personal
and private, out on display.

Dad sat down
beside me and turned my sketch toward him. "Is this from Fields
of Fantasy?" he asked.

I nodded.

"You're
really a great artist," he remarked, turning to the next
drawings. "I'm very impressed."

I blushed.
"You're a dad. You have to say that."

"Really?"
He looked up, his eyes twinkling. "Weird, I must have skipped
over that part in the dad handbook."

I laughed. Dad
always had a way of making me feel good.

85

"Thanks
for the game," I said. "I really love it. I met this
awesome guy who's been showing me the ropes and--"

Dad held up a
hand. "Hold on a second," he said. "A guy?"

I shrugged.
"Yeah. Sir Leo."

"I see.
And who is Sir Leo?"

"I don't
know. Just some sixteen-year-old kid."

Dad rubbed his
chin with his finger and thumb. "I should talk to you about the
dangers of online gaming," he mused, half to himself, half to
me. "That would be in the dad handbook."

I rolled my
eyes. Did he think I was two years old? This was the twenty-first
century. We kids were warned about online predators since grade
school. "Yeah, yeah, I know," I said. "I'm not
stupid."

"If I
thought you were stupid, I wouldn't have bought you the game to begin
with," Dad replied with a smile. "But I need you to promise
me that you will play smart. Even if you feel like you're getting to
know some of your online friends, do not give out any personal
information to them. Like where you live or go to school. And I mean
not ever."

"Okay.
Sure. Whatever." I'd heard this lecture a million times, though
usually about Facebook and MySpace. Parents were so paranoid about
stuff like that. "Anyway, I'm sure the guy lives a million miles
away."

"Or he
could live right in your backyard. You never know."

I nodded,
keeping a poker face, even though the idea of Sir

86

Leo living in
my backyard was extremely appealing. "Right. Well, I promise
I'll be careful."

"Cool."
Dad rose from his chair, having fulfilled his responsible parent duty
of the day. "Well, want to play a bit? I set up a second
computer right next to mine in the study. We can adventure together."

I grinned.
Finally! "I was hoping you'd say that!"

We headed over
to the computers and logged in. I glanced over at Dad's screen. He
was a tall, handsome human knight with golden armor and a magnificent
white horse. Very fancy compared to the odds and ends Sir Leo wore to
battle.

"Cool,"
I said, impressed. "How'd you get all of that stuff?"

Dad laughed. "A
lot of wasted hours playing," he said. He pressed a button and
his horse reared and whinnied. "I'll ride over to your village
and meet you there."

I logged into
Allora and realized she was still lying in the bed I'd left her in.
Blushing a bit as I remembered Sir Leo's good-night kiss, I quickly
ran her outside the inn and waited for Dad to arrive. I was psyched
to be playing with him at last and couldn't wait to see how much his
character kicked butt. I looked over to his screen again. Wow, he was
level eighty. That must have taken forever to get that high.

"How often
do you play, Dad?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged. "I
don't know. Whenever I have some free time."

"I'm
bored!" Emily moaned, coming up behind us. "Dad, will you
play Barbies with me?"

87

"Not now,
sweetie," Dad said, not looking away from the screen as he
galloped toward the elfin village Allora lived in. "Why don't
you go watch a DVD or something?"

I hid a smile.
Take that, Emily.
It was my turn to hang out with Dad.

Huffing her
annoyance at being ignored, Emily retreated to the living room,
making a big show of stamping her feet as she left. I turned back to
the computer screen. A moment later I saw Dad's character approach on
horseback. I glanced over at his screen and saw Allora standing
waiting for him. How cool was that? Like looking at yourself with
someone else's eyes.

RockStarBob
waved at Allora. I made Allora wave back. "Ready to play?"
Dad asked. I nodded. "Let's go kill stuff!"

Suddenly, a
beautiful black-haired woman wandered up to Dad. She was wearing a
low-cut dress and carried a very impressive-looking silver staff that
sparkled with gems. I watched RockStarBob jump off his horse and give
her a hug. The woman winked at him and then blew him a kiss.
Evidently they knew each other. Hmm.

[LadyAdriana]
Hey, Bob. What are you up to?

[RockStarBob]
Nothing much. How are you?

[LadyAdriana]
Meh. Ex-husband's giving me trouble again. But what else is new?

RockStarBob
gently pats Lady Adriana.

[RockStarBob]
Aw. Poor you.

88

[LadyAdriana]
: Thought you'd be stuck with the brats today. Isn't it your turn?

I shot a glance
over at Dad.
Brats? Was she talking about Emily and me?
Dad
tossed me a sheepish smile. "Sorry," he said. "Lady
Adriana doesn't always have the most tact."

"Evidently,"
I muttered, turning hack to my screen.

[RockStarBob]
I've got my children with me this weekend, if that's what you mean.

[LadyAdriana]
LOL, kk. Listen, I was going to start a raid group. You interested in
coming to BlueRock with us if I do?

[RockStarBob]
Um, hang on a second.

I felt Dad's
eyes on me again. He was obviously trying to judge how upset I'd be
if he blew me off for this woman. If he really was "stuck with
the brats" today.

"Go
ahead," I said with a sigh. I didn't want him to feel like he
was forced to entertain me.

"Are you
sure?" he asked, looking a little worried. "I mean, I know
I said I'd play with you. But I've been dying to do BlueRock for a
long time."

I waved a hand.
"It's no big deal. I've got a few other quests to do locally
anyway."

Dad looked
relieved. "Okay, if you're sure. And you can always watch me
play. . . ."

89

"Uh, sure.
That would be fun."

Not catching my
sarcasm or just choosing to ignore it, Dad turned his attention back
to the screen. Back to Lady Adriana. A few minutes later he was
completely lost in the game, typing furiously as he rode through the
countryside to the BlueRock place.

I stared at the
screen, trying to decide if I wanted to log off or play a little
anyway. It didn't seem that much fun to play by myself. . . .

[SirLeo]
(Yea! You're online. I was hoping you would be.)

I grinned, my
heart picking up the pace at the instant message. Sir Leo had just
signed in. And he was, unlike everyone else in the known universe,
happy to see me!

[Allora]
(Woot! Sooo glad you're here. Do you want to quest?)

[SirLeo]
(Of course!)

[Allora]
(How's your day going?)

[SirLeo]
(Good. Just got out of drama practice.)

I tried to
picture him onstage, reciting lines. It was tough to form a mental
image when I had no clue what the guy looked like in real life. He
could be an ugly troll for all I knew. Fifty pounds overweight with a
zit-covered face. But for some reason, I didn't think so.

90

Yeah, he
probably pictures you as a six-foot-tall blond elf, too. And we all
know how true that fantasy is.

The thought
sobered me. What would Sir Leo think of me if he met me in real life?
Would he be disappointed? Would he think I was a freak, like everyone
else did in my school?

I realized I
hadn't typed a response.

[Allora]
(Drama? How cool. I always wanted to try it but I think I'd get stage
fright.)

[SirLeo]
(LOL. Nah, you'd be fine, I'm sure. I mean, you role-play with me.
That's very similar.)

[Allora]
(It's a lot different typing into a computer than getting up in front
of everyone.)

[SirLeo]
(I guess. But it's really not as scary as you might

think. I mean,
you're up there playing a part. A lot easier than being yourself.)

[Allora]
(If you say so...)

[SirLeo]
(I do. And I'm always right, remember?)

[Allora]
(LOL. But of course!)

Allora
cheers at Sir Leo.

[SirLeo]
(I thought you were going to be at your dad's this weekend.)

[Allora]
(I am. But he has two computers. He's playing next to me.)

[SirLeo]
(Ah, cool. 1 wish my dad played. He's always working.)

[Allora]
(What does he do?)

[SirLeo]
(Banker. Fun, fun. How about yours?)

91

I started to
type in my answer, then stopped, remembering Dad's warning. Don't
want to give out too much information online.

[Allora]
(Why, he's a knight, of course! Level eighty!)

[SirLeo]
(LOL. Right, of course. Silly me.)

[Allora]
So, my fine sir, art thou ready to go on a quest or two?

[SirLeo]
Indeed, my fair lady, now that you are here by my side.

And so we began
questing. And questing and questing. With Dad completely sucked into
his own adventures, there was no nagging parent to force me to shut
off the computer after an hour or two online. Instead, Sir Leo and I
played for hours, side by side, each locked into our own little
worlds. Once in a while Emily would wander over, pronounce Dad and me
hopeless nerds, then head back to the television.

After a while,
Dad was done with BlueRock and he and Lady Adriana started
adventuring with Sir Leo and me. With their high level help, we were
able to fight bigger monsters and win better treasure. And the whole
time the four of us were joking around, teasing one another and
generally having a grand old time. I grinned over at Dad and he
grinned back at me. He was so much fun. How could Mom not see that?
She really needed to lighten up.

"Want to
take a break for dinner?" he asked. "Or just get pizza
delivery?"

92

"Pizza
delivery." I didn't want to stop questing.

He laughed and
hit the number two on his phone's speed dial. Obviously this wasn't
the first time he'd made that decision. "I was hoping you'd say
that."

"I want
french fries and chicken fingers," Emily whined from the next
room.

Dad rolled his
eyes. "Anything you like, sweetie," he called over to her.
He gave me a wink. I winked back.

we continued to
play into the night. Before I knew it, I turned level fifteen and had
learned some amazing new spells. The wolves that had troubled me my
first day were absolutely no threat anymore. In fact, I could kill
them in one blow. And I did, too, saving some newbie from certain
death and then suggesting he go back and play in the beginner area.

I was beginning
to feel like a real gamer girl. Totally 1337--elite--as Sir Leo would
say.

Finally, Dad
stretched his hands over his head and glanced over to the adjoining
living room, where Emily had passed out in front of the television.
"I'm going to put her to bed," he told me. "Say good
night to your Sir Leo. It's time for you to hit the sack, too."

BOOK: Gamer Girl
11.56Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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