Three, two, one. My spell is up and I press quickly down on the second button on my mouse. The other team’s cleric is stunned. Across the table I can hear him hiss, frantically trying to find a cool down that hasn’t already been used yet. Tilly laughs in triumph as she and I target the warrior. I can hear his frustration as Tilly send her rogue into stealth and I begin to barrage him with arrows. With just me attacking, and no healer to bring him back up, his health drops quickly. But once Tilly jumps into the fray, well, his health just downright tanked. Just as my stun wears off on the healer, we down the warrior and turn to the remaining opponent. Within moments, we have him down as well.

“Rags to Riches wins!” The announcer yells. “Our new national champions are Jayden and Tilly Belle!”

Tilly stands throws her arms around my shoulder, posing for the cameras. I just put my arm around her waist and smile, wishing we could get off this stage. This whole weekend we’ve been up here playing, competing for the national championships for the World of Simcraft 2v2 Arenas. We’ve been broadcasted across the nation and streamed online in countries all over the world. The teams had been good this year. Hell, they’d been great. But ultimately, Tilly and I had been better. In a year, we’ll go onto the International Championships. That will be the real test. A year of training and working on new strategies will be good. The teams we’re going to face internationally will be like nothing we’ve ever faced before.

“Stop looking so serious. Let’s go celebrate.” Tilly says, grabbing my hand and dragging me off backstage.

“Let me change. I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.” I tell her, heading off to the small room I’d been given. I step in and shut the door, turning to the rest of the room. I freeze, spotting the woman in the chair.

“Hello Jayden.” Selena smiles, but it’s strained.

Selena. She doesn’t look like I remember her or like she does in all the posters of her. She looks tired and sad. I’ve honestly barely thought about her in the weeks since I helped that woman outside the bar. Seeing her now, it wasn’t so much painful as it was…wanting. I wanted her, if only so I could leave her high and dry like she had done to me.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. Her eyes are red and her make-up is slightly off. She’s been crying.

“I needed a friend.” She whispers. “I need you.”

I let out a huff and smirk. “You certainly didn’t need me the past four months. Or even before that most likely.”

A tear slides down her cheek. “I’m really sorry about that Jayden. I was stupid. I love you Jayden. And I’m drowning here, surrounded by people who don’t want me for me. I’m just a young girl with a pretty face and a voice good enough to make them money.”

“Yea? And how many have you given yourself to?” I ask, knowing it’s a low shot but I don’t care. I turn from her and pull my shirt off. Her breath catches, but I just grab another one from the rack and pull it on.

She flinches as if I had hit her. “It’s not willingly. It hasn’t been willingly since I’ve moved here.” She whispers.

Part of me felt pain for her. No one deserved that, if she was telling the truth. But she had a family back in Hidden Springs. If her pride wasn’t so big, she could go back. Nothing was tying her here, except a dream that seemed to have become a nightmare.

“Please, Jayden. I need you. Just…just hold me again. Please.” She’s begging.

Suddenly, the anger I’ve felt for her dissipates. Seeing her standing there, sad and broken, knowing she had done it all to herself. Now I just feel pity. My phone buzzes on the counter. Selena grabs it before I can get to it and reads the small popup on the lock screen.

“Someone needs their on-call savior.” She whispers, and I can hear the jealously dripping from the words. She tosses my phone at me and I catch it easily.

“I need you on-call savior. SOS.” The text says, along with an address, from an unknown number.

My heart picks up its beat as the mystery girl’s face and smile pop into my mind, followed quickly by her voice. I look to Selena. “I won’t be coming back here. And if I were you, I would stay away from the apartment. Tilly still has a mark on you and I’m not sure I would stop her from attacking if you ever show up. Stay out of my life. You have no grip on me anymore. If I ever want an easy fuck though, I’ll give you a call.”

I head out to my car and hop in, shooting a text to Tilly before leaving, letting her know to go celebrate without me.